Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Students and their parents wait for permission from school authorities to enter the school compound at the gate of San Jose High School in Tacloban City, Leyte province, a day after a shooting incident. Two students opened fire June 22 inside a school in the central Philippines, a rare campus shooting that killed three teens and wounded seven others, police said. Noel  Sianosa, AFP

Article (news)

Raphael Bosano

ABS-CBN News

TACLOBAN CITY — Days after a deadly school shooting inside San Jose National High School, the grief that has engulfed Tacloban City has given way to another painful reality. Survivors are beginning the long process of healing, while families continue to demand justice.Among them is Janice Bituin, whose 15-year-old son remains in the intensive care unit after surviving Monday&#x27;s attack. Fortunately, her son was immediately brought to a hospital right after the shooting.Speaking to ABS-CBN News, she said a bullet entered through his back and exited through his neck.“Paano na lang kung natamaan yung spinal cord niya. Mabuti na lang hindi sa gitna ang tama. Kung sa gitna paano na lang mawawala siya sa amin,” she said.(What if the bullet had hit his spinal cord? Fortunately it didn&#x27;t hit the middle. If it had, we could have lost him.)<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/25/marcos-jr-orders-agencies-to-find-root-cause-of-violence-in-schools-1656">Marcos Jr. orders agencies to find root cause of violence in schools </a></div>A video recording on the day of the shooting shows her son’s schoolmates helping the teenager out of the school grounds. His white school uniform had turned red from the blood he lost.Though her son survived, Bituin said the shooting has shattered her sense of security.&quot;Natatakot na po ako. Hindi na ako kumpiyansa lalo meron pa akong Grade 5. Nakakatakot na pumunta sa school,&quot; she said.(I am already afraid. I’m no longer confident to send them to school. I also have a child in grade 5. I already fear for them going to school)She added in comments to the suspects&#x27; parents: &quot;Sana yung mga anak niyo hindi niyo pinabayaan. Marami silang napahamak na mga bata. Merong namatay, merong nabaril. Paano kung yung mga anak niyo yung namatay?”(You should have taken care of your children. They put so many children in danger, some were shot, some even died. What if my child also died?)<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/25/families-mourn-death-of-three-students-in-tacloban-school-shooting-1527">Families mourn death of three students in Tacloban school shooting</a></div><div> </div><div>‘I WILL NEVER FORGET’</div>For Amalia Portillo, another parent, the trauma resurfaces every time she reads the message her child&#x27;s teacher sent to their parents&#x27; group chat during the attack.The teacher pleaded for parents to come immediately, saying there was an active shooter inside the school.Portillo rushed to campus, desperate to find her son.“Pagpasok ko, nakita ko yung mga bata. Grabe ang iyak nila, yung takot nila. Walang mga sapatos, naka-medyas lang. Hinahanap ko yung anak ko, gusto ko muna makita ang anak ko,” she said.(When I got inside, the children were crying uncontrollably. Some had no shoes anymore, only socks. I was looking for my child, I wanted to see him first.)“Sabi ng isang teacher wag ako pumasok kasi nandun pa yung shooter. Hindi ko talaga inalintana, pumasok talaga ako, tamang tama pag takbo ko nakita ko yung anak ko yung takot talaga. I will never forget this.”(A teacher told me not to go in because the shooter was still there. But I didn&#x27;t listen. I just wanted to see my child and when I did, I saw his fear. I will never forget this.)She later learned from her son&#x27;s teacher that he may have unknowingly crossed paths with one of the armed minors. The teacher said that prior to the shooting, the shooter entered the same bathroom her son was just in.<div> </div><div>A CITY IN MOURNING</div>The emotional toll of the tragedy is visible across Tacloban.The street where one of the minors involved in the shooting lived has fallen unusually quiet.Belinda Gruco, a barangay health worker who once knew the child, said she struggled to reconcile the boy she remembered with what had happened.Gruco added she had cared for him before and described him as quiet, but recalled witnessing conflict inside the household.&quot;Minsan nagaaway silang mag-asawa, nambubugbog yung tatay. Baka isa yun sa nakaapekto sa bata. Yung environment ng pamilya nila,&quot; she said.(Sometimes they fight. He would then be physical. Maybe the state of the family had an effect on the child.)Neighbors of the child’s family said they have temporarily left their home following the incident to care for the child’s grandmother.ABS-CBN News also visited the residence of the 15-year-old child in conflict with the law. His relatives declined to comment, saying they have already sought legal counsel.Residents acknowledge that what happened inside San Jose National High School will not easily be forgotten.In response, the Department of Education, together with other government agencies, has begun providing psychological first aid to students, teachers, and parents affected by the tragedy.Registered guidance counselor Julienne Peñaranda Saballa warned that unprocessed trauma can have lasting consequences.“Ito’y magbibigay ng matinding trauma sa kanila pag hindi naproseso. Pwede siyang magmanifest with different kinds of mental health conditions. Nandiyan yung common anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia,” she said.(If these experiences are not processed, they can cause severe trauma that people may carry into adulthood. Survivors may later develop anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoia among others.)She also cautioned that children who experience violence without proper intervention may become perpetrators themselves.Saballa said some students described terrifying close calls during the attack.One of the children reportedly had a gun pointed directly at them but managed to escape when it failed to discharge.The incident, she added, highlights the need for schools to provide not only quality education but also genuine safety and security for every learner.<div> </div><div>CALLS FOR JUSTICE AND SAFER SCHOOLS</div>For many parents, the challenge now extends beyond physical recovery.It is now also about helping children heal emotionally, rebuilding trust in schools, and ensuring such violence is never repeated.Bituin continues to hope that those responsible will be held accountable.&quot;Sana magkaroon ng hustisya yung nangyari sa mga anak namin,&quot; she said.(I hope we get justice for what happened to our children.)Portillo echoed calls for stronger security measures in schools across the country.&quot;Gusto namin ng peace of mind sa school,&quot; she said.(We long for peace of mind in schools.)&quot;Nananawagan ako sa gobyerno na igtingin pa ang safety ng schools, not just here, but in all schools.”(We are calling on government to strengthen safety measures in schools, not just here, but in all schools.)For families of victims, the road ahead remains uncertain.The wounds left by the bullets may eventually heal. But the fear carried home by hundreds of students, parents, and teachers may take much longer.

Days after a deadly school shooting inside San Jose National High School, the grief that has engulfed Tacloban City has given way to another painful reality.

Days after a deadly school shooting inside San Jose National High School, the grief that has engulfed Tacloban City has given way to another painful reality.

Parents, students struggle with trauma of Tacloban school shooting

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Parents, students struggle with trauma of Tacloban school shooting

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 26, 2026 12:13 AM PHT

Read More:

Tacloban City

school shooting

San Jose National High School

guidance councilor

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