Mandaue City boosts schools' security following Tacloban shooting

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Security measures in schools across Mandaue City are being strengthened following the shooting incident in Tacloban City.

Association of Barangay Councils President and Mandaue City Councilor Dante Borbajo said that the Mandaue City Council passed a resolution during its regular session on Monday, July 6, that asks barangays to deploy security personnel to schools in their jurisdictions.

The measure directs barangays to intensify roving patrols around both public and private schools. This is in response to school officials’ requests for increased security.

READ ALSO: Tacloban school reopens after tragic mass shooting

What Mandaue City plans to do

Concern over school safety has risen since June 22, when two teenagers opened fire in a public high school in Tacloban City. They killed three individuals and caused injuries to 20 others.

Mandaue City’s barangays were encouraged to deploy their Barangay Public Safety Officers (BPSOs) or Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) volunteers to schools whenever possible. A more visible security presence may help deter violent plans.

“Before manggud magroving, molabay lang ba sa schools pero karun paninguhaon nga naa matagaan og tagsa [tanod] sa kada eskwelahan,” said Borbajo.

(Before, roving teams passed by the schools. Now, we’ll do our best to field at least one tanod to each school.)

Inspections to tighten Mandaue City schools’ security

Borbajo acknowledged that the limited number of barangay security personnel remains a challenge. Efforts are underway to assign personnel to schools, he added.

He said that inspections conducted in schools in Barangay Canduman have led to the confiscation of prohibited items, including scissors and permanent markers allegedly intended for vandalism.

LEARN MORE: Safe schools: Cebu deploys 2.5K personnel, eyes anti-bullying hotline

These were turned over to the teachers, who can temporarily give these back to the learners when they work on school projects.

For its part, the Mandaue City Police Office held a coordination meeting last Friday afternoon, July 3. They gathered representatives from public and private schools, the city’s six police station commanders, school principals, city officials, and the Department of Education-Mandaue City Division.

During the meeting, police presented a security deployment plan covering all 89 public and private schools in Mandaue City. They also discussed measures to further strengthen campus safety.

An open forum addressed the concerns of school administrators, including the legal procedures involving minors who commit violations.

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