The morning was Monday. By most accounts, San Jose National High School in Tacloban City was just another government school going about its week, with students settling into classrooms and teachers mid-lesson. Then there were gunshots.
Two boys carrying handguns entered the school through the main gate. They were 14 and 15 years old, and the police described them as close friends. Three students were killed, twenty more were injured, and the entire nation sat in stunned disbelief as a result of what transpired. There are just no school shootings in this area. However, one did this time.
It’s hard to accept the information that surfaced in the days that followed. According to reports, one of the suspects brought a 9mm handgun that he had acquired from an aunt who was a police officer. The other had a revolver with a caliber of .38. The reason they were able to bring both weapons onto a campus with more than 1,500 students, according to regional police chief Brig. There was just one security guard overseeing several entrances, Gen. Jason Capoy. Just one guard. On a typical school day, in a school that size. It’s difficult to read that without feeling a mixture of sadness and annoyance.
At least forty shell casings were found by the police. The suspects appeared to be pursuing students who had fled after the initial gunfire as they moved between at least two classrooms. Online videos showed kids crouching beneath desks, some of them screaming for their mothers and crying in quiet, scared voices as gunfire erupted outside the door. Female students made up the majority of those killed and injured.
During initial interrogation, the suspects claimed to have experienced bullying. Since then, that particular detail has been a recurring question rather than an excuse for the coverage. Before Monday, what was going on with these two boys? Was anyone listening? It’s still unclear if the school’s current anti-bullying procedures had ever addressed their situation at all, whether teachers or counselors had reported anything, or whether any formal complaints had been made.
Within days of the incident, the Department of Education ordered a review of safety regulations and learner protection measures at the school level. Sonny Angara, the secretary of education, agreed with what most observers were already thinking: the tragedy revealed weaknesses in the way schools recognize and assist students who are having difficulties before things get out of control. San Jose National High School suspended classes until June 26. In order to give staff and students time to process what had happened, fifty-seven other public schools in the division took a brief break.
Additionally, Gorebox, a mobile game that is described as a first-person shooter with extremely violent gameplay, was temporarily banned by the government. The 14-year-old suspect had been playing it, according to the police. Although the scientific literature on the subject has generally not supported a direct causal link, the cybersecurity agency acknowledged that there was no proven connection between the game and the attack. However, authorities stated that they needed time to make an assessment. It’s reasonable to wonder if banning an app actually solves any of these issues. Perhaps it doesn’t. However, it shows the pressure officials are under to take action.
President Marcos requested that law enforcement bolster security in public areas, workplaces, and schools and ordered a comprehensive investigation. Following tragedies, the political apparatus reacted with directives, reviews, and statements. There is a chance that some of those reviews will result in actual change. Documents produced by others might end up in folders.
A few days after the shooting, what remains is more difficult to legislate. Children are currently being bullied, ignored, or just not seen in classrooms all over the Philippines. Some of them are suffering in ways that their schools are unable to identify. That is a failure that is typical of overcrowded public school systems worldwide, not just in the Philippines. However, Tacloban gave it a human face at great expense.
Nobody anticipated that San Jose National High School would become the focal point of a national dialogue about school safety, bullying, mental health, and gun access. Until they are, most schools aren’t.
