Please talk to your children, talk to your child.

Senator Erwin Tulfo on Thursday, August 20 made the call to parents as he lamented the death of two more students in a shooting case at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, while saying he believes that the incident “should be a lesson for everybody.”

Sen. Erwin Tulfo, during the hearing of the Committee on Energy on Thursday, July 30, 2026, pushes for the removal of the system loss charge passed on to electricity consumers. (Senate PRIB photo)

“What happened po, not only in Zamboanga but also in Tacloban, Leyte, two shooting incidents, I think, hindi lang po the school failed, everybody failed. The school, the family, the parents failed. Relatives of guardians of those children failed,” Tulfo said during the Senate Committee on Women and Children’s hearing on the issue.

“…(The)parents po, because we're so busy, because we have work, we're so engrossed  with many things in life, nagpapabayaan na po natin mga anak natin (we are neglecting our children). We don't talk to them. We don't communicate with our children. Siguro po, once in a while, we have to say, “kumusta anak (how are you, child)?” di ba. Over dinner, over lunch, or during the weekend, just ask our child,” Tulfo pointed out.

“This should be a lesson for everybody, for every parent attending here and listening to this hearing. Please, please talk to your children, talk to your child. Kung nag-iisa po yan (If he’s alone), you think he's okay, or she's okay, para malaman muna niyo (so you would know) what's going on inside his or her mind,” he said.

“Malay mo hindi po siya bayolente pero (Maybe he’s not violent but) deep down inside she wants to heal, or wants to end his or her life. There's so many instances…they're so fragile. But it's because napapabayaan po natin (we neglet them). We don't communicate with them. Because we're so busy. The dad is busy with work. The mom is busy with work or business. Leaving the child to the yaya, to the katulong, or to somebody, to the grandma,” he further noted.

“We have to start acting now before it's too late. We have to start dealing with it. talking to them, kahit once a week lang. ‘How's school, anak?’ I do that to my child. I talk to them. ‘How are you? How's school? Everything okay?’,” he stressed.

At the same time, Tulfo said schools should take threats seriously, citing reports that there were already warnings of a possible shooting had already been circulating prior to the incident.

He also raised concerns over inequality over school security protocols, saying students who arrive in school by tricycle, pedicab or on foot are subjected to stricter screening, while students who are arriving by car would be allowed to enter the premises with just a salute to the security officer.

Tulfo said this could have been the reason the shooter was able to the bring the firearms inside the school.

Nevertheless, he said it is imperative that parents do not assume that their children are doing well even if they have good academic standing.

“Please, please, before it's too late, talk to your children, talk to your son, all of them. Kung may isang malungkutin (If one is always sad), talk to the child. Kung may isang masiglahin (if one is so energetic) still, talk to the child. because we'll never know. Because that might be the last day, the last day that he or she leaves for school, that's the last day that we see him or her alive,” he appealed.