Jonvic Remulla wants review of Robin Padilla law after Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday urged Congress to revisit existing gun laws and strengthen accountability for firearm owners following the recent shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

Remulla said illegal possession of firearms should be made a non-bailable offense and gun owners should be held accountable when their legally registered weapons fall into the hands of minors.

“I call upon Congress to make laws that make it once again non-bailable, that make it once again preventable," he said in a news conference.

Remulla's call was prompted by the rise in crimes involving firearms and two recent school shooting incidents in which the guns used were government-owned or government-issued.

He said that while the firearms involved were legally registered, their owners failed to exercise sufficient care to prevent the weapons from being taken or used by children.

He noted that under existing rules, a gun owner whose firearm is taken by a child may face only a penalty for reckless imprudence.

"Ang penalty ng paggamit ng legal guns kung kinuha lang ng bata sa magulang o guardian ang penalty ay reckless imprudence lamang. Walang penalty ang may hawak ng baril, ang may-ari baril," he said.

"Ang penalty sa batang bumaril ay treated as a juvenile. Isn't the owner of the gun equally responsible?" he added.

(The penalty for using legal guns, if a child simply took it from the parent or guardian, is only reckless imprudence. There is no penalty for the person holding the gun, the gun owner. The penalty for the child who shot is treated as a juvenile. Isn't the owner of the gun equally responsible?)

According to the DILG chief, 98% of crimes involving firearms were committed using loose guns.

He said the continued proliferation of loose firearms was a concern, particularly as illegal possession of such weapons remains a bailable offense under Republic Act No. 11766 or the Firearms License Validity and Renewal Law.

The DILG chief noted that the country has more than 2.87 million licensed firearm owners, underscoring the need for tighter controls and greater responsibility among gun owners.

“All gun owners, whether private or public, should have punitive damages when somebody else uses his or her gun. Dapat may accessory penalty siya,” Remulla said.

Roblox player

Citing initial reports from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Remulla said Ateneo de Zamboanga University has 25 security guards working on 24-hour shifts, with 15 deployed during the day and 10 at night.

Under existing security protocols, guards inspect the bags of students entering the campus on foot. Students arriving in vehicles, however, are allowed to enter the school premises without undergoing the same bag checks.

“The student rode in his father’s car, who drove him to school, so he was no longer subjected to a frisk or security check. Since he arrived by car, he was not inspected. The student proceeded directly, got off at the basement and went straight upstairs,” Remulla said.

Remulla also sought to dispel misinformation surrounding the incident, saying initial reports indicated that the suspect was a top-performing Grade 9 student with no known history of bullying and no reported training in firearms.

He said the suspect was a Roblox player who livestreamed the shooting from a first-person-shooter perspective, carrying out the attack in about three minutes.

The incident left one Grade 10 student dead and two other students injured. Several students also suffered panic attacks, anxiety and minor injuries during the shooting. The suspect later shot himself and died.

Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said responding police officers recovered two handguns at the scene: a Glock 22 .40-caliber pistol registered to the Bureau of Customs and a Glock 9mm pistol with loaded magazines.

Police also recovered a Roni conversion kit, spent ammunition, a mobile phone, and a black headgear.

PNP data showed that 50 school-related incidents involving minors were reported from June 16 to Aug. 18, 2026.

Of the total, four involved stabbings, two shootings, four cases of illegal firearm possession, 12 shooting threats, 26 bomb threats, and two death threats.—LDF, GMA News