MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) led the National Simultaneous School Safety Drill in public and private institutions on Thursday to strengthen emergency readiness of students, teachers and staff.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and DepEd officials, led by Undersecretary for Governance and Operations Malcolm Garma, attended the drill at Carlos F. Gonzales High School in San Rafael Bulacan.
Education Secretary Angara, in a statement, stressed that schools must be sanctuaries for learners.
"We want our schools to be places where a learner's biggest concern is an upcoming exam, a missed assignment, or simply getting through another busy day at school, not whether they are safe inside their own classroom," Angara said.
"This drill is not about dwelling on frightening situations. It is about making sure that when an emergency happens, our school community knows how to respond. The purpose of a drill is not to look perfect. It is to help us become better prepared," he said.
The DepEd said the drill aimed to improve "multi-agency coordination during active threat scenarios in alignment with localized School Contingency Plans, while ensuring learners' safety and psychosocial well-being, and learning continuity."
The drill was conducted after consultations with medical and mental health experts which included the Philippine Psychiatric Association, Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Philippines Pediatric Society.
The DepEd said that after these "extensive" consultations, it "updated its safety drill guidelines to align with trauma-informed, child-centered standards under a strict 'Do No Harm' directive."
"Hyper-realistic elements, active aggressor role-playing, and graphic threat simulations were strictly prohibited," it said.
"Instead drills are triggered by a distinct early warning alarm, separate from standard fire or earthquake signals, to build procedural muscle memory without creating distress," it said.
The drill at Carlos F. Gonzales High School "began with an emergency alert via a public address (PA) system" and simulated calls to authorities, based on the statement. Teachers and learners simulated protective actions in classrooms. "Arriving" policemen ensured that their firearms were concealed, the DepEd said. Response teams simulated first aid "while the school activated reunification procedures," based on the statement.
Observers, including representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, "evaluated the simulation to identify operational gaps and refine localized contingency plans," the DepEd said.
"To ensure campus readiness, DepEd is executing a nationwide rollout of the new School Contingency Plan integrating active threat responses, such as lockout, lockdown, evacuation, and reunification procedures, into the school's existing disaster management frameworks," it said.
