Tacloban School Shooting: 3 Dead, 20 Wounded by Teens

(Global 1 News)

Tacloban School Shooting Leaves Community in Shock

The number of students wounded in a school shooting in Tacloban City has risen to 20, police said on Tuesday, a day after two teenagers opened fire on their classmates. Three students were killed in the attack at San Jose National High School, bringing the total number of victims to 23. All were minors. This tragic event has sent ripples through the local community, where families are now grappling with the sudden loss and injuries among their young ones. In the spirit of bayanihan that defines many Philippine neighborhoods, residents are coming together to support those affected, drawing on the same resilience seen in times of natural disasters that frequently hit the region.

Of the 20 wounded, 15 had gunshot injuries and were still in the hospital on Tuesday. The other five were hurt in other ways, the Police Regional Office 8 said. Students and teachers at the school are now facing the difficult task of processing what happened on Monday morning, with many families connected to overseas Filipino worker communities feeling the added strain of absent parents who work abroad to provide for their children.

Details of the Attack and Police Findings

The two attackers, both boys aged 14 and 15, opened fire inside the school on Monday morning in one of the deadliest campus attacks in the country in recent years. Police have confirmed the 9mm Glock pistol used in the Tacloban shooting belonged to a policewoman who is a relative of one of the students. She has since been relieved of her post. This detail has raised questions within the barangay about how firearms are secured in homes, especially in areas where PNP personnel reside.

The two attackers, both minors and tagged by police as children in conflict with the law, are to be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for legal and intervention proceedings. Local communities are reflecting on how such incidents affect not just the immediate victims but also the wider network of relatives and neighbors who often step in to help raise children when parents are away as OFWs.

Education Secretary Visits and Highlights Key Concerns

Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who visited the school on Tuesday, said the shooting pointed to problems broader than campus security. He said the two attackers had been exposed to violence online and, like many children in such cases, had little parental supervision. Angara said based on his conversations with teachers, one of the attackers had a father looking for work in another province. This situation mirrors the experiences of many Filipino families where one parent seeks employment elsewhere, leaving gaps in daily guidance that schools and communities try to fill through collective efforts.

Angara said it is not just a peace-and-order problem. The children also need to be managed. He said teachers and principals had to take on part of that role. We are really like parents here. We should check on the children and watch for whether something is wrong, whether a child is not their usual self. DepEd is now eyeing the rollout of a revised emergency protocol for school shootings, which Angara said he had never expected to use. He said Health Secretary Ted Herbosa had brought this to his attention. It is something we never thought was applicable, but it turns out it exists. We just have to update it — what to do, how to drop to the ground, the behavior to keep down the loss of life.

Broader Context of Recent Violence and Legal Debates

Angara said responsibility for the attack lay with whoever had let a gun reach a child. He did not fault the school staff, saying the teachers had kept the death toll from rising. It is not natural for children to have a gun. Not every home has one. How did the child get hold of a gun? Angara linked the violence partly to the presence of gangs, which he said the city mayor had told him became more prominent after the pandemic. The shooting was the third act of violence carried out on school grounds in about a week. On June 16, a Grade 8 student stabbed seven Grade 5 pupils with a kitchen knife at a private school in General Trias, Cavite. On June 19, a senior high school student was stabbed at a school in Cavite City.

The attacks have prompted the Philippine National Police to say they will coordinate with DepEd on protecting students, and have revived debate in the Senate over how the law treats minors who commit serious crimes. Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act sets the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 15 years old. These developments are prompting discussions in barangays across the country about balancing accountability with the need for community support systems that help families, especially those with OFW members, stay connected.

Psychosocial Support and Counselor Shortage

Angara vowed the immediate provision of psychosocial support for teachers, staff and students. He has ordered the assignment of guidance counselors to help students deal with the aftermath of the shooting. Angara said last year that the Philippines had about 4,069 licensed guidance counselors, far short of the international benchmark of one for every 250 students. The department has said it aims to hire about 15,000 counselor associates by the end of the year. This shortage hits hard in places like Tacloban, where communities rely on bayanihan to support one another during crises, extending that same spirit to mental health needs now emerging after the shooting.

Police said one of the minors had a history of playing a violent game called Gorebox. Police Regional Office 8 Director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said the 14-year-old suspect was the one who played the game. Capoy said one of the underaged suspects had basic knowledge of firearm handling from a previous visit to a shooting range. These elements underscore the challenges families face in monitoring online activities and outside influences, particularly when parental figures are working overseas.

What This Means for Filipino Families and Communities

This incident carries deep implications for Filipino families and communities, highlighting how violence in schools disrupts the close-knit bonds that sustain daily life. With many households depending on OFW remittances, the absence of parents can leave children more vulnerable, forcing schools and barangay networks to step up in ways that test the limits of bayanihan spirit. The involvement of DSWD in handling the young attackers points to a need for stronger intervention programs that address root causes like limited supervision rather than solely focusing on punishment under existing laws.

For communities nationwide, the Tacloban shooting serves as a reminder that campus safety requires collective vigilance from PNP, DepEd, and local leaders. Families are now more aware of the importance of open communication with teachers, who often act as additional parents. The push for updated emergency protocols could help organize responses in future incidents, reducing potential harm through practiced behaviors. Ultimately, this event calls on all sectors to strengthen support for students, ensuring that no child falls through the cracks in a society that values the welfare of its youth above all.