CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A city lawmaker called for urgent measures to bolster security in all local learning institutions following a school shooting here that left three students dead and several others wounded.

City Councilor Maximo Rodriguez III, chair of the Committee on Social Services, expressed alarm during a regular city council session over rising school-related violence nationwide.

Rodriguez pointed to past violence in other regions, including a 2022 gang-linked death of a 14-year-old student in Cagayan de Oro, to highlight the vulnerability of public schools.

Most public schools currently rely on a single security guard, a setup Rodriguez described as inadequate to protect students and staff.

To address the security gaps, Rodriguez proposed an ordinance declaring every school in the city an official “Peace Zone.”

The council also approved a resolution directing key agencies to strengthen coordination and intervention programs.

The measure calls on the City Peace and Order Council, City Social Welfare and Development Office, local youth councils, the Department of Education and local police to enforce stricter security protocols, expand monitoring systems and launch preventive programs against criminal activity within and near school grounds.

“Our children deserve a safe environment to learn and grow,” Rodriguez said. “We cannot wait for another tragedy to happen before acting.”