Senator Raffy Tulfo has expressed support for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) new directive to tighten security in public schools across the country, but criticized the agency for acting only after a fatal shooting at a high school in Tacloban City.
The lawmaker noted that he had previously pushed for similar security enhancements during Senate basic education committee hearings.
His proposals included equipping campus security guards with handheld metal detectors and placing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in classrooms and shared school spaces.
While education authorities originally backed his ideas, Tulfo pointed out that no concrete actions were taken at the time.
“Bagama’t umaksyon na ang DepEd, ang tanong ay bakit ngayon lang? Dati ko pang iminumungkahi ang mga ito pero bakit kinailangan pang maraming buhay ang masayang bago sila kumilos?” Tulfo said in a statement.
Tulfo stressed that the tragedy highlights a recurring issue of government bodies responding to problems only after a crisis occurs.
“Ang insidenteng ito ay paalala sa ating mga kawani ng gobyerno na huwag nang magantay na may mamatay o masaktan pa bago tayo gumawa ng hakbang tuwing magkakaroon ng suliranin na kailangan ng agarang aksyon,” he said.
The renewed focus on campus safety follows a June 22 shooting incident at San Jose National High School in Tacloban, which resulted in three student fatalities and left 20 others wounded. Authorities have apprehended two teenage suspects, aged 14 and 15, in connection with the attack.
Following the incident, Education Secretary Sonny Angara mandated the distribution of handheld metal detectors and the setup of CCTV systems in public schools to fortify campus perimeters and assist in investigative efforts.