DepEd seeks additional fund to hire more security guards
PNP willing to assist in proposed mandatory bag inspections
With only around 200 remaining security guards, the Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking ways to maximize the efforts to strengthen measures that will ensure the safety and security of students and teachers.
DepEd Secretary Edgardo Angara said they will be requesting the Department of Budget and Management for fund allocation to increase the number of security guards to secure public schools.
There are more than 45,000 public schools in the country and almost all of them have no financial capacity to hire security guards.
In the case of a high school in Tacloban City, only one security guard was present during the gun attack that left three students dead and 20 others injured.
Securing schools is now the focus of the DepEd and the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it is willing to help, including the recent proposal for mandatory bag inspections especially for high school students as part of the measures to protect learners and teachers.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said police are even willing to provide assistance in properly doing so with the cooperation and approval of school authorities as he explained that the proposed policy is one of the measures that could help deter the entry of deadly weapons and other prohibited items into school campuses.
“The PNP fully supports the strengthening of security protocols in schools to ensure the safety of students and teachers following recent threats of violence,” Nartatez said.
DepEd is studying the proposal following the fatal shooting incident in Tacloban City that claimed the lives of three students.
Education officials said mandatory bag inspections are among the security measures being considered to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
DepEd also said it is taking into account the size of schools before implementing the policy, noting that larger schools may face logistical challenges in carrying out bag inspections because of the volume of students entering campus.
Nartatez assured the public that the PNP will continue to work closely with the education sector to strengthen campus security, stressing that sustained coordination between law enforcement agencies and school officials remains essential in maintaining safe learning environments.
“We will continue to coordinate with school officials across the country to further strengthen campus safety measures and security protocols," said Nartatez said.