DAVAO CITY – A Davao City councilor urged the Department of Education on Tuesday, June 23, to allocate funds for the hiring of security guards in public schools following a series of violent incidents in educational institutions in the country.

In a privilege speech, Councilor Luna Acosta, chairperson of the Committee on Peace and Public Safety, stressed the need to strengthen school security measures to protect students, teachers, and school personnel.

The councilor emphasized that public schools remain at risk due to limited funding for security measures, appealing to the national government to allocate more funds to school security rather than spending millions on political activities.

According to Acosta, private schools are required to fund their own trained security personnel, while many public schools continue to face budget constraints that prevent them from doing the same.

She said Davao City currently relies on the Civil Security Unit and the Davao City Police Office, under the Public Safety and Security Office, to help secure school surroundings.

However, Acosta clarified that these personnel mainly serve as deterrents outside school premises and are not assigned as school security guards.

"Schools are zones of peace and safety and should remain so," Acosta said. "An increase in the budget of the schools for security purposes is an investment that the DepEd should prioritize above all."

Councilor Antoinette Principe, chairperson of the Committee on Education, supported efforts to strengthen campus security and highlighted the importance of preventive and behavioral programs for students.

Principe said Davao City aims to prevent violent incidents in schools, which she described as a second home for many children, and stressed the importance of ensuring that students can study in a safe environment and return home safely to their families each day.