A mother walks her child to school, gives her a tight hug, and waves goodbye - not knowing it would be the last time she would see her alive.

This gripping scenario has never been a problem in the Philippines, until the June 22, 2026 shooting incident in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City made it a reality. Three school children never got to go back home to their parents, while seven others sustained injuries, just because two boys decided to smuggle guns into school and go on a shooting rampage as an act of retaliation to years of bullying.

The incident in Tacloban has raised a chilling precedent that exposed vulnerabilities in schools' security systems, not to mention gun safety and control in the Philippines. How were the two suspects, aged 14 and 15, able to smuggle a gun in school? How did they gain access to guns in the first place?

Prior to the mass shooting, there have already been reports of stabbing incidents in schools, deaths caused by hazing, and severe forms of bullying, intimidation, and even sexual harassment.

These incidents raise the question: Just how safe are Filipino children when they go to school?

The truth about school security

"Schools are meant to be safe spaces where children can learn, play, build healthy relationships, and discover who they want to become. They are not meant, and should never become, places where children, teachers, and school personnel have to run, hide, or fear for their lives," the Child Rights Network said in a statement.

While several individuals and government agencies have condemned the mass shooting, no concrete plans have been laid out on how to thoroughly address the safety and security gaps in schools - especially in public schools, where funds are more limited.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has mandated strict school safety and crisis response protocols, which requires regulated entry and exits in schools, security inspections of bags and other belongings, and contraband bands.

But if the shooting incident in Tacloban is any indication, it’s that these measures are not completely followed. Or at the very least, it means that ensuring the safety of students is a case-to-case basis for all schools.

For private institutions, such as the Achievers Special Education Center in Angeles City, Pampanga, making sure that children are safe requires joint cooperation from parents, teachers, and the management. This is on top of the security measures and safety protocols they are already implementing in school.

An official from the school said that they encourage parents and guardians to have open communication with the kids regarding their health and wellbeing, and take an active part in their interests and extracurricular activities.

“Also since [our students are from] preschool to Grade 6, parents still check on their things before sending them to school," she said. They beef up security by checking the students' things during drop-offs and pick-ups. For the younger students, teachers have to open the students' bags themselves to get homeworks and assignments as they are still too little and would require assistance.

A curb to bullying

DepEd has also set measures against bullying in schools by mandating zero-tolerance for physical violence, gang activities, hazing, and gender-based violence. They have also required schools to beef up reporting mechanisms for incidents of child abuse, exploitation, and bullying.

However, it is apparent that these measures are not enough, and the many Filipino schoolchildren remain susceptible to bullying and intimidation. In the US, mass shootings spurred by bullying are happening on a frequent basis. This is most likely where the Tacloban shooters got the idea for their attack, especially since one of the suspects was seen wearing KMFDM band shirt - a shirt that has been widely associated with international school shooters.

KMFDM is a German industrial rock band known for the songs "Megalomaniac" and "Stray Bullet." The acronym for their name reportedly stands for the grammatically-incorrect German phrase, "Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid," which means "No Pity for the Majority."

Prior to conducting an attack on Perry High School in Iowa on January 2024, 17-year-old Dylan Butler posted an ominous TikTok video with the song "Stray Bullet." Another shooter, 15-year-old Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow even wore a KMFDM shirt in several photos before killing two people in an attack at Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin in December 2024.

The perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were also known fans of the rock band. However, KMFDM has repeatedly disassociated itself with the school shootings and have released statements condemning the attack, saying that their music stands against violence.

Despite their stance against the attacks, their rock band remains dragged into school shooting incidents, with the suspect in Tacloban being the latest to wear a shirt with their logo.

Police authorities from the Police Regional Office Eastern Visayas (PRO 8) have reported that the Tacloban shooters have planned their attack "since April or May," and that they have even "studied" the provisions of Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara even said that the suspects were negatively influenced by violent online games, and parents and teachers should have flagged the warning signs. "I think in the future we just have to understand the kids better and then regulate some of the harmful behavior," he said.

Shooting and stabbing incidents

School shootings are practically unheard of in Southeast Asian countries, and the Philippines is no exception - that is, until the recent shooting in Tacloban City.

Before the attack on Monday took place, there has only been one other shooting incident in a Philippine school - the July 24, 2022 shooting incident at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. The perpetrator, Dr. Chao-Tiao Yumol, did not even target students - rather, his main target was former Lamitan, Basilan mayor Rose Furigay, who was there to attend her daughter's graduation.

Furigay was killed together with her security guard, Jeneven Bandiala and executive assistant Victor George Capistrano. Furigay's daughter, Hannah, was injured alongside a nurse and a mother of another graduating student. While the shooting incident took place in a school, it was considered more of a politically-motivated attack.

The suspects reportedly used a .38 revolver and a 9mm pistol, the latter belonging to a policewoman - one of the suspect's relatives who is now in custody.

Shortly before the shooting incident transpired, there were already two separate stabbing incidents that took place in Cavite. The first one, which took place on June 16, 2026, involved seven Grade 5 students of Bethel Academy in General Trias, Cavite who were injured by a Grade 8 student who used a kitchen knife to attack.

The second incident took place on June 19, 2026 at Cavite National High School. A senior high school student repeatedly stabbed an 18-year-old student after getting into a heated argument.