- At least one person has been killed and four others injured following a shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, the southern Philippines.
- Local authorities, including Cotabato provincial governor Reynaldo Tamayo and police officials, are urgently working to establish details while all classes in the municipality of Banga have been suspended.
- The Department of Education expressed deep concern over the attack, emphasising that its immediate priority is the safety, well-being, and mental health support of learners and staff.
- Although school shootings were previously rare in the Philippines, this incident represents the third attack at a school in the southern region since June, following fatal shootings in Tacloban City and Zamboanga.
- The Philippines maintains relatively strict gun ownership laws requiring background checks and psychological evaluations, yet illegal firearms continue to circulate.
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