Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday, August 24 called for a nationwide community town hall dialogues in schools after the Department of Education (DepEd) heeded calls and postponed its planned live-shooter simulation activities.

Cayetano cited the joint statement of the Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA) and the Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PSCAP) which urged DepEd to defer the August 25 nationwide drill over concerns that hyper-realistic simulations could cause psychological harm.

“They're saying that preparedness in schools is essential but the methods chosen must be trauma-informed and grounded in evidence,” Cayetano said.

The minority leader proposed using the time to bring school communities together for dialogues. 

“Instead of this drill, while it is being studied, (may I recommend) a national day or half day be declared by the Palace or Malacanang or the President, wherein a community town hall (dialogue) be held in every school and get a sense of community going, and a sense of the problems of each school in terms of the emotional, psychological, mental, spiritual well-being of the students,” he suggested.

He said his proposal should be considered as an expanded parent-teacher meeting involving parents, teachers, student leaders, school officials, religious leaders, youth leaders, business leaders, and other members of the community.

According to the senator, the discussions should also look beyond school shootings and examine the factors that may drive students toward violence or other harmful behavior.

He noted that preparedness remains important but warned that authorities must also consider whether their response could create further harm.

“I just like to focus on the reaction. If the reaction is equally ill-planned or equally harmful, we might have a bigger problem after this drill,” the senator said.