MALACAÑANG said on Tuesday that women village workers will serve as “visible patrol” in safeguarding students against school shootings.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Education (DepEd) will sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to deploy village officers inside campuses to ensure that students are safe.
“We spoke with Secretary Jonvic, and a memorandum of agreement is being drafted between DepEd and his office regarding the proposal to station guards — specifically village workers, particularly women — within schools to monitor the premises or serve as a visible patrol presence,” said Castro in Filipino.
She added that the MOA is being reviewed and could be finalized next week.
Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed other government agencies to strengthen home-level and community-based mental health frameworks.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is expanding its Parenting Effectiveness Service (PES) across family centers to better guide parents in detecting behavioral red flags and navigating the risks posed by online gaming apps and chat rooms.
In addition, the DSWD and DepEd are accelerating Trauma-Informed Care training modules for teachers and school staff.
The program aims to equip educators with the skills to identify early warning signs of emotional distress among students.
Addressing concerns over the source of weapons used in recent campus shootings, several of which involved firearms linked to law enforcement personnel or licensed owners, the Palace warned firearm handlers.
“If you have been granted a license to possess or carry firearms and a youth gains access due to your negligence, you have proven yourself unqualified. Do not be the conduit for another tragedy,” Castro warned.
While Interior Secretary Remulla is pursuing legislative amendments to increase penalties for illegal possession of firearms, Malacañang urged gun owners to be extra careful about the handling of their weapons, especially when surrounded by minors.
Marcos reiterated his earlier message that the school shooting incident in South Cotabato, is “very disturbing” and highly abnormal in the Philippines.
“When the president read the reports and saw the facts regarding this incident, he found it very disturbing. In his view, it is not normal for a youth to suddenly hold a gun and fire indiscriminately at people without a specific target,” Castro said.
The South Cotabato school shooting was the third incident of its kind, following earlier shootings in Zamboanga and Tacloban earlier this year.
