Potential second school attack in Leyte foiled

MANILA, Philippines — Days after a deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City that left three students dead, there was an apparent copycat planned mass shooting in a school in Tolosa, Leyte, which police reported thwarting on Wednesday night.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said he got word about an imminent attack at the Tolosa National High School from Sen. Bam Aquino on Wednesday at around 8 p.m. Aquino said he received a tip during his visit in Tacloban, when he went to the wake of the shooting victims and visited the injured in hospital.

“Sen. Bam Aquino called me up and gave me a tip that there was chatter in Tacloban, that there was an impending shooting that was about to occur,” Remulla said in a press conference yesterday at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

The chatter was a Facebook post from a 14-year-old student, whom Remulla identified only as Jasmine, warning that she would commit mass murder in the school.

“Get ready, we will disrupt the school. Be prepared, whoever gets shot or stabbed. Good luck at Tolosa National High School,” Remulla said, quoting an initial report from the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Acting on the threat, police officers tracked down the girl at her house in Tolosa on Wednesday at around 11 p.m., Remulla said. It turned out that she is a Grade 10 student of the school who has personal issues with her parents.

Police took custody of the girl and turned her over to social welfare and development officers for a debriefing. She was later released, Remulla said, adding the girl could not be charged as she is a minor based on Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Law.

According to Remulla, the girl apparently took a playbook from the juvenile suspects in the mass shooting in Tacloban, where two students of the school ages 14 and 15 mowed down their schoolmates with gunfire on Monday morning.

“We think that she planned to commit a copycat crime,” Remulla said.

There is one thing in common among the suspects in the Tacloban shooting and the would-be mass shooter in Tolosa and that they are all hooked on Gorebox, a violent and gory online game depicting murder.

Remulla urged parents to regularly monitor the online activities of their children as they could already be exposed to violent games such as Gorebox, which he said should be permanently banned in the Philippines.

While the girl has no access to a firearm unlike the suspects in the shooting in Tacloban, Remulla said they considered her threat serious enough to merit an immediate response from police authorities.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. appealed for calm from the public and refrain from sharing unverified information on their social media accounts that may cause alarm or confusion.

After the girl’s plot was thwarted, Nartatez said there is no confirmed or validated threat at the school in Tolosa.

Support systems, not punitive measures

The potential mass shooting involving a 14-year-old student in Leyte should prompt government authorities to strengthen support systems for learners rather than use it as a basis for renewed calls for harsher punitive measures against minors, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said on Thursday.

“The safety and well-being of learners, teachers, and school personnel must always be the foremost consideration. Any threat of violence in schools warrants immediate attention and appropriate intervention.

“However, the response must be guided by facts and by a genuine concern for the welfare of children, not by reflexive calls for more punitive policies,” ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said.

Bernardo added that public schools continue to suffer from chronic shortages of guidance counselors, psychologists, school nurses, social workers and other education support personnel.

“What schools need are more teachers, more guidance counselors, more education support personnel, more classrooms to address congestion, stronger mental health programs, and sufficient resources to ensure that learners receive the support they need before problems escalate,” Bernardo said.

She said the recent tragedy in Tacloban and the subsequent incident also in Leyte should serve as a wake-up call for the government to address the roots of violence and distress among young people rather than rely primarily on policing and punishment.

Lawmakers seek probe

Following a series of tragic cases that have raised concerns over student safety nationwide, House deputy speaker and Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez is set to file a resolution calling for an investigation into the possible liabilities of educational institutions in incidents involving student deaths and acts of violence.

Benitez said the proposed inquiry aims to determine whether existing laws adequately define and enforce the accountability of schools when students suffer harm while under their care.

“Our goal is to identify gaps in existing laws, strengthen safeguards for students and their families, and ensure that educational institutions uphold the highest standards of safety, integrity, and responsibility,” Benitez said.

“No parent should have to worry that their child is unsafe, unprotected, or could become a victim of violence or abuse while under the care of a school,” Benitez said. “It is time to review whether our laws adequately define and enforce the accountability of educational institutions when such incidents occur.”

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco also filed a House resolution directing several House committees to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the tragic shooting incident in Tacloban last June 22.

He said the incident highlights the need to review whether current laws and policies properly implemented, particularly the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, Anti-Bullying Act and the Mental Health Act. –  Gilbert Bayoran, Delon Porcalla, Bella Cariaso, Marc Jayson Cayabyab