Student's Heroism Averts Greater Casualties in South Cotabato Shooting

MANILA, Philippines — There might have been more casualties in the Banga, South Cotabato campus shooting rampage on Friday, if not for a brave student who fought the attacker barehanded and forced him out of their classroom despite suffering a gunshot wound in the arm. Banga Mayor Albert Palencia and South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. separately told reporters yesterday that a courageous male student of Banga National High School destroyed the windows at the rear of a classroom after shutting its door, allowing his classmates to escape and run to safety while his right arm was bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound. “He is a hero. He exemplified what we call courage under fire, ignoring his gunshot wound bleeding then,” Tamayo said. The student was brought to a hospital by an emergency response team from the Banga local government unit and has since been discharged. He is now recuperating at home and receiving essential relief support from Palencia’s office and the South Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. Aside from the hero student, seven others were wounded while three people were killed in Friday’s incident at the BNHS campus, including the attacker, who shot himself in the head after the shooting. The incident shook residents of the supposedly peaceful Banga town and prompted administrators of elementary, secondary and tertiary schools in Banga and nearby towns to suspend classes temporarily as authorities work to restore normalcy at the BNHS campus. “The Banga local government unit will give the hero student a special award for his heroic act,” Palencia said. Tamayo likewise announced that the provincial government would also recognize the student’s bravery through a special citation. Information Source: Philstar Nation