Firearms used in recent shootings in Tacloban City, Zamboanga City and South Cotabato came from relatives of the suspects, prompting lawmakers to renew calls for tighter gun safety rules and restrictions on children’s access to social media.

Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre, Quezon Rep. David “Jay-Jay” Suarez and Bukidnon Rep. Audrey Kay Zubiri on Sunday called for government action following the South Cotabato shooting on 18 September.

Acidre said measures to address violence involving young people should be preventive rather than reactive. “It is difficult to think that the places where our children should be safe have become the same places of fear and violence,” he said.

“We have a responsibility to understand how this happened and what must change to prevent another family from suffering the same tragedy,” he added.

As investigations continue, Acidre said law enforcement agencies should avoid focusing on a single factor that may have contributed to the incidents.

He said the government should strengthen support systems for children by improving access to guidance counselors and mental health professionals.

“When a young person expresses an intention to harm themselves or others, there must be a clear process for taking that warning seriously and responding immediately,” he said.

Acidre also called for Congress to examine gaps in policies, funding and implementation of laws to strengthen schools as “places of learning, hope and safety.”

Socmed blamed

Lawmakers are also pushing tighter restrictions on children’s access to online platforms.

Initial investigations into Friday’s shooting found that the 16-year-old gunman who killed two people and injured several others had been accessing the “deep dark web.” The gunman later turned the gun on himself.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the exposure was an “influence” and that he would coordinate with concerned agencies, including Congress, on possible reforms governing social media use.

Suarez has filed a bill requiring online platforms to secure congressional franchises before operating in the Philippines.

The measure would also establish age-assurance systems and parental consent rules to limit children’s access to online platforms.

Suarez said social media had become more than a platform for entertainment and now plays a role in shaping societies.

He said online platforms should be held accountable when incidents such as the South Cotabato shooting occur.

Safe digital space

“Filipinos deserve a digital space that is safe, fair, and truly serves the public interest. This is about empowering our people, not stifling free expression,” Suarez said.

Zubiri said gun owners should be held accountable for properly securing their firearms, particularly after authorities found that the weapons used in the recent shootings came from relatives of the suspects.

She said guns must be kept out of children’s reach, warning that gun violence had become “normalized among children.”

Zubiri said action was needed “before it gets worse,” adding that existing gun safety policies were insufficient.

“We condemn the failure of every legally accountable adult who allows a firearm to become accessible to a child. Owning a firearm under legal circumstances comes with great responsibility,” she said.

Zubiri clarified that her proposed amendments were not intended to target responsible gun owners but to prevent firearms from becoming a cause of “lifelong trauma and loss of life” among young people.