CAVITE – Seven Grade 5 students were injured after being stabbed by a Grade 8 student inside a private school in General Trias City on Tuesday, June 16.

Mayor Jon-Jon Ferrer said the victims were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.

Two of them needed to be transferred to a bigger hospital to undergo operations.

The perpetrator, meanwhile, was taken to a mental health institution for assessment.

“Ipinag-utos din po natin ang paghihigpit sa pagpapatupad ng umiiral na safety measures sa public at private schools, kabilang ang mas masusing inspeksyon ng mga bag (We have also ordered the stricter enforcement of existing safety measures in both public and private schools, including more thorough inspections of bags),” the mayor said in a Facebook post.

“Bagama’t ang sangkot ay menor de edad, mariin po nating binibigyang-diin na hindi katanggap-tanggap ang ganitong uri ng insidente at mananatili po tayong mahigpit sa pagpapatupad ng mga batas para masiguro ang kapayapaan, kaayusan, at seguridad sa ating lungsod (Although the individual involved is a minor, we strongly emphasize that this kind of incident is unacceptable. We will remain firm in enforcing the law to ensure peace, order, and security in our city).”

The local government unit (LGU) is extending financial support to cover the victims' hospital bills.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office, meanwhile, is handling the psychosocial intervention for students who may have been traumatized by the incident.

In a statement, the Police Regional Office 4A director Brig. Gen. Hansel Marantan said the crime was an isolated incident.

He said the police is committed to protecting the integrity of the ongoing investigation and that they have coordinated with the LGU and the school management to implement proactive measures to address the incident and prevent similar occurrences in the future.