Alan Cayetano: Schools must remain safe spaces
At A Glance
- Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano made the remark following the fatal shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus in Barangay Tumaga that claimed the lives of two students, including the shooter.
Schools must remain safe spaces where students can learn without any fear, Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday, August 19.
Cayetano made the remark following the fatal shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus in Barangay Tumaga that claimed the lives of two students, including the shooter.
“We join the people of Zamboanga in praying for the victims of the tragic shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus, the wounded, their families, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking incident,” Cayetano said in a statement.
“Sen. Kuya Alan has long called for school violence to never be normalized. Our schools must remain safe spaces where young people can learn without fear and grow with values that uphold the dignity of every human life,” he further said.
At the same time, Cayetano highlighted the need of building a safer future for Filipino children by making sure these values become part of their identity.
The senator renewed his push for the passage of Senate Bill No. 101 or the Filipino Identity in Values Act which seeks to strengthen Filipino identity through a national values, etiquette and moral uprightness program.
The bill also seeks to establish a Commission on Filipino Values and an inter-faith council for such purposes.
“Building a safer future also means making these values part of our Filipino identity. From the home to our schools, media, government, churches, and every sector of society, we must work together to raise a generation grounded in faith, respect for life, compassion for others, and the courage to choose what is right in every situation,” Cayetano said.
“This is the vision behind the proposed Filipino Identity in Values Act: to help make these values a shared foundation of who we are as Filipinos. Parents, leaders, teachers, churches, media, and every Filipino have a role to play in being examples of the kind of person we hope our children will become,” he said.
“May God grant healing to the wounded and comfort to the families of the victims. May this tragedy strengthen our resolve to protect the next generation and build safer communities for all,” he stressed.