Zamboanga incident sparks House call for school safety probe
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Lawmakers at the House of Representatives called for a congressional inquiry into school safety following the deadly shooting at a school in Zamboanga City.
Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre renewed calls for Congress to review existing laws and policies designed to protect children, including measures on mental health and psychosocial support, guidance counseling and crisis response.
Acidre, chair of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, said discussions should go beyond physical school security and examine other factors that could contribute to violence involving young people.
“We cannot simply grieve each time this happens and then move on. Each incident should compel us to look more closely at what is happening in and around our schools, and at what more we need to do to keep our young people safe,” Acidre said.
He noted that the Zamboanga shooting was not an isolated case, citing a previous violent incident at a public school in Tacloban.
Latest reports showed four people were killed and nine others injured in the Zamboanga shooting, including the gunman.
In separate statements, Akbayan Reps. Chel Diokno and Perci Cendaña and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima backed calls for congressional action to identify measures that could prevent similar incidents.
Diokno said investigators must determine how the child obtained a firearm and what circumstances led to the attack.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to the victims, their families, and the entire Ateneo de Zamboanga community…while this is being investigated, we also need to act,” Diokno said.
He urged Congress to consider his proposed Child Safety Against Gun Violence Act, which seeks to strengthen safeguards protecting children from gun violence.
Cendaña, meanwhile, warned against allowing such violence to become “normalized,” stressing that schools should remain safe spaces where children can learn and develop.
He said Congress should also consider stronger funding for programs supporting children’s welfare as it deliberates on the proposed 2027 national budget.
“As Congress deliberates the proposed 2027 National Budget, we must also ensure greater funding for mental health programs and psychosocial support for children and young people in tandem with strengthening prevention and early intervention programs that can address violence before it happens,” Cendaña said.
De Lima likewise called for safeguards against factors she believes could expose young people to violence, pointing particularly to social media and video games.
“The bad side of social media and video games exerting pernicious influence on young people are now in full view. Forms of violence never seen before in our country. Urgent and effective safeguards are needed to prevent similar tragic incidents,” De Lima said.
