Deeply affected by the Tacloban City school shooting, Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) President Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez met with various stakeholders on Monday, June 29 in a bid to come up with life-saving interventions.

Participating in the meeting with Romualdez in Tacloban were officials from the Commission on Higher and Technical Education (CHED), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

According to the ex-Speaker, they come up with "three immediate directions".

“Una, bubuo tayo ng regional network ng mga volunteer psychologists, psychiatrists, guidance counselors, social workers at iba pang professionals na maaaring agad ma-deploy kapag may ganitong insidente,” Romualdez said.

(First, we will form a regional network of volunteer psychologists, psychiatrists, guidance counselors, social workers, and other professionals who can be quickly deployed when incidents like this occur.)

The Tacloban native said the network would be supported by preventive education and stronger coordination among government agencies, schools and local communities.

“Pangalawa, magsasagawa tayo ng regular na seminars para sa mga estudyante, magulang at guro tungkol sa mental wellness, child protection at violence prevention. Pangatlo, palalakasin natin ang koordinasyon ng lahat ng ahensya upang mas mabilis ang pagtugon kapag may mga batang nangangailangan ng tulong,” he added.

(Second, we will conduct regular seminars for students, parents, and teachers on mental wellness, child protection, and violence prevention. Third, we will strengthen coordination among all agencies to ensure faster response when children need help.)

It was only last June 22 when the attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte, took place and claimed the lives of three minors. The shooters were two Grade 9 students aged 14 and 15.

The shocking incident has elevated national concern over school safety, bullying, children’s access to violent online content and the availability of psychosocial support for affected students and teachers.

The Lakas-CMD leader--who visited the families of the victims--said government response should go beyond sympathy because the tragedy exposed the need for immediate action and long-term prevention.

“Kaya ipinatawag natin ang CHED, DepEd, DOH at DSWD upang pag-usapan kung ano ang maaari nating gawin—hindi lang para tumulong sa mga naapektuhan ngayon, kundi para maiwasan na maulit ang ganitong trahedya,” he explained.

(That is why we called CHED, DepEd, DOH, and DSWD to discuss what we can do—not only to help those affected now, but to prevent such tragedies from happening again.)

He rejected suggestions that Congress should leave the matter entirely to executive agencies. He says lawmakers have a role in bringing institutions together and addressing gaps in law, budget and implementation.

“Hindi ito usapin ng pakikialam. Ang tungkulin ng Kongreso ay hindi lamang gumawa ng batas. Responsibilidad din naming pagsama-samahin ang iba’t ibang sektor at tiyaking may sapat na suporta ang mga programa ng pamahalaan. Kapag may kakulangan sa batas o pondo, trabaho naming ayusin iyon,” he added.

(This is not about interference. The duty of Congress is not only to make laws. It is also our responsibility to bring together different sectors and ensure that government programs have sufficient support. If there are gaps in law or funding, it is our job to fix them.)

Romualdez has cautioned against reducing the incident to a single cause while investigators continue their work, noting that school violence may involve several overlapping factors.

“Hindi natin dapat pangunahan ang imbestigasyon. Maraming posibleng salik ang ganitong mga pangyayari—mental health, family environment, bullying, social media, access to counseling, at iba pa,” he said.

(We should not preempt the investigation. Many factors may contribute to incidents like this—mental health, family environment, bullying, social media, access to counseling, and others,)

He said the goal is to strengthen the entire child protection and school safety system rather than address only one issue after each tragedy.

“Kaya ang gusto nating tugunan ay ang buong ecosystem ng child protection at school safety, hindi lamang isang aspeto,” Romualdez emphasized.

(That is why we want to address the entire ecosystem of child protection and school safety, not just one aspect.)

He said possible legislative responses include expanding school mental health programs, hiring more guidance counselors and social workers, strengthening good manners and right conduct (GMRC) and reviewing safeguards for minors’ use of social media.