PNP eyes DepEd coordination after Tacloban, Cavite school attacks

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd) after a fatal shooting in a Tacloban City school and two knife attacks in Cavite schools.

The knife attack incidents occurred in General Trias City and Cavite City last June 16 and 18, while the shooting incident occurred in San Jose, Tacloban, on the morning of June 22.

In response, in a statement on Monday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said, “[The PNP] will… coordinate with the Department of Education to come up with measures for the protection of the students, teachers and other personnel of all schools in the country.”

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“Based on the existing protocol, policemen are not allowed entry into any school unless approved by school authorities,” he explained.

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READ: Both suspects in Tacloban City school shooting arrested — police

The June 16 Cavite knife attack involved a Grade 8 student who allegedly wounded seven Grade 5 students by stabbing them.

The June 19 knife attack involved a senior high school student allegedly repeatedly stabbing an 18-year-old student.

Meanwhile, the June 22 Tacloban school shooting involved two Grade 9 students supposedly killing three of their schoolmates and wounding seven others.

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Earlier on Monday morning, hours before the Tacloban incident, Nartatez “expressed concern” over the recent violent incidents at schools.

“Violence has no place in our schools. Our learners, teachers and school personnel deserve an environment that is safe and conducive to learning,” the PNP chief said at their flag-raising ceremony in Camp Crame.

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“I therefore direct all police commanders to strengthen police visibility around schools, intensify preventive patrols, conduct security assessments and sustain close coordination with school authorities, local government units, parents and community stakeholders,” he added.

For his part, in a phone interview with reporters, PNP Civil Security Group (CSG) director Brig. Gen. Aden Lagradante said he had ordered the Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (SOSIA) to see how to tighten security measures in schools.

The SOSIA is the office under the PNP CSG that enforces regulations for private security personnel.

“We will order our security guards, since they have training anyway, to tighten our security measures because of these incidents that have happened,” Lagradante explained.

“Our security guards can help a lot in our schools to ensure the safety of our children and our students,” he added.

Regarding the Cavite and Tacloban cases, Lagradante said whether the schools’ respective security guards have any liability in the incidents remains to be determined by their ongoing investigations. /das

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