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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Tinio slams Castro for 'hijacking' school safety issue

Tinio slams Castro for 'hijacking' school safety issue

Published Aug 24, 2026 12:05 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Antonio Tinio slammed PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro for shifting the school safety debate into blaming teachers after the Zamboanga shooting.
  • He urged Malacañang to confront systemic issues like gun ownership, underfunding, and lack of mental health services instead of teacher misconduct.
  • Tinio pressed Castro to explain Palace actions to prevent future tragedies, as Zamboanga followed the Tacloban shooting with five student deaths, prompting a House inquiry.
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio (left), Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro (Facebook, Contributed photo)
ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio (left), Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro (Facebook, Contributed photo)


House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio assailed Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro for turning the discussion on school safety into an issue against teachers.
"Presidential Spokesperson Usec. Claire Castro has blatantly hijacked the discussion," Tinio, a member of the Makabayan bloc, said in a statement Monday, Aug. 24.
"Yung napakahalagang talakayan tungkol sa school safety naging paniningil sa mga guro at tamang modo," he noted.
(The very important discussion on school safety turned into fault-finding against teachers and proper conduct.)
Tinio was alluding to Castro's rather unexpected reaction to the deadly Zamboanga City school shooting last Aug. 18.
In her remarks, the Palace official underscored that teachers must do their part in properly guiding students.
"Minsan na po nating nakita mismo ang ibang mga guro ay lumalabag sa ganitong klase ng moralidad. Sila mismo ay nagtuturo sa kanilang mga estudyante kung papano maging walang modo lalung lalo na sa mga nakakatanda or sa mga ibang tao," Castro said.
(We have already witnessed some teachers themselves violating this kind of morality. They even teach their students how to be disrespectful, especially toward elders or other people.)
To this, Tinio said: "Instead of acknowledging the government's shortcomings in addressing the systemic issues that make schools unsafe, from negligent gun owners to chronic underfunding and lack of mental health services in schools to the overall culture of impunity, the Presidential Spokesperson has sought to change the conversation and make it about the alleged online misconduct of individual teachers."
"There are remedies available to those aggrieved by online posts, unlike victims of school shootings," he noted.
"Ano ang ginagawa ng Malacañang para hindi na maulit ito? Yun ang ipaliwanag mo," he further told Castro.
(What is Malacañang doing to prevent this from happening again? That is what you should explain.)
The Zamboanga school shooting took place less than two months after the school shooting in Tacloban City, Leyte. There were five student deaths between the two incidents.
A House inquiry on the matter has been sought.

Related Tags

Antonio Tinio Claire Castro school shooting School Safety
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