School violence 'crisis' must be addressed, senators say
Published Jun 24, 2026 03:12 pm
At A Glance
- Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the continued school violence has become a crisis, and vowed to file a resolution to identify solutions for student safety.
- Senator Raffy Tulfo has lamented the escalation of violent incidents, saying schools, parents, and the DepEd share responsibility for failing to protect children.
- Tulfo criticized DepEd for not acting on his 2025 proposal to deploy security guards with metal detectors.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian (Senate Facebook)
The apparent violence in local schools had turned into a "crisis" that authorities must address, senators said on Wednesday, June 24.
No less than Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian identified this problem, as he revealed potential action from the upper chamber.
“Hindi pa tapos magluksa ang bansa sa trahedyang naganap sa Lungsod ng Tacloban, ngayon nabalitaan natin ang isa na namang insidente ng karahasan kung saan sinaksak ang isang mag-aaral ng Grade 9 mula sa Julio Ledesma National High School sa Lungsod ng San Carlos, Negros Occidental," Gatchalian said in a short statement.
(The nation has not yet finished mourning the tragedy in Tacloban, and now we hear of another incident of violence where a Grade 9 student from Julio Ledesma National High School in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental was stabbed.)
“Isa nang krisis na maituturing ang pagpapatuloy ng karahasan sa ating mga paaralan. Hindi natin papayagang maging normal ang ganitong uri ng mga insidente," reckoned the Senate leader.
(The continuation of violence in our schools can already be considered a crisis. We will not allow this kind of incident to become normal.)
"Kaya naman maghahain tayo ng resolusyon upang masuri natin ang bigat ng suliranin at matukoy natin ang mga solusyon para sa kaligtasan ng ating mga mag-aaral sa mga paaralan," Gatchalian nared.
(That is why we will file a resolution to examine the gravity of the problem and identify solutions for the safety of our students in schools.)
Escalation
In a separate statement, Senator Raffy Tulfo lamented the escalating number of violent incidents in schools.
He said that the shortcomings lie not only with schools and parents expected to guide their children, but also with the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Makailang ulit ko nang iminungkahi sa DepEd na agarang tugunan ang dumaraming insidente ng karahasan sa mga paaralan at paigtingin ang seguridad sa mga eskwelahan sa pamamagitan ng pagtatalaga ng mga security guard na may metal detectors upang masigurong maiinspeksyon ang mga gamit ng bawat estudyanteng pumapasok sa school premises," he said.
(I have repeatedly urged DepEd to immediately address the rising incidents of violence in schools and to strengthen campus security by assigning security guards with metal detectors to ensure that every student’s belongings are inspected upon entering school premises.)
“Nakalulungkot na tila hindi ito nabigyan ng agarang aksyon. Lumalabas na nagkulang ang DepEd sa pagprotekta sa kaligtasan ng ating mga kabataan dito,” added Tulfo.
(It is disheartening that this has not been given immediate action. It appears DepEd has failed to protect the safety of our youth here.)
“Agosto 2025 noong una ko itong iminungkahi at halos mag-iisang taon na ay hindi pa rin ito lubusang naipapatupad at patuloy pa rin ang naitatalang school-recorded violence matapos ito. Huwag na sana nating antayin na may masakatan pa at marami pang buhay ang masayang bago tayo umaksyon,” he further said.
(In August 2025 I first proposed this, and almost a year has passed yet it has not been fully implemented, while school-recorded violence continues. Let us not wait for more injuries and more lives lost before we act.)
As early as August 12, 2025, Tulfo already urged the DepEd during a Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing to take immediate action on the escalating violence in schools.