Manila (AsiaNews) – At least three students were killed and eight more wounded, according to a preliminary toll, in a shooting this morning at a high school in the southern Philippines. This marks the third incident of its kind in the country since June.
Around 1:30 pm local time, emergency responders received a report of gunfire on the campus of Banga National High School in Banga, a town in South Cotabato province, on the southern island of Mindanao.
Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said that at least three students, aged between 14 and 17, were killed in the incident, including the 16-year-old alleged shooter.
“The suspect supposedly sat beside his friends and told them to go home ‘because after lunch, I will be executing my plan’. His friends laughed because the shooter was a known joker,” Palencia told Reuters. However, “After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself”.
Citing a statement from a teacher, the mayor added that the young shooter had appeared despondent for a few days after receiving a poor grade.
In a video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP, a man is seen carrying what appears to be a wounded child out of the school and quickly placing him into the sidecar of a waiting motorcycle.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo, who confirmed that the alleged shooter subsequently turned the weapon on himself, urged parents to ensure that firearms are kept out of the reach of minors.
“We need to be responsible in storing firearms. Gun owners, in particular, must make sure that minors do not have access to them,” the governor said. “We need to work together because otherwise this will be very difficult for us to address.”
This incident follows two other school shootings that occurred since June south of Manila, while on 18 August, a student in Zamboanga City, also on Mindanao, livestreamed the moment he shot and killed another student before taking his own life.
The Philippines has relatively strict regulations regarding firearm ownership, including criminal background checks and psychological evaluations; however, these measures have proven inadequate to prevent shootings linked to the proliferation of unregistered firearms.
School shootings remain relatively rare. In 2022, a gunman (later arrested) opened fire at a prestigious university in Metro Manila on the eve of a graduation ceremony, killing a former mayor, with whom the suspect had a long-standing feud, as well as two other people.
Cardinal Jose Advincula, the Archbishop of Manila, spoke recently, prior to today’s latest act of violence, regarding school shootings and repeated incidents of violence in schools, calling for a deeper understanding of these events.
The cardinal described the situation as a "tragedy" that highlights the need to pay attention and listen to the inner "struggles" plaguing "our young people," which drive them to commit such extreme and violent acts.
In a statement, the cardinal urged the country to turn pain into “prayer and united action, so that violence and hatred may never have the final word.”
“We need to listen to [the youth], not only when they speak loudly, but especially when they suffer quietly,” he says. “We need to create spaces where they can speak without fear of judgement, seek help without shame, and know that they are valued and loud.”
Expressing concern for those affected by such tragedies, the prelate adds: “We must not allow this tragedy to pass without listening deeply to what it tells us about the struggles of our young people.”
