Vice President Sara Duterte said recent incidents of violence involving young Filipinos reflected a failure of leadership, arguing that people disregard rules and institutions when those in authority lose the public's respect and moral authority.

Asked about recent cases of youth violence, including incidents reported in schools, Duterte said the problem extended beyond the younger generation and pointed instead to what she called a wider erosion of leadership.

“Ganyan kasi ang nangyayari kapag wala kasi nakikita na leadership, nagkakanya-kanya yung mga tao,” the former education secretary said in a chance interview. .

The former education secretary said the same mindset was evident in workplaces and other sectors, where people increasingly act on their own because they no longer respect those in positions of authority.

"Kung makikita ninyo sa mga empleyado ng gobyerno ngayon, ganoon din ang mentality nila. Nagkakanya-kanya sila kasi nawawala yung moral ascendancy ng mga nasa taas," she said.

"Kapag nawawala yung respeto, nagkakanya-kanya lahat ng tao. That is a manifestation of a weak leadership," Duterte added.

Duterte did not identify any official, though the remarks are the latest in a series of criticisms she has directed at the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former running mate whose alliance with the Duterte family has since collapsed.

On 22 June, three students were killed after two fellow students allegedly opened fire inside San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, prompting the Department of Education to order a nationwide review of school safety protocols, learner protection mechanisms, anti-bullying measures and school-based mental health programs.