A ranking congressman from Metro Manila is batting for the creation of a national council that gives parents a direct hand in education policy and school governance. Quezon City 5th district Rep. PM Vargas has filed House Bill (HB) No. 5682, which institutionalizes the National Parent Council in a...
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center’s (CICC) warning that the Philippines may block websites and online platforms that fail to meet child-safety requirements deserves serious attention. It comes at a particularly painful moment, following the shock and indignation generated by...
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...
Hands-on parenting is key to avoiding potential acts of violence among schoolchildren. Thus, said Senator Erwin Tulfo, who urged parents and guardians on Sunday, Aug. 23 to strengthen communication lines with their children and avoid relying solely on technology to monitor their well-being. His...
House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan says the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) has a feature that could go a long way in nipping potential school violence in the bud. According to Libanan, the national government plans to spend P802 million next year to...
A few weeks ago, after several disturbing incidents involving young people, I wrote about children becoming desensitized to violence and how to reassure them when frightening news makes them ask, “Can that happen to me?” I did not expect to have both conversations with my own children this...
The two recent school shootings that has taken place in the country highlights the need for heftier penalties and greater accountability for firearm owners whose negligence allows children to access guns. Bukidnon 3rd district Rep. Audrey Kay Zubiri aired this position over the weekend, as she...
Globe Telecom, PLDT Inc., and its wireless unit, Smart Communications, are set to block websites that show school shootings and other acts of extreme violence. This follows the Zamboanga school shooting on Aug. 18, 2026, which left two students dead and in which the shooter livestreamed the...
The Philippine National Police (PNP) directed commanders nationwide to remind officers of their responsibility to secure service firearms at home and off duty even as it committed full support to nationwide school safety drills set by the Department of Education (DepEd) on August 25. Police General...
Telecommunications giant PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. are blocking access to more than 100 websites that were found to be streaming or hosting videos of school shootings and other acts of violence. In a statement on Friday, Aug. 21, PLDT said it is promptly restricting...
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla has dismissed bullying and retribution against a teacher as possible motives behind the school shooting that claimed the lives of two students at Ateneo de Zamboanga University last Tuesday, Aug. 17. “This is not a case...
By Faye Beatrix R. Dela Torre | Co-Founder, Stellar Minds PH In the aftermath of the tragic Zamboanga school shooting, public discussion has turned to a difficult question: What role, if any, did online platforms like Roblox play in the lead-up to the tragedy? It is an understandable question,...
