PNP backs school safety task force with DepED, DILG after South Cotabato school shooting
Marcos ordered an investigation into the shooting at Banga National High School
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday it supports a proposed Joint School Safety Task Force that would audit security at public schools, after a shooting at a South Cotabato high school left three dead, including the 16-year-old suspected gunman, and six others injured.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara proposed the task force, to be formed with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the PNP. It follows an order from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the Department of Education (DepEd), the DILG and the PNP to submit a report on existing safety measures, identify gaps and recommend concrete policy measures to prevent further violence in schools.
Marcos also ordered an investigation into the shooting, which took place on September 18 at Banga National High School.
It was the third fatal school shooting in the country in the past three months, following incidents in Tacloban and Zamboanga.
Proposed task force would audit public schools
Angara, who visited Banga National High School on Saturday, said the task force would carry out site-specific security audits instead of creating a permanent government body.
"This operational framework is not intended to create another permanent bureaucracy, but rather to bring the agencies together to assess specific risks, identify gaps, and recommend concrete interventions," he said.
The audits would examine physical access control, threat reporting mechanisms, emergency response protocols and coordination with local law enforcement. Findings would be used to develop safety measures at the school, division, regional and national levels.
The PNP said it is ready to join the task force once it is activated.
PNP looks to 'barangay tanods' and school rules abroad
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said barangay tanods, or village watchers, could act as force multipliers in securing schools.
The PNP said the country has more than 42,000 barangays, each with at least eight tanods, while there are 49,213 public and private schools nationwide.
Nartatez said police would also study school-security measures discussed at the ASEANAPOL (Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chiefs of Police) conference hosted by the Philippines in July, following a June 22 gun attack in Tacloban City that killed three students.
He said schools in other countries have banned gadgets such as mobile phones and have implemented other projects and programmes. Those programmes and initiatives would be discussed with DepEd and the DILG once the task force is activated.
Police step up online monitoring, Metro Manila coordination
Nartatez also directed newly designated Anti-Cybercrime Group chief Maj. Gen. Andre Perez Dizon to step up surveillance and action against cyber-related threats.
"The recent incident in a school in South Cotabato underscores the need for stronger coordination and action, particularly against online spaces that promote or glorify violence," Nartatez said.
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said it would strengthen coordination with local government units, school administrators, security personnel and other stakeholders across Metro Manila.
"We are taking the lessons from these incidents seriously, but we also want to assure parents, students, and our school communities that there is no reason to panic. Our approach is to strengthen prevention, improve coordination, and respond to risks based on facts and credible information," NCRPO Officer-in-Charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano said.
DepEd reviews earlier safety measures
DepEd said it will conduct more in-depth security assessments of each school's risks and vulnerabilities, including access control, threat reporting, emergency response and coordination with law enforcement.
It will also review measures introduced after previous incidents to determine which need to be strengthened, modified or supplemented.
The department said it will continue accelerating the hiring of School Counselor Associates to strengthen school-based mental health support and give students earlier guidance and assistance.
"In the coming days, we will roll out additional measures to address remaining gaps and better protect our students," Marcos said.
