Vice President Sara Duterte has called out the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., asserting that a fatal shooting at a school in Tacloban City highlights severe shortcomings in the government’s ability to protect students and intercept security threats.
The critique followed a violent incident at San Jose National High School, which claimed the lives of three students and injured over 20 others.
Expressing her profound grief over the tragedy, Duterte stressed that the state must urgently fix the vulnerabilities in its campus security protocols.
“No parent sends a child to school expecting that child to become a victim of violence,” the Vice President said.
Duterte expanded her concerns by pointing to other recent student fatalities, such as the accidental drowning of two Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes during a team-building event.
According to the Vice President, these recurring tragedies highlight a systemic failure to protect learners both inside the classroom and during school-sanctioned trips.
She also warned of external entities, internet platforms, and predatory individuals targeting vulnerable youth with harmful ideas, calling for a more aggressive stance against violence and neglect in schools.
Turning her focus toward national security, the Vice President—whose own past tenure as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary faced intense legislative scrutiny over the use of confidential intelligence funds—argued that the Tacloban shooting exposed a massive failure in proactive intelligence gathering.
She argued that law enforcement and school officials must stop acting only after a tragedy occurs.
“Education is not only about academics,” Duterte said. “What our children learn, who influences them, and the values they carry with them outside the classroom are deeply intertwined with national security and stability.”