The Department of Education (DepEd) has deployed comprehensive psychosocial first aid (PFA) to guide the school community of San Jose National High School (SJNHS) toward healing as recovering victims show steady progress.
The psychological interventions follow a tragic June 22 campus shooting incident that deeply affected the community and has since sparked a unified, multi-agency response. DepEd acted swiftly from day one and continues its active crisis response to ensure the physical and emotional welfare of all affected stakeholders.
The Schools Division Office (SDO) of Tacloban City confirmed that two of the wounded victims have already been safely discharged from medical care. Meanwhile, eleven other injured learners remain confined in various hospitals, where they are reported to be out of immediate danger and steadily recuperating under professional care.
Furthermore, three critical patients remaining in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are now in stable condition, fully conscious, and responsive.
“Gaya ng bilin ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, hindi natin iiwanan ang komunidad ng San Jose National High School hangga’t hindi tuluyang naghihilom ang lahat,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
“Nandito ang buong DepEd para maghatid ng pangmatagalang kalinga, dahil higit sa pisikal na kaligtasan, tungkulin nating ibalik ang kapanatagan sa puso ng bawat mag-aaral, magulang, at guro.”
To address immediate trauma, continuous PFA sessions were conducted for affected learners, parents, teachers, and school personnel, including for hospitalized victims, their parents, and guardians.
Numerous volunteer mental health professionals from government agencies and faith-based and civic organizations supported the sessions, which included expressive activities such as storytelling, art therapy, and emotional processing alongside individual and group counseling.
These structured interventions gave utmost priority to the learners who directly witnessed the violence or lost close friends to help them process their grief.
As part of the department’s immediate care, Secretary Angara personally visited Tacloban City to condole with the families of the three deceased victims, check on the wounded learners, hold a dialogue with school personnel on well-being and campus concerns.
Angara also introduced a nationwide School Safety Campaign aimed at reinforcing security and learner protection protocols across all public schools.
Demonstrating the sustained implementation of the campaign, the education chief led a physical school safety audit at Parañaque National High School to inspect entrance screenings and fortify campus protection measures.
The SDO Tacloban City remains committed to monitoring the condition of all victims and ensuring continuous assistance is extended to the affected families.
SDO officials and SJNHS personnel collaborated closely with the Tacloban City Government, led by Mayor Alfred Romualdez, and the Philippine National Police to institute immediate and long-term measures aimed at restoring the school as a sanctuary for learning.
The campus interventions include the complete repainting of classrooms before face-to-face classes resume, the installation of additional CCTV cameras, reinforced perimeter fencing, and emergency panic buttons linked directly to local authorities.
