DepEd to Enhance School Safety Measures Following Tacloban Shooting

THE Department of Education (DepEd) will roll out tighter security measures in public schools, including an anonymous reporting system, active shooter protocols and a nationwide safety audit following a string of campus violence incidents that culminated in the deadly Tacloban City school shooting. At a House of Representatives Basic Education Committee hearing on Monday, DepEd Assistant Secretary Roger B. Masapol said the agency is boosting its school safety framework to detect and prevent potential threats before they escalate. “We will put in place a mechanism where learners can report anonymously, even if they are afraid,” Mr. Masapol said in Filipino. The planned reforms come after two minors allegedly used firearms in the June 22 attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, killing three students and injuring about two dozen others. The incident has prompted calls for stronger school security and tighter gun regulations. Mr. Masapol said DepEd has begun a nationwide audit to determine which schools have security guards, perimeter fences, handheld and walk-through metal detectors and identify security gaps requiring immediate attention. The findings will guide the department’s next steps in upgrading school security, he said. DepEd also plans to strengthen implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act, the Child Protection Policy, and the Ensuring Safe and Motivating Learning Environment framework, while expanding coordination with the Philippine National Police to increase police visibility around schools. The agency is likewise drafting standardized protocols for active shooter incidents after finding that many teachers lacked clear guidance during the Tacloban attack. “We already have established protocols for fires and earthquakes. But during the active shooting incident, we observed that it was not clear to teachers what they should tell their students,” Mr. Masapol said. At the hearing, Party-list Rep. Franz Vincent F. Legaspi cited earlier school-related gun incidents, including a student who accidentally shot himself after bringing a firearm to school in October 2025 and another student who allegedly fired a .45-caliber pistol inside a Batangas classroom in February 2026. Lawmakers questioned why security measures had not been strengthened despite those earlier incidents. “We did not expect a shooting incident like that to occur in a public school,” Mr. Legaspi said. “What happened in Tacloban was on an entirely different level, so it is really an alarm.” Separately, Malacañang said it is open to reviewing policies on school safety, including possible restrictions on mobile phone use in schools and amendments to the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the government would study proposals before adopting a nationwide policy on mobile phone use in schools, following a ban imposed by Dumanjug, Cebu Mayor Efren Guntrano “Gungun” Gica. “It is a good objective so that children can have better concentration on their studies,” Ms. Castro said in Filipino, adding that any national policy would require DepEd’s recommendation and should allow reasonable exemptions for emergencies. She also said Malacañang is prepared to study proposals from the Department of the Interior and Local Government to tighten firearm regulations. “It depends on the proposal,” she said. “If it is truly for better protection and security of our fellow citizens, there is no need to provide too much leeway for one to possess a firearm, especially if they are not responsible.” — Pexcel John Bacon and Erika Mae P. Sinaking