The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is strengthening coordination with local government units, school administrators and personnel, security officers, and other stakeholders to further enhance the safety and security of schools across Metro Manila following a series of shooting incidents involving children.
In a statement, the NCRPO extended its sympathies to the students, families, teachers, and the entire school communities affected by the incident in school in South Cotabato which claimed several young students.
“We are taking the lessons from these incident seriously, but we also want to assure parents, students, and our school communities that there is no reason to panic. Our approach is to strengthen prevention, improve coordination, and respond to risks based on facts and credible information,” said NCRPO Chief PBGen Christopher Abrahano.
Abrahano said the NCRPO will further strengthen its coordination with schools and local government units to ensure that concerns involving school safety are immediately communicated and properly addressed.
He said the NCRPO will likewise encourage greater vigilance concerning firearm security, particularly the proper storage and safekeeping of legally owned firearms to ensure that they remain inaccessible to minors and unauthorized persons.
Police units will also coordinate with the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group and other appropriate agencies whenever credible online threats, violent content, or other information indicating a potential threat to a school community are reported.
“We will continue to assess the situation based on verified information. We will not unnecessarily alarm our communities, but neither will we ignore information that requires appropriate attention,” Abrahano said.
“Any adjustment in police deployment will be intelligence-led, risk-based, proportionate, and coordinated with our education and local-government partners. We want our measures to be responsive to actual risks while ensuring that our schools remain safe, welcoming, and conducive to learning,” the NCRPO Chief added.
The NCRPO emphasized that school safety is a shared responsibility involving police officers, educators, parents, students, local governments, school security personnel, and the wider community.
Abrahano appealed to parents, teachers, students, and community members to immediately report credible information involving potential threats while avoiding the spread of unverified reports that could unnecessarily cause fear.
“We will remain vigilant without creating fear. Our goal is simple: safer schools, better coordination, and a community that knows we are ready to act when it matters,” he said.
