By Aaron Recuenco
The Department of Education (DepEd) will roll out active shooter safety drills for students beginning Friday, July 10, in direct response to the tragic Tacloban City school shooting that left three learners dead and 20 others injured.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara explained that the drills are necessary because the Tacloban incident marked the first mass school shooting in the country, and uniquely, the perpetrators were students themselves.
“We are adjusting because we have the first ever school shooting, which means students were the shooters. So we are now doing the active shooter drill,” Angara said.
The drills are designed to establish an automatic safety protocol for school authorities to follow during gun attacks or violent incidents, ensuring the protection of learners, teachers, and staff.
The program was finalized after consultations with the Philippine National Police (PNP), which pledged full support in strengthening school security measures.
The Tacloban case underscored the urgency: a 14-year-old student stole a handgun from his policewoman aunt and fired around 40 shots, killing three classmates and injuring 20 others, 15 of whom sustained bullet wounds.
This unprecedented event highlighted vulnerabilities in school safety and the need for structured emergency responses.
Beyond drills, DepEd and the PNP are coordinating on police visibility, trauma counseling for affected students, anti-bullying desks in police stations, and protocols for handling bomb threats.
Angara stressed that schools must have clear procedures not only for suspending classes but also for safeguarding everyone on campus during crises.
