Jamaine Punzalan

Gun in Philippine school shooting belonged to officer: police

Policemen stand near the crime scene of a school compound after a shooting incident at a high school compound in Tacloban City, Leyte province on June 22, 2026. At least three teenaged students were killed in a rare school shooting in the central Philippines, police said. Noel  Sianosa, AFP

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782118749005AFP__20260622__B7UL8T3__v1__MidRes__PhilippinesShootingSchoolCrime.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Policemen stand near the crime scene of a school compound after a shooting incident at a high school compound in Tacloban City, Leyte province on June 22, 2026. At least three teenaged students were killed in a rare school shooting in the central Philippines, police said. <em>Noel  Sianosa, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA -- One of two guns used in a<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/22/alleged-school-shooting-reported-in-tacloban-1034"> school shooting in Tacloban, Leyte</a> that killed three teens and wounded 13 on Monday belonged to a police officer, an official said.</p><p>&quot;The 9mm Glock (pistol) belongs or was issued to a policewoman assigned in (the Eastern Visayas region),&quot; said national police spokesman Allen Rae Co, who added the officer had been taken into custody and was now under investigation.</p><p>The other weapon, a .38 caliber pistol, was registered to a security agency in Cebu City, he said.</p><p>Over 40 empty shells were found at the scene, police added.</p><p>The two alleged shooters, aged 15 and 14, were in custody after firing &quot;randomly&quot; in San Jose National High School, PLt. Evalyn Diaz told AFP of the violence that sent terrified students running for cover.</p><p>Irvin Nogar, a 52-year-old social studies teacher, told AFP he was in the middle of a class at the school in Leyte province&#x27;s Tacloban City when he heard several &quot;loud gun shots&quot;.</p><p>&quot;I saw a shooter walking towards our area, so I told the students to be calm and hide under their desks, and I locked the door... They were crying and in panic.&quot;</p><p>Jennelyn Badoria, mother of a slain 15-year-old student, told AFP she believed whoever had given the shooters access to guns must be held accountable.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m asking that the gun owners be charged, because the guns wouldn&#x27;t have ended up in the children’s hands if it weren&#x27;t for them,&quot; she said in an interview outside the school.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;GRIEF AND FEAR&#x27;</strong></div><p>As of late afternoon, no updates had been given on the status of the wounded students, who were receiving treatment at a local hospital. An earlier police tally had placed their number at five.</p><p>Diaz, the police lieutenant, said they had heard &quot;bullying was the motive&quot; of the shooting, but that the two alleged assailants were still being questioned.</p><p>&quot;They are still in the police station undergoing questioning in the presence of their parents because they are minors,&quot; she said.</p><p>A 2022 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report found over half of Filipino boys and 43 percent of girls reported being bullied &quot;at least a few times a month&quot; -- more than double the rate of OECD countries.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/4/deped-says-it-is-addressing-bullying-in-schools-0120">DepEd says it is addressing bullying in schools</a></div><p>The Philippine Department of Education issued a statement calling it a &quot;high-alert situation&quot;.</p><p>&quot;Our Central Office officials, alongside regional and division office personnel, are active on the ground, coordinating closely with school authorities and law enforcement to secure the premises,&quot; it said.</p><p>While school shootings are a rarity in the Philippines, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/21/grade-11-student-stabbed-by-schoolmate-in-cavite-1109">seven students were wounded last month in a knife attack</a> by an older student in Cavite province.</p><p>President Ferdinand Marcos&#x27;s spokeswoman on Monday said the president had been &quot;saddened by what happened&quot;.</p><p>&quot;Anyone, especially the parents of the victims, would feel grief and fear,&quot; Claire Castro told reporters, adding that unspecified measures were being taken to ensure safety at public spaces including schools.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/22/palace-orders-investigation-into-fatal-school-shooting-in-tacloban-1439">Palace orders investigation into fatal school shooting in Tacloban</a></div><p>In 2022, three people, including a former city mayor, were killed in a shooting incident before a graduation ceremony at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippine capital.</p><p>It was later determined to have been an assassination driven by &quot;personal motives&quot;.</p><p>Legal gun ownership is tightly regulated in the Southeast Asian country, but a large black market exists for firearms.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/22/officials-groups-express-alarm-over-tacloban-school-shooting-1401">Officials, groups express alarm over Tacloban school shooting </a></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><em><strong>If you know someone battling with depression or suicidal thoughts, contact the NCMH Crisis Hotline on landline (1553), or through mobile numbers 0917-899-8727 and 0919-057-1553.<br/></strong></em></div>

<p>One of two guns used in a Philippine school shooting that killed three teens and wounded seven on Monday belonged to a police officer, an official said.</p>

One of two guns used in a Philippine school shooting that killed three teens and wounded seven on Monday belonged to a police officer, an official said.

Gun in Tacloban school shooting belonged to officer: police

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Gun in Tacloban school shooting belonged to officer: police

Agence France-Presse

Published June 22, 2026 05:00 PM PHT

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Updated June 22, 2026 06:20 PM PHT

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Tacloban

Leyte

police

school shooting

San Jose National High School

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