House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan says Congress should consider adopting the Australian model when it comes to restricting minors’ access to social media, in the aftermath of the deadly Tacloban City school shooting

Libanan said the June 22 tragedy should prompt policymakers to examine whether existing laws and public policies remain adequate to protect Filipino children from both online influences and acts of extreme violence.

“We cannot ignore the possibility that unrestricted exposure to harmful online content and violent digital communities may be influencing vulnerable young minds,” Libanan, who served as chairman of the House Committee on Justice during the 13th Congress, said on June 28.

“Congress, together with our Internet regulators, should seriously study reasonable restrictions on social media access for minors, consistent with our Constitution and the protection of children’s welfare,” he added.

Libanan noted that Australia has enacted one of the world’s toughest social media laws by prohibiting children below 16 years of age from maintaining social media accounts.

“We should explore whether similar safeguards may be appropriate here in the Philippines,” he said.

On top of this, the Minority Leader also said Congress should revisit the concept of discernment under Republic Act (RA) No. 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, as amended.

Under existing law, children 15 years of age or under are exempt from criminal liability, while those above 15 but below 18 years of age may be held criminally liable only if they acted with discernment.

“Congress has a responsibility to undertake a careful and evidence-based review of our juvenile justice law. We must continue protecting children while ensuring that our legal framework remains responsive to exceptionally grave offenses,” Libanan said.

The lawmaker likewise urged Congress and the Department of Education (DepEd) to address once and for all the severe shortage of licensed guidance counselors in the public-school system.

During the 2026 national budget deliberations, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara informed the House Committee on Appropriations that the agency would require more than 50,000 licensed guidance counselors to attain the internationally recommended ratio of one guidance counselor for every 250 students.

At present, however, the Philippines has only 4,069 licensed guidance counselors.

“Every public school should have adequate access to professional guidance counselors who can identify behavioral problems early, provide timely intervention, and help prevent violence before lives are lost. Prevention must always remain our first line of defense,” Libanan said.

Libanan also urged the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the DepEd to work together in encouraging highly qualified teachers to pursue either a master’s degree in guidance and counseling or a master’s degree in psychology through scholarship programs, career incentives, and other support mechanisms to help ease the country’s shortage of licensed guidance counselors.

Two Grade 9 students, aged 14 and 15, allegedly opened fire inside classrooms at the San Jose National High School, killing three fellow students—two aged 15 and one aged 14—and injuring 20 others in the June 22 shooting incident.