Remulla: Tacloban school shooting a case of ‘bullying gone wrong’

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday described the deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City as a case of “bullying gone wrong,” citing initial findings gathered by authorities.

“Ang lumalabas sa initial feedback ay bullying gone wrong. Binubully daw yung dalawang estudyanteng yun at dahil doon ay influence sila sa video games,” Remulla told reporters in a chance interview at Camp Crame.

He said initial accounts indicated that the two students involved had allegedly been subjected to bullying for some time before the incident.

“Ang paliwanag ay yung mga batang yun ay binubully na dati pa. Parang nasobrahan na sila sa pagka-bully ng mga siga sa classroom kaya pinasok nila,” he added.

The shooting on 22 June left three students dead and 20 others injured after two Grade 9 students allegedly opened fire inside the school.

Remulla said police personnel are already assigned to schools but noted that law enforcement officers have limited authority within campuses.

“We’d like to repeat na may mga pulis na naka-assign sa lahat ng eskwelahan. Pero, bawal kasi sa amin na kapkapan ang bawat estudyante,” he said.

“Ang jurisdiction ng PNP ay nasa labas ng eskwelahan, hindi sa loob. Pagdating sa loob ay mga school principal ang namamahala. But we have to review our policies. Kung may bullying, dapat ma-address. Other root causes of the problem, dapat ma-address,” he added.

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police chief P/Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. confirmed that criminal complaints have been referred to the prosecutor’s office against one of the suspects.

Nartatez said charges of three counts of murder, frustrated murder and multiple counts of serious physical injuries have been filed against the 15-year-old suspect identified only as alias “Rod.”

The suspect and his alleged accomplice, alias “Nash,” 14, are currently under the custody of authorities and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in accordance with juvenile justice procedures.

Investigations into the shooting, including the possible role of bullying and online influences, remain ongoing.