Warnings reportedly made by a 16-year-old student before a deadly shooting at a school in the southern Philippines were dismissed as jokes, raising difficult questions about whether the attack could have been prevented.
The Straits Times reports that three people were killed and eight others injured when the student allegedly opened fire at Banga National High School on 18 September.
According to Banga Mayor Albert Palencia, police later recovered group-chat conversations from the teenager’s cellphone that allegedly indicated the attack had been planned weeks earlier.
The investigation, as described by Palencia, suggests the teenager’s alleged plans may have existed long before the shooting.
The mayor said investigators found conversations indicating that the attack was initially planned for 3 September, although it did not happen on that date.
Some students reportedly knew about the alleged plan and stayed away from school on 18 September.
Hours before the shooting, the teenager allegedly told friends and classmates to leave after lunch because he was going to carry out his plan.
The warning was reportedly treated as a joke.
That detail has become one of the most troubling aspects of the investigation: whether comments that sounded unserious at the time could have provided an opportunity to intervene.
Palencia said the teenager allegedly left his classroom at about 13h15 before beginning to fire.
A 14-year-old Grade 9 pupil, identified by her grandfather as Rhea, was among those who witnessed the violence.
Her grandfather, Lito, said the girl saw the suspect shoot a male student before entering her classroom.
Only a small number of pupils were reportedly inside the classroom when the shooting began.
During the gunfire, Rhea felt something brush against her side. She later noticed what appeared to be black powder residue and a reddish mark. Because the injury appeared minor, she initially did not go to hospital. Authorities later referred her for a medical examination.
Another major focus of the investigation is the weapon allegedly used in the attack.
Palencia said investigators believe the firearm belonged to the teenager’s father, who is a government employee.
According to the mayor’s account, the student allegedly broke open the vault where the firearm was stored and took it to school.
That raises questions about how a minor was able to access a privately stored firearm and carry it onto a school campus.
Banga National High School has more than 3,000 pupils but, according to Palencia, only one security guard.
The mayor said this made it difficult to conduct thorough checks on everyone entering the school.
He has recommended that responsibility for security should not rest with a single guard. He suggested that class advisers could also assist with checking students, while parents could inspect what their children are carrying before they leave home.
The shooting has also prompted renewed discussion about security at public schools in the Philippines.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara acknowledged that the country’s education system was not adequately prepared for a shooting of this nature.
During a visit to the school on 19 September, Angara said schools had traditionally placed much of their focus on academic performance while physical security remained an area with significant gaps.
Those challenges include fencing and access to security personnel.
Angara said stronger protection would require cooperation between the Department of Education, local governments and communities. He also noted that the education department does not have enough funding for school fencing.
The South Cotabato provincial government was thanked for funding security guards at the school.
The investigation is also looking beyond the school grounds.
Palencia said police discovered that the teenager was allegedly part of an online social media group called True Crime Community, where posts about school shootings were reportedly shared.
The mayor raised the possibility that exposure to such material could have influenced the teenager.
However, he stressed that investigators had not established this as the motive.
Police are examining the recovered group chats and looking into other members of the online community to establish whether anyone else may have been involved in planning the attack.
Authorities are also examining a handwritten note reportedly linked to the teenager. Angara said he was uncertain about its authenticity and that the circumstances surrounding it would need to be investigated.
The Department of Education plans to seek assistance from the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of the Interior and Local Government as authorities examine the case, including possible online influences.
The reported warnings, the alleged access to a family firearm and the school’s limited security resources are now all part of an investigation that could have implications beyond Banga National High School.
Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!
Also read:
Notorious Cape gang boss dies weeks after Kensington shooting
Picture: Banga Mdrrmo / Facebook
