Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday conferred the Department of Education (DepEd) Heroes Award on the late 15-year-old Boy Scout Chris Lorenz Fabian, a Grade 10 learner from San Jose National High School (SJNHS) in Tacloban City, and the school’s faculty and staff for their extraordinary courage during a June 22 campus shooting.
The ceremony, held during the launch of the second year of the DepEd Heroes program, honored the late Grade 10 learner posthumously for sacrificing his life to protect his classmates. When an assailant attempted to enter their classroom, Fabian held the door shut to give his classmates time to take cover, sustaining fatal injuries in the process.
Secretary Angara praised the young learner for his selfless choice to prioritize his classmates’ safety during an emergency, noting that his actions demonstrate that true courage is not defined by age. While acknowledging that no award can ease the grief of losing a child, Angara emphasized that DepEd remains dedicated to ensuring that Chris’s sacrifice is never forgotten.
“Kung may matututunan tayo sa nangyari, hindi na natin papabayaan siguro yung kalagayan ng ating mga kabataan para umabot doon sa punto na magsama-sama tayo bilang isang DepEd community,” Angara said. “We need to make sure that all of our children feel seen and all members of the DepEd community feel seen also.”
Fabian’s award was accepted on his behalf by his mother, Erbea Fabian, alongside his grandmother, Aleth Fabian.
“Siya po ay isang batang may napakalaking puso, napakabuting asal. Ito po ay napatunayan hindi dahil sa anak ko siya kung hindi dahil sa nangyari noong June 22 sa kanyang school. Bata pa po siya ay mas inuuna na niya ang kanyang kapwa bago ang kanyang sarili,” Mrs. Erbea Fabian said.
She expressed her deep gratitude to Secretary Angara for personally visiting their family, and thanked DepEd for honoring her son with the hero’s recognition.
Angara also cited the faculty and staff of SJNHS, represented by School Head Dr. Liezl Pulga and Filipino Reading Coordinator Rosalyn Rosite, for their presence of mind, leadership, and coordinated emergency response in securing classrooms and shielding learners during the assault.
Accepting the recognition on behalf of the school community, Pulga emphasized that the honor belonged to the entire SJNHS family.
“When I think of the journey that brought us here, I think of our teachers who continued to serve despite difficult circumstances, our non-teaching personnel who quietly kept everything moving, our parents and partners who stood beside us, and most especially, our learners who continued to show courage even during moments of fear and uncertainty,” Pulga said.
She said that the recent tragedy tested their strength as educators and as a community, but proved that the school stood united in the face of crisis.
“When its people stand together, a school can overcome even the most difficult days. I accept this recognition with humility, but I also accept it as a responsibility—to continue leading with courage, to listen with compassion, to protect our learners, and to keep building a school where every child feels safe, valued, and hopeful,” Pulga said.
She thanked Secretary Angara and the DepEd Central Office for creating the initiative, underscoring that learners need to be seen and supported. “Your recognition means so much to us because it tells our school community that our efforts are seen and our service matters,” she said.
Highlighting the administration’s priority for learner protection, Angara underscored President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to secure educational institutions nationwide.
“Bago tayo maging pursigido dito sa ating mga learner initiatives, siguraduhin muna natin na ‘yung ating mga bata ay nasa tamang kalagayan at tamang pag-iisip,” Angara emphasized, reinforcing the need to make sure that learners feel seen.
“Mismong si Pangulong Bongbong ay nagpulong sa amin at sinabi niya mismo na bawat teacher sa bawat paaralan ay kailangan may assignment na bata, na ang trabaho niya ay hindi tulungan ang bata kundi kumustahin ang bata,” he added.
In line with President Marcos’s directive, DepEd is leading a nationwide, whole-of-government school safety campaign. DepEd is enforcing strengthened security measures under the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE) per DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026.
Public schools nationwide are implementing enhanced security protocols, including handheld metal detectors, strict visitor controls, regular bag inspections, and security personnel deployment, as well as active threat drills.
The DepEd Heroes program was launched in August 2025 to recognize the extraordinary acts of service, bravery, and dedication of educators, learners, and personnel nationwide.
