President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reaffirmed on Monday his administration’s commitment to securing academic environments nationwide, declaring that a recent series of fatal school shootings is unacceptable and must not recur.
Speaking at a recognition ceremony for Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) participating schools and education partners at the President Corazon C. Aquino National High School in Pasay City, Marcos expressed deep sympathy for the affected communities in Tacloban, Zamboanga and South Cotabato.
“Hindi katanggap-tanggap iyung mga pangyayari na nakita natin…Ayaw na ayaw natin nakikita na hindi tayo nakakasiguro, hindi tayo nakakatiyak na ang ating mga eskuwelahan ay ligtas at ‘yung ating mga kabataan ay sila ay nasa environment na kaya nilang mag-aral nang mabuti (the events we witnessed are unacceptable… We absolutely do not want to be in a position where we cannot be certain that our schools are safe and that our youth are in an environment where they can study well),” Marcos said.
Addressing the audience, the President assured that security measures are actively being implemented in coordination with local authorities and communities.
“So be assured that the government is working closely with our teachers, parents, barangay workers, and other stakeholders to make our schools more secure. We are committed to providing our youth, our parents and communities with the knowledge and resources to prevent and respond to school violence,” he added.
The President’s statement follows a string of deadly campus incidents over recent months. In June, a shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban left three students dead and 20 others injured. Two months later in August, three students were killed in a shooting at the junior high school building of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City. Most recently, on September 18, three individuals, including the gunman, died while seven were wounded during a shooting incident at Banga National High School in Banga, South Cotabato.