MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang responded to criticisms regarding recent campus violence, emphasizing that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. views the incidents as alarming and is moving forward with intervention strategies.
President Marcos described the school shooting incidents across the country as unusual and deeply concerning.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro shared the President’s reaction following details surrounding the recent violence, including a gun attack at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
“Nabasa niya po at nakita niya po iyong ibang mga facts or mga reports patungkol dito, at very disturbing dahil sa kanyang pakiramdam, hindi ito normal na nangyayari na isang kabataan, bigla na lang makikita mo may hawak na baril at nagbabaril nang walang ibang target, kung sino lang,” Castro stated.
“So, noong nabasa ng Pangulo iyong diumanong sulat ng nagsagawa nito, ang sabi ng Pangulo ay very disturbing at hindi ito normal sa nangyayari, hindi siya– kakaiba siya, hindi siya ordinaryo. So, kailangan talagang aksyunan,” she added.
The Palace official pushed back against statements made by Vice President Sara Duterte, who pointed blame at President Marcos for the tragedy at Banga National High School.
Castro termed the Vice President’s reaction an “unusual opinion” and rejected claims that the executive branch is inactive regarding campus safety.
“So, hindi po totoo na walang ginagawa ang gobyerno. Hindi lang po ito pangkaraniwan kasing nangyayari, ang sitwasyon po ngayon lalung-lalo na po na mayroon impluwensiya diumano ang mga gaming apps hindi po siya maaaring agad na maresolba nang ganoon lang,” Castro explained, highlighting the complex factors involved, such as digital platform exposure.
Addressing the political friction directly, Castro added:
“At patungkol sa sinasabing kay Pangulo na naman ibinibintang ang mga pangyayaring ito – we cannot force someone to understand the situation if he or she is unwilling to understand or just can’t understand.”
To address security concerns, government agencies are executing several inter-agency initiatives:
- Campus Security Deployment: The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Education (DepEd) are finalizing a memorandum of agreement to station visible security personnel inside schools. This includes utilizing local barangay watchmen, particularly women, to conduct regular school patrols.
- Parental Guidance and Support: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is rolling out community-level parenting services hosted at family centers to equip parents with tools to better communicate with and guide their children.
- Trauma-Informed Care Training: DSWD and DepEd are collaborating to train teachers and school staff to recognize early warning signs and behavior shifts among students.
- Digital School Safety Campaign: DepEd is preparing to launch an online safety initiative teaching students responsible digital behavior, with topics covering safe chatting practices, cyberbullying prevention, grooming risks, privacy, and online scam awareness.