Tacloban shooters enter rehab center
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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the two teenagers implicated in the fatal school shooting in Tacloban City are now under the agency’s custody at a rehabilitation facility while authorities continue their investigation into the incident that left three minors dead and several others wounded.
“The two children in conflict with the law are in the custody of the DSWD, particularly at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said in a radio interview.
Dumlao said the two minors are housed in separate rooms and are under the supervision of social workers and house parents assigned to the facility.
“They do not see each other. They are in separate rooms. Each room has its own ceiling fan and bathroom,” she said.
“They also do not interact with the other residents at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Youth,” she added.
The DSWD said the two, aged 14 and 15, are regularly examined by the center’s nurse to monitor their health, while police officers remain posted outside their rooms to provide security.
Dumlao said the minors are also undergoing psychosocial assessment as part of the intervention process.
She added that the DSWD continues to coordinate with the Regional Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council in crafting an intervention plan for both children.
Authorities have identified the 14-year-old as the alleged gunman, while the 15-year-old is believed to have played a supporting role in the attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City.
Under Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, children aged 15 and below are exempt from criminal liability and are instead subjected to intervention and rehabilitation programs.
Those aged 15 to 17 may be held criminally liable only if prosecutors establish that they acted with discernment. The 15-year-old suspect had been charged.
The National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police are separately investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack, including how the firearm used in the shooting was obtained.
