Protecting young learners from campus violence requires a collaborative community effort that must begin with parental supervision at home, Pasig Representative Roman Romulo said Sunday.

Romulo, who chairs the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture, acknowledged that work and other economic factors can limit parents’ time with their children.

However, he stressed the critical need for families to monitor the digital media students consume daily.

“This is a whole community effort. Learners spend a majority of their time at home. The families need to step up,” Romulo said. “Let us try to check in on our children, what they read, and what they look at on their laptop, tablet, or cellphone.”

The lawmaker urged parents to maintain close coordination with school administrators to help mitigate campus violence.

His statements follow a 22 June school shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, where two Grade 9 students allegedly killed two classmates and injured 20 others.

While initial reports linked the shooting to bullying and the influence of online video games, Romulo cautioned against premature conclusions, noting that law enforcement agencies have not concluded their investigation into the motive.

“The investigation is not yet finished. It is not yet known if it was bullying or mental wellness,” Romulo said.

Rather than fast-tracking new legislation, Romulo urged the government to prioritize the aggressive and proactive enforcement of existing regulations, specifically Republic Act 11476, or the Good Manners and Right Conduct and Values Education Act.

“There are present laws; the Good Manners and Right Conduct law is there, it just has to be enforced aggressively and proactively,” Romulo said. “Let us ensure that teaching Good Manners and Right Conduct is correct.”

Romulo also disclosed that the government is actively working to hire and deploy more guidance counselors to academic institutions.

The expansion aims to provide emotional and psychological support for both students and teachers, while establishing early intervention protocols for inappropriate student behavior.