THE June 22 high school shooting in Tacloban City, which claimed the lives of three students, left 20 others wounded, and altered the future of the two teenage suspects, was a tragedy no Filipino family, school or community should ever have to experience.
The trauma it inflicted on the survivors tells us the reality that violence can occur even in places designated as “zones of peace.” But as in any tragic incident, we get valuable lessons and reminders that provide impetus for meaningful reforms, if we only take heed of them. And if there is any positive outcome that we may derive from that deadly mass shooting, it is the renewed national resolve to make schools safer and reassess whether existing laws appropriately and adequately address criminal acts committed by minors.
The Philippines has, for 20 years, embraced a child-centered approach through the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, or Republic Act (RA) 9344, as amended. Advocates of this law posit that “children in conflict with the law” deserve rehabilitation rather than mere punishment. It is founded on the principle that young offenders possess the capacity for reform and should be protected from the lifelong consequences of criminal prosecution.
But the Tacloban shooting, as well as recent school stabbings in Cavite and Negros Occidental, compels the nation to ask a difficult but unavoidable question: Does the current framework sufficiently protect society when a minor commits an act of extraordinary violence with clear discernment? While the law emphasizes the rights and welfare of child offenders, it must equally recognize the rights of their underage victims and, in their demise, their families. Teachers and entire school communities also have rights that the state, and the law, have the obligation to protect.
One constructive outcome of these tragedies is the realization that prevention must receive as much attention as rehabilitation. These recent incidents indicate that violence in schools is no longer confined to other countries, and that it has been surging in the country after June 22. In reporting an unprecedented 12 incidents of school-related violence in a span of 20 days, representatives from the Department of Education (DepEd) described the new phenomenon as a “copycat phenomenon.”
The DepEd is proposing the passage of the School Safety Act to the Senate Basic Education Committee to enhance security through increased vigilance and drills, and the adoption of measures highlighting the importance of early intervention. One such measure, the DepEd said, is regular psychological evaluation and mental health prioritization. The department seeks to accelerate the deployment of 10,000 school counselor associates, especially to overcrowded schools, and to expand psychosocial support services.
Another positive outcome of the Tacloban school shooting, which reportedly stemmed from the bullying of one of the suspects, is the DepEd’s push for expanded anti-bullying initiatives that cover the proactive investigation of bullying reports. This move seeks to hold liable the parents of children who are caught bullying and to impose stricter penalties on these parents, including mandatory school-based community service.
A third positive outcome is the DepEd’s adoption of stricter regulation of children’s use of gadgets, like mobile phones. It seeks to prevent children from using social media platforms, gaming applications, and content creation tools during periods of instruction. But in addressing “terror-grooming,” which is an emerging phenomenon that the government seeks to curb, a more stringent piece of legislation is yet to be passed to limit children’s access to the internet outside class hours.
Equally important is the opportunity to revisit the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act itself. It behooves our lawmakers to have a serious second look at its provisions, and for advocates to view amendments to the law with an open mind. Legislators should consider whether existing mechanisms sufficiently distinguish between ordinary juvenile offenses and exceptionally grave crimes involving multiple victims or premeditated violence. There should be a balance between the Philippines’ constitutional guarantees and international commitments on children’s rights, the victims’ legitimate cries for justice, and society’s clamor for accountability.
While the law is being revisited, the weaknesses of RA 9344, as amended by RA 10630, and failures in its implementation must be addressed. The horror of the Tacloban school shooting and the brutal murder of Sophia Marie Coquilla, who was stabbed 38 times by three underage robbery suspects, show how compelling this need is.
Rehabilitation programs and a Bahay Pag-asa center in every local government unit, which was envisioned to be the rehabilitation facility, are severely wanting, because many municipalities lack the budget or political will to build and maintain these programs and centers. These failures of enforcement, reports said, often force minors back into environments that encourage offenses to be repeated.
The Tacloban school tragedy also reminds parents that character formation begins at home, and that schools cannot bear the sole responsibility for raising emotionally healthy and morally grounded children. Families must be vigilant in recognizing behavioral problems, monitoring children’s exposure to violent content, and fostering open communication. Sadly, however, the existing law that mandates accountability for negligent parents is unenforced.
Our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal trusts that the youth is the hope of the Motherland. Thus, they are entitled to protection under our laws and international commitments. The government must strengthen interagency cooperation in advancing their welfare, but not at the expense of public safety and the cries for justice of the unwitting victims of children who committed a criminal act.
If the government implements adequate reforms and has the identified interventions promptly implemented in light of the Tacloban school shooting, then the lives lost will not be in vain.
atty.edarevalo@gmail.com
