Tacloban School Reopens with Enhanced Security, Psychosocial Care After Shooting

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara has ensured that security at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, where a shooting took place on June 22, has been reinforced to give stronger protection to students, who returned to school on Monday. To accommodate those heavily traumatized by the shooting, which left three students dead and 20 others injured, the Department of Education (DepEd) has made available a flexible learning option. In a statement issued on Monday, Angara said: “Fulfilling President Bongbong Marcos’s directive, our immediate priority is to wrap our learners and teachers in a blanket of security and psychosocial care, recognizing that true learning cannot genuinely resume where fear remains.” “By offering flexible learning pathways alongside a heavily fortified environment, we are giving our traumatized learners the grace, time, and space they need to heal without being left behind academically,” he added. The security upgrades already completed at the school include the installation of additional CCTV cameras, walk-through metal detectors, perimeter fencing, and heightened police visibility. The school also completed a thorough clean-up and repainting to restore the campus environment. The classroom involved in the incident has been repurposed into an office, so it will no longer be used as a learning space. In addition to physical security, DepEd, in collaboration with local authorities and partner organizations, has institutionalized sustained Psychological First Aid, counseling, and confidential reporting channels for student safety. A special uplifting program featuring guest performers was sponsored by the Tacloban City government, under the leadership of Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, to offer comfort and encouragement to learners and school personnel on their first day back. In its statement, DepEd emphasized that school safety should be a shared responsibility, urging the public to exercise compassion and avoid spreading misinformation as the community moves toward healing. Shortly after the June 22 shooting, Angara visited the families of the victims and met with local authorities to coordinate a unified response. He also led DepEd’s nationwide School Safety Campaign to upgrade campus security nationwide. As part of this comprehensive campaign, Angara ordered school safety audits to assess and fortify structural vulnerabilities.