DESPITE getting the biggest chunk of the national budget, only three out of 10 schools have complied with the preventive measures required to help ensure safety inside the campuses.
During the Senate hearing on the shooting incident inside the Ateneo de Zamboanga, Senator Bong Go raised concern over gaps in security measures across Philippine schools.
Taking cue from the data from the Department of Education (DepEd), only a limited number of campuses across the country have been equipped with CCTV cameras, metal detectors, and other safeguards to protect students and school personnel.
“During the recent hearing of the Committee on Basic Education on the proposed School Safety Act, DepEd reported that only around 36 percent of schools nationwide currently comply with key security measures,” said Go, adding that less than four out of 10 schools have CCTV cameras, while only one in every ten schools has metal detectors.
According to the senator, the figures highlight the need to strengthen security and emergency preparedness in educational institutions, especially following recent incidents of violence inside schools.
“Katulad po ng palagi kong paalala, ang paaralan ay dapat manatiling zone of peace and learning. Walang estudyante na dapat matakot sa paaralan at walang paaralan na maging lugar ng karahasan,” he stressed.
The legislator who also chairs the Senate Committee on Youth said the shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University high school campus was particularly alarming because it came less than two months after another fatal school shooting in Tacloban City.
“This is the second fatal shooting in our country in less than two months. The shooting in Tacloban was already alarming. Ngayon naman, isa na namang paaralan ang nabalot ng takot at pagluluksa,” he said.
“Nakaka-trauma po ito sa mga estudyante. Hindi lang sa mga estudyante; tayong mga magulang, apektado tayo dito,” he added.
Go said the incidents should serve as warning signs requiring immediate and coordinated government action.
“These heartbreaking tragedies are warning signs that demand our immediate attention. They expose deeper gaps in school safety, child protection, mental health, and responsible firearms ownership. These are gaps that we can no longer ignore.”
He also questioned how educational institutions, which are expected to be places of learning and development, could become settings of violence.
“Ano na po ba ang nangyayari sa ating mga paaralan? Paano umabot sa ganitong punto na ang paaralan, na dapat ay lugar ng pagkatuto, pangarap, at pag-asa ng ating mga kabataan, ay nagiging lugar ng takot at karahasan?” Go asked.
The senator however clarified that physical security measures such as CCTV cameras and metal detectors are only part of the broader reforms needed to make schools safer.
He said the findings related to the earlier Tacloban shooting also underscored the need for clear emergency response protocols, better communication with parents, and stronger coordination among schools, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and health authorities.
“Findings related to the Tacloban shooting underscore the urgent need for clear emergency response protocols, better communication with parents, and stronger coordination among schools, local government, law enforcement agencies, and health authorities.”
Go recently filed Senate Bill 2413, or the proposed Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Bill, which seeks to establish national standards for a comprehensive school safety framework.
The proposed measure includes mandatory school safety plans, annual risk assessments, strengthened mental health interventions, and standardized emergency response protocols covering shootings, bullying, fires, disasters, and other emergencies.