QC orders survey of school access routes

Following a school shooting in Tacloban City, the Quezon City government has directed the Quezon City Police District and barangays to identify possible access points to schools aside from main entrances and exits.

“At present, I have already instructed our [city] police and even the barangays to survey the possible entrances to their respective schools, as there are places where bad elements can pass through,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a media interview.

“We will do engineering interventions to make sure to address these legal entrances to the schools,” she added.

Belmonte also stressed the need for standardized emergency response protocols in schools, noting that students often do not know how to react during critical incidents.

“Some are simply left shocked, while others scream and run. We need to have drills,” she said.

The mayor said the QCPD has offered to develop instructional modules for school emergency drills.

She added that police will also increase their presence around schools through unannounced visits and patrols.

“Aside from the drills, the city police have also promised police visibility. Every so often, randomly, without announcement, they will just go around different schools of ours,” Belmonte said.

“We will increase police visibility in all of our schools,” she added.