Philippine senators expressed sharp outrage on Friday, September 18, following a lethal gun attack at Banga National High School in South Cotabato that claimed three lives—including the suspect—and left six others injured, reigniting national alarm over recurring campus violence.
Senator Risa Hontiveros emphasized that addressing youth violence requires tackling root causes such as mental health issues, parental oversight, illegal gun access, and online radicalization, adding that lawmakers are advancing the proposed Sagip Bata Act to help combat nihilistic violent extremism.
“This cannot be our new normal. Kailangan nating tugunan ang lahat ng aspeto na nagreresulta sa kapahamakan ng mga bata—mental health, parental supervision, gun access, school security, nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), and the role of online platforms in fueling radicalization and violence among the youth,” Hontiveros stated.
“Nakakadurog ng puso na may isa na namang school shooting sa ating bansa. Nakikiisa at nakikiramay ako sa lahat ng kababayan natin sa South Cotabato. Bukas po ang aming opisina sa anumang tulong na kailangan ninyo,” she added.
“But one measure will never be enough. Government needs to do a real accounting of how we are failing our children,” she noted.
“No child should have to fear going to school. Pangalawang tahanan ng bata ang eskwelahan kaya dapat itong maging espasyo hindi lamang ng karunungan, kundi ng kapayapaan,” Hontiveros said.
Echoing her concerns, Senator Bam Aquino stressed the urgency of securing academic spaces and urged the public and government not to treat school shootings as everyday occurrences.
“Bilang isang ama, lubha tayong nababahala na mayroon na namang namatay sa loob ng ating paaralan na dapat ay ligtas na lugar para sa ating mga estudyante,” Aquino remarked.
“Nananawagan muli tayo sa pamahalaan na madaliin ang pagtiyak na ligtas ang ating mga paaralan at mga komunidad para sa ating mga estudyante at mga guro,” he urged.
“Huwag tayong masanay na nangyayari ito. Huwag natin payagang maging normal ang school shooting sa ating bansa. Kailangan natin magsama-sama para sa kaligtasan at kinabukasan ng ating kabataan,” Aquino added.
Senator Loren Legarda criticized the repetitive pattern of official mourning without actionable results, pointing out that this attack follows earlier school shootings in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City.
She demanded that the Department of Education, Philippine National Police, and local authorities determine how the firearm was smuggled onto campus and review existing safety policies.
“I raised the need to confront how minors gain access to firearms, the warning signs that are missed, and the help that reaches young people too late. When another shooting happened at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in August, I called for stricter enforcement of our firearms laws and stronger safeguards against unauthorized access to guns,” Legarda recalled.
“Now, another school community is facing the same violence. Hindi maaaring sa bawat pamamaril ay mag-iimbestiga tayo, magluluksa, at pagkatapos ay maghihintay na naman hanggang sa may panibagong paaralang tamaan. Tacloban, Zamboanga, at ngayon South Cotabato. May malinaw nang babala na may mga butas sa ating sistema na kailangang ayusin ngayon,” Legarda declared.
“This should be followed by a coordinated review of firearm safekeeping and access, school security protocols, reporting mechanisms for threats and warning signs, and the availability of timely mental health and psychosocial intervention for students,” she added.
“We cannot keep responding to each tragedy by announcing the same measures anew. We have to determine what was promised after the previous incidents, what was actually done, and why those safeguards were still insufficient,” she said.
“I will press for these questions to be answered and for the necessary legislative and administrative actions that must follow,” Legarda pledged.
“After Tacloban, Zamboanga, and now South Cotabato, it can no longer be said that we failed to see the warning,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano offered condolences to the victims’ families, discouraging public speculation while encouraging a unified societal response to support youth safety.
“There is nothing as painful (both as parents and as a nation) as to see your children suffer, much more witness senseless violence that leads to their deaths,” Cayetano expressed.
“We have to know and understand before we can really help and solve the problem. Kailangan ang buong bansa — families, schools, churches, communities, and government — working together so our children are safe, supported, and have someone to turn to,” he said.