MANILA — At least three students were killed and five others wounded in a rare shooting incident at a school in the central Philippineson Monday, local media reported.
The incident occurred at San Jose National High School in Tacloban city, with one of two alleged suspects now in police custody, the Inquirer daily reported.
The two alleged shooters, aged 15 and 14, fired “randomly” inside the school, police said of the incident, which took place at around 9 am.
A video widely circulated by local media showed panicked children screaming while hiding inside a classroom amid the sound of gunfire.
Police said one of the suspects — a child “in conflict with the law” and a resident of San Jose — was apprehended shortly after the incident, while another suspect remains at large.
Authorities have yet to release the identities of the victims as investigators are still determining the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including the motive behind the attack.
The relationship between the victims and the suspects has also yet to be established.
Police have launched a manhunt to locate and arrest the second suspect.
“We are hearing bullying was the motive behind their actions, but we have yet to ask them,” police spokeswoman Lieutenant EvalynDiaz said.
“We’re still getting the guns, checking where they got those and how they were able to bring that inside the school,” she said. “We also have yet to establish the sequence of events. They are still in the police station undergoing questioning in the presence of their parents because they are minors.”
Tacloban police chief Noelito Getigan told reporters that the suspects used a .38-caliber and 9mm firearm in the shooting.
“The victims were immediately transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment and appropriate medical intervention,” police said earlier.
The Philippine Department of Education issued a statement calling it a “high-alert situation”.
“Our Central Office officials, alongside regional and division office personnel, are active on the ground, coordinating closely with school authorities and law enforcement to secure the premises,” it said.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ordered an investigation into the shooting.
“The president is saddened by the incident,” his office said in a statement, adding that he had ordered a thorough investigation and directed authorities to ensure safety and security in all areas, offices and establishments, especially schools.
While school shootings are rare in the Philippines, targeted gun violence is a fixture of provincial politics.
In 2022, three people, including a former city mayor, were killed in a shooting incident before a graduation ceremony at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippine capital. It was later determined to have been an assassination driven by “personal motives”.
Legal gun ownership is tightly regulated in the Southeast Asian country, but a large black market exists for firearms.
Source: Saudi Gazette