Manila creates task force vs armed violence in schools, public places

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Wednesday signed an order creating a task force in charge of preventing armed violence and mass-casualty events in schools and public places.

Under Executive Order No. 29, Series of 2026, or the “Manila Schools Safety Initiative,” the Manila School and Community Safety Task Force was formed to serve as the city’s “coordinating body for violence prevention, threat assessment, school safety, and emergency preparedness.”

READ: From Duterte’s 1972 shooting story to Tacloban: School violence in PH

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The order adopts a prevention-first approach revolving around eliminating illegal firearms and armed threats, acting on every credible warning sign of violence, and preparing every school and community for emergency response.

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“Our policy is simple: Remove illegal guns. Act on every warning sign. Prepare every school. Manila will not wait for a tragedy before taking action,” Domagoso said in a statement.

READ: Murder raps filed vs 15-year-old Tacloban school shooter

Aside from monitoring any emerging threats against schools, public gatherings, and critical facilities, the task force is also required to submit quarterly reports to the Office of the Mayor.

The task force will be chaired by the mayor or the city administrator and composed of the Manila Police District (MPD) director, the Schools Division Office of Manila (SDO-Manila), heads of the Manila Department of Social Welfare, Manila Health Department, and the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department.

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The Liga ng mga Barangay president, the City Legal Officer, the City Public Information Officer, the Chief of Staff, and representatives from private schools, parent associations, and youth organizations will also join the task force.

The Office of the Chief of Staff, on the other hand, will serve as its secretariat.

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Meanwhile, the order also directed the MPD to intensify operations against loose firearms, illegal gun trafficking, and armed criminal groups.

The MPD was also ordered to designate a School and Youth Safety Coordinator, and create a Threat Monitoring and Assessment Desk to evaluate reports of potential violence.

“The Manila Police District shall intensify operations against loose firearms, illegal gun trafficking, gun-for-hire groups, and armed criminal networks,” the order stated.

The SDO-Manila, for its part, is directed to establish School Safety and Threat Assessment Teams in every school district, implement standardized procedures for reporting threats and weapons possession, strengthen counseling and behavioral intervention programs, and conduct at least two emergency preparedness exercises and one lockdown drill per academic year.

The order also directed SDO-Manila and the MPD to jointly conduct a School Safety Audit of all public schools within 90 days of the order’s effectivity, covering physical security, access control, evacuation routes, communications capability, and existing emergency response plans.

“Recommendations shall be submitted to the Office of the Mayor for immediate action,” the order read.

All barangays, meanwhile, are directed to support violence prevention efforts and coordinate with local police and school authorities.

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Furthermore, the order sets a 180-day timeline for all public schools to have updated emergency response plans, all school districts to have functioning Threat Assessment Teams, all barangays to designate School Safety Coordinators, and for the MPD to have its Threat Monitoring and Assessment Desk fully operational. /cb