Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara on Wednesday warned against a ‘copycat effect’ on school-related violence, following the school shooting in Zamboanga that resulted in two fatalities.
“I don’t think this is the last incident we will see of violence but we want to really ensure that we want it to be the last,” he said in a press briefing. “We will take measures for it to be the last but again, if you’re realistic enough, there’s really a copycat effect.”
The school shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) on Tuesday morning happened almost two months after the deadly school shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban, which killed three students and injured 20 others.
The AdZU shooting incident also occurred almost a month after the school’s first active shooter drill that is said to “reinforce a culture of preparedness” in the school community during emergencies.
“The simulation reflects the University’s continuing commitment to fostering a safe and secure learning environment where preparedness, coordination, and the well-being of the community remain integral to its educational mission,” the university said on its website.
“AdZU continues to equip its school community to respond effectively to high-risk situations while promoting a culture of safety and resilience,” it added.
Despite ramping up security protocols, Mr. Angara noted that students’ persistent ‘ingenious’ strategies allow deadly weapons to enter campus premises.
“We’ve had incidents where the knife was placed on the shoes, the knife was placed on the underwear, and the knife was placed on the metal tumbler,” he said. “These are the things we must learn from.”
“We really have to make it much more difficult to perform these types of things,” he added.
As school violence continues to rise, Mr. Angara calls for a whole-of-community approach in addressing campus safety. “I think it should be an intergovernmental, interagency approach, especially with the private sector.”
“We really have to work together on many levels – security level, psychological, behavioral level. It won’t be easy, but I think we can do it,” he added.
ACT PHILIPPINES: TEACHER ARE NOTE SCAPEGOATS
Following the fatal school shooting in Zamboanga, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines said that teachers should not be made ‘scapegoats’ when students misbehave in schools.
“Dragging teachers into the issue this way is not only misplaced but deeply irresponsible,” the group said in a statement. “Teachers are not perpetrators of this crisis. We are among those who confront its consequences every day.”
The remark comes after Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro discussed the recent school shooting and claimed some teachers teach their students misconduct in schools.
“We have already seen teachers themselves violate this kind of morality,” she said in Filipino during a press briefing on Tuesday. “At times, they are the ones teaching their students how to be disrespectful, especially toward elders or other people.”
Ms. Castro later clarified that she was not blaming teachers; instead, she was reminding them of their role in shaping good behavior among the youth.
However, ACT Philippines pushed back against the Palace officer’s statement, saying she failed to apologize for the ‘insult’ she had made towards educators nationwide.
“If there are cases of teacher misconduct, these should be investigated and addressed through proper accountability,” the group said. “They should not be casually invoked in a discussion about violence in schools, as though teachers bear responsibility for a crisis rooted in far deeper and more complex failures.”
The group noted that the government must instead focus on addressing other systemic issues that perpetuate the ongoing crisis in the education sector.
“The government should stop pointing fingers at teachers and confront its own record,” it said. “The crisis in our schools demands accountability and a genuine commitment to prioritizing education.” — Almira Louise S. Martinez
