PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has extended his condolences to the families of three students who died in the Tacloban City school shooting, as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assured continued assistance to the victims and opened the door to discussions on lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian personally visited the wake of the slain students on Wednesday to relay the President’s sympathies and assure their families that the government would continue providing burial aid, medical assistance, and psychosocial support.
“Pinapunta ako ng ating Pangulo dahil ang buong bansa ay na-shock sa nangyari,” Gatchalian said in a media interview.
He said DSWD social workers were immediately deployed to assist the families of those who died, while hospital social workers were also sent to help the injured victims.
“Noong nangyari ito, kaagad nag-deploy tayo ng mga social workers natin sa bawat namatayan at may mga hospital social workers din tayo. Hindi kami bibitaw hanggang sa dulo,” he said.
Gatchalian also informed the families that the two minors allegedly behind the shooting are now under DSWD custody and staying in one of its facilities.
“Nasa amin po sila, hindi po sila malaya. Tinurn-over na sila sa amin at nasa isang pasilidan namin,” he said.
“Ina-assure ko po kayo na kung ano yung nasa alituntunin ng batas—na hindi siya dapat nasa komunidad. Wala na sila sa mga bahay nila, hindi na sila babalik sa mga bahay nila,” he added.
After visiting the wake, Gatchalian also checked on the injured victims who are recovering in different hospitals.
The DSWD said it has already provided financial and medical assistance, as well as psychosocial interventions, to affected families, students, teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
Gatchalian also appealed to the public to stop resharing photos and videos of the incident, warning that the continued spread of such materials could worsen the trauma of the victims, survivors, their families, students, teachers, and school personnel.
Following the incident, Gatchalian said the DSWD, along with its attached agencies—the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) and the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC)—is open to participating in legislative discussions on proposals to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility for minors.
“In light of recent events, the Department shares the same openness of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in discussing the issue. We look forward to listening and participating in the upcoming hearings in aid of legislation. Suffice to say, whatever the outcome of these hearings will be, the Department will follow,” Gatchalian said.
He said he expects the DSWD, JJWC, CWC, and child welfare experts to be called to future legislative hearings, where they will push to ensure that the rights and best interest of children are upheld.
Gatchalian also reiterated the importance of properly implementing Republic Act No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, which he described as a sound law in handling cases involving children in conflict with the law (CICL).
Under the law, a minor’s age, discernment, the offense committed, and the gravity of the offense are considered in determining where the child should be referred or placed.
Gatchalian said there is also a need to strengthen rehabilitation facilities, improve the skills of personnel handling such cases, and provide sufficient assistance not only to victims but also to minor offenders and their families, in line with the President’s directive.
He said he would meet with the JJWC and other concerned agencies for a multidisciplinary discussion on the case management of the minors involved in the Tacloban shooting.
A recent JJWC report, citing data from the Philippine National Police’s Crime Information Reporting and Analysis System, showed that cases involving children in conflict with the law peaked in 2017 at 26,850 before gradually declining to 5,698 from January to June 2025.
The JJWC said most reported cases involved males aged above 15 to below 18 years old.
It added that common offenses included theft, physical injuries, robbery, rape, and drug-related cases, with many cases linked to economic hardship, survival needs, peer influence, exposure to public areas, and gaps in law enforcement visibility.