Education Secretary Sonny Angara urged communities to confront the sobering reality of gun proliferation near children while emphasizing shared accountability between homes and schools.
This comes following an incident on August 3 in General Santos City, where a nine-year-old learner was critically injured after a .38 caliber pistol accidentally discharged while playing with a 13-year-old companion inside a home.
Secretary Angara noted that the General Santos case reflects a concerning pattern of firearm exposure among learners. The incident follows the deadly school shooting in Tacloban City on June 22, as well as instances where school personnel intercepted and confiscated handguns brought onto school grounds by students—underscoring the urgent need to limit minors’ access to lethal weapons.
“Malinaw rin ang paalala ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos—ang kaligtasan ng mga mag-aaral ay hindi nagtatapos sa pintuan ng paaralan. Nagsisimula ito sa ating mga tahanan. Hindi natin kayang protektahan ang ating mga kabataan kung hindi tayo magtutulungan bilang isang buong komunidad,” Angara said.
“Ang pagiging responsable sa pagtatago ng baril ay hindi lamang usapin ng pagsunod sa batas; ito ay isang moral na tungkulin upang maiwasan ang mga trahedyang nagbabago ng buhay,” he added.
DepEd urges the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to tighten measures to enforce responsible gun ownership across communities. This includes conducting stricter background checks, regularly inspecting licensed firearm storage, and taking firm action against illegal firearms to prevent them from falling into the hands of minors.
Furthermore, parents and guardians are urged to provide proactive gun safety education, teaching children the extreme dangers of firearms, instructing them never to touch a gun, and reminding them to report any visible weapon immediately to an adult.
DepEd also reiterated the strict enforcement of its zero-tolerance policy, emphasizing that firearms, ammunition, bladed weapons, and explosives are strictly banned on all school premises and at school activities under the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE) per DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026.
Under this framework, schools nationwide are instructed to tighten entry protocols, carry out non-intrusive inspections, standardize risk assessments, and report any illegal weapons directly to the Philippine National Police (PNP) while ensuring immediate psychosocial support for impacted learners.
Additionally, learners, and not just schools, are considered as zones of peace. Under DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2019, or DepEd’s National Policy Framework on Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace, all learners, especially children, shall not be the object of attack and shall be entitled to special respect. Learners must actively participate and contribute to building a culture of peace in the school, community, and country.
