Several solons file resolutions seeking Tacloban shooting probe

MANILA, Philippines — Different lawmakers from the House of Representatives have filed a resolution seeking a congressional inquiry into the Tacloban school shooting last Monday, as solons want to address the root cause of school-based violence in the country.

In a statement, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said that he and fellow Makabayan bloc lawmakers Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co have filed House Resolution (HR) No. 1157, asking the House committee on basic education and culture to check not only the shooting incident in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, but also the knife attack in a school at General Trias City, Cavite.

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

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“Let us not let this chance for us to identify the root cause of violence in schools slip past us.  This is not a simple security failure — this is caused by a long-standing crisis in education due to the government’s lack of funds for mental health services in schools,” Tinio said.

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According to Tinio, there is a possibility that underfunding of programs, particularly on mental health services, contributed to the recent spate of school violence.

“The education system is broken. We have a shortage of 150,000 public school teachers needed to bring class sizes down to the global standard of 35 students per class,” he said.

“We also have only around 2,000 guidance counselors serving 28 million students — a severe shortage compared to the 50,000 needed to meet international ratios,” he added.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco on Thursday said that he has also filed his own resolution — HR No. 1155.

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Tiangco’s resolution differs from the Makabayan’s version as his measure seeks to tap not only the committee on basic education and culture, but also the committee on public order and safety and the committee on welfare of children.

According to the Navotas solon, the incident shows the need to review whether current laws are enough and if they are implemented properly, like the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, the Anti-Bullying Act, and the Mental Health Act.

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“The deaths of these young students are a tragedy that should never happen again. We owe it to the victims and their families to find out what went wrong and ensure that our schools remain safe places for our children,” Tiangco said.

“We must ask difficult questions. How did minors gain access to firearms? Were there warning signs that were missed? Are our schools adequately equipped to prevent and respond to these kinds of incidents? These are questions that Congress cannot ignore,” he added.

On Wednesday, FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list Rep. Brian Poe said he filed House Resolution No. 1147 which seeks to check school safety laws after the incident.

“We have laws designed to protect our children.  The question now is if it is truly felt and implemented in schools which badly need such protections,” he said.

“The bigger duty upon us is to ensure that this will never happen again,” he added.

Initial reports from police stated that three students were killed and five others were wounded when two suspects — who are minors and are also students of the San Jose National High School — opened fire within the campus.

According to the Police Regional Office – Eastern Visayas (PRO-8), both suspects have been arrested. PRO 8 director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy told reporters that the first culprit was arrested inside the school, while the second one was arrested in a nearby barangay.

He identified the two suspects as a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy, both of whom were Grade 9 students.  A Glock pistol and a caliber .38 revolver were confiscated from them, Capoy added.

Digital impact concerns

Deputy Speaker David Suarez, meanwhile, noted that reports of the gunmen being exposed to violent online content, while making social media posts, only stress the need for a bill protecting minors from harmful digital content.

Suarez said he has filed House Bill No. 9825 or the Digital Safety of Minors Act, which seeks to establish robust protections in the digital space by mandating age-appropriate mechanisms for users aged 16 to 18, requiring parental consent and privacy safeguards for younger children, implementing privacy-preserving age assurance, default safety settings, and prohibitions on targeted advertising to minors without consent.

READ: DSWD to boost parenting lessons after Tacloban school shooting

“What happened in Tacloban is a painful reminder that we have to be more serious in protecting our children — whether it be in schools, at home, and even in the digital world which they move through every day.  We cannot set aside the effect of harmful content, cyberbullying, online exploitation, and bad influence on the youth,” Suarez said.

“If children are left alone in digital spaces without sufficient supervision and protection, the danger to their safety, mindset, and development as a person increases,” he added.

According to Suarez, both the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization have reported that over one-third of youth experience cyberbullying, with heavy social media use linked to higher risks of depression, anxiety, and exposure to harmful content.

Due to this, Suarez said that over 40 countries have already placed regulations to address possible digital harm — such as Australia’s under-16 social media ban, the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act, and European Union age-appropriate design rules — which the deputy speaker said emphasized the need for default safety settings, age assurance, and reduced targeted ads to minors.

“Today, we mourn. Tomorrow, we must legislate with resolve.  Let this tragedy be the catalyst for meaningful change that protects our children both in schools and online,” he added. /das

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