Nearly a week after gunfire shattered the morning calm at San Jose National High School, one victim remains in the intensive care unit (ICU) as the Department of Education (DepEd) shifts its focus from emergency response to long-term recovery and tighter school security.

Education Undersecretary Malcolm Garma said on Sunday that while most of those wounded in the 22 June attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City have stabilized—and several have already been discharged from the hospital—one patient continues to fight for life in the intensive care unit (ICU).

"The priority of the Department of Education is to ensure that those who were injured receive the medical attention and treatment they need," Garma said in a radio interview.

The attack left 23 casualties. Three students were killed, 15 others sustained gunshot wounds, while five more were indirectly injured. 

Two victims had earlier been admitted to the ICU, but Garma said only one remains in critical condition.

As the last critically injured victim continues to fight for life, DepEd has begun shifting its attention to helping the school community recover from the trauma left by one of the country's deadliest campus shootings.

Garma said the department has deployed psychosocial intervention teams to assist survivors and their families. 

DepEd is coordinating with the Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the University of the Philippines Tacloban College, and several non-government organizations to provide counseling and mental health support for students, teachers, school personnel, parents, and affected residents.

"We cannot focus only on physical recovery," Garma said, emphasizing that emotional healing would be just as vital in the weeks and months ahead.

The tragedy has also accelerated DepEd's efforts to strengthen security in public schools nationwide.

Garma said the department plans to deploy security guards, install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and provide metal detectors in schools. 

However, he acknowledged that limited resources make it impossible to immediately equip every public school with the same level of security.

"Kaya lang, siyempre ang realidad hindi pare-pareho ang kakayanan ng mga eskuwelahan natin. Napakarami kasi, so even if we would like all of our schools na magkaroon nito, hindi rin natin ma-monitor," Garma said.

He said Education Secretary Sonny Angara has ordered an inventory of schools that already have security measures in place and those that do not, allowing the department to prioritize campuses deemed most vulnerable.

"...Kunin muna ang datos, ilan talaga ang meron o wala. And of course, we would like to see saan talaga nangyayari ang mga ganito para sa ganoon maging strategic tayo. Kulang man lang ang mga resources sa kasalukuyan, sino ang uunahin na mabibigyan ng suporta," Garma added.

DepEd had already begun reviewing its school safety policies following another fatal campus shooting in Nueva Ecija last year, but Garma said the Tacloban tragedy has reinforced the urgency of strengthening existing security protocols.

Authorities earlier identified the alleged gunmen as two boys, aged 14 and 15, who allegedly entered the campus carrying a police-issued Glock pistol and a revolver.

The minors are now under government custody as investigators continue to determine the motive behind the attack.