TACLOBAN CITY — Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre has called for a comprehensive review of school safety policies following the fatal shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus, saying recent attacks should prompt authorities to strengthen both security measures and student support systems.
Acidre, chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, expressed condolences to the families of the two students who were killed, as well as those injured in the shooting and members of the school community affected by the incident.
The Zamboanga shooting came less than two months after a deadly attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on June 22, in which three students were killed and several others were injured.
“What makes this even more painful is that this is not the first incident of its kind we have seen in recent months,” Acidre said, referring to the Tacloban shooting.
He said the two incidents should prompt Congress, education officials and other stakeholders to examine whether existing measures are sufficient to protect students and school personnel.
Acidre said school security should remain a priority, but stressed that preventing violence requires a broader approach that also addresses factors that could place students and school communities at risk.
“School security is certainly part of that conversation, but it cannot be the whole conversation,” he said.
He called for stronger early intervention programs for students who may be struggling, improved training and support for teachers and guidance personnel, expanded mental health and psychosocial services, and closer attention to young people’s access to firearms.
As head of the House panel overseeing higher and technical education, Acidre said Congress has a responsibility to determine whether existing laws and policies remain adequate in addressing school safety, mental health, guidance and counseling, student welfare and emergency response.
He also urged authorities and the public to avoid speculation and allow investigators to establish the circumstances surrounding the Zamboanga shooting.
Acidre said lawmakers should consult students, parents, teachers, counselors, school administrators and local communities in crafting measures that would make schools safer.
He stressed that protecting students requires both preventive measures and a coordinated response when threats emerge.
“Every parent should be able to send a child to school in the morning with the confidence that he or she will come home safely,” Acidre said.
“Every student should be able to walk into a classroom without fear. That is a trust we owe every Filipino family.”
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA, JOEY A. GABIETA)
