Senators condemn Banga National High School shooting

Several senators condemned Friday’s shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato that left at least three students dead.

The incident was the latest in a series of school shootings in the country this year. In June, three students were killed in a shooting at a high school in Tacloban City. Last month, a student opened fire on his schoolmates at Ateneo de Zamboanga, killing another student before turning the gun on himself.

“This cannot be our new normal. We need to pay attention to all the aspects that could lead to child endangerment—mental health, parental supervision, gun access, school security, nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), and the role of online platforms in fueling radicalization and violence among the youth,” Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Hontiveros chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality. She had also led investigations into the previous school shootings in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City.

NVE has been cited as a possible factor in some cases of school-based violence. It reportedly involves online communities that groom young people to commit violent acts with disregard for human life.

Senator Bam Aquino, who chairs the Senate education committee, also lamented the killings.

“Huwag tayong masanay na nangyayari ito. Huwag natin payagang maging normal ang school shooting sa ating bansa. Kailangan natin magsama-sama para sa kaligtasan at kinabukasan ng ating kabataan,” Aquino said in a separate statement.

(Let us not get used to this. We cannot allow school shootings to become normal. We need to band together for the safety and future of our children.)

Senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, called for a deeper investigation into school shootings.

“We cannot keep responding to each tragedy by announcing the same measures anew. We have to determine what was promised after the previous incidents, what was actually done, and why those safeguards were still insufficient,” she said.

Senator Robin Padilla said the latest deadly school violence reinforced his decision to step away from politics.

"Paano ako hindi magdedesisyon na talikuran na ang pulitika? May pamamaril na namang naganap sa isang paaralan sa South Cotabato, ngunit ayaw pa ring amyendahan ng dalawang kapulungan ng Kongreso ang Juvenile Justice Law. Hindi naman ako bulag at bingi," he said on Facebook.

(How can I not decide to turn my back on politics? Another shooting has taken place at a school in South Cotabato, yet both houses of Congress still refuse to amend the Juvenile Justice Law. I am not blind or deaf.) —VBL, GMA News