PH lawmakers push for gun safeguards after South Cotabato school shooting

House of Representatives Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos are pushing for the passage of a bill strengthening the country’s firearms laws and safeguards as an immediate legislative response to the shooting incident at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.

In a news release Friday evening, Dy said House Bill (HB) 11387, or the Responsible Firearm Ownership and Safe Storage Act, seeks to prevent minors and other unauthorized persons from gaining access to firearms as part of broader efforts to make schools safer and avert similar tragedies.

“This latest tragedy reinforces our resolve to build safer and more caring schools for every Filipino child. Bilang isa sa ating mga agarang hakbang, naghain kami ni Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander ‘Sandro’ Marcos ng House Bill No. 11387 upang palakasin ang ating mga batas at safeguards sa pagmamay-ari, pag-iingat, at paggamit ng baril (As one of our immediate measures, Majority Leader Marcos and I filed House Bill 11387 to strengthen our laws and safeguards regarding firearm ownership, custody, and use)," Dy said.

“This is a concrete step that we believe is necessary to prevent minors and other unauthorized persons from gaining access to firearms."

HB 11387 establishes stricter safe-storage requirements, mandatory gun-safety training, tougher penalties for unauthorized access, and a new offense covering criminally negligent firearm access.

The offense of “criminally negligent unauthorized access” covers cases in which a registered owner or accountable custodian has a legal duty to secure a firearm, negligently breaches that duty, and consequently enables an unauthorized person to obtain actual possession or use of the firearm or ammunition.

Dy expressed solidarity with the students, their families, the teachers, and the entire school community affected by the tragedy

He warned that the incident was part of a serious and recurring problem that demands immediate attention.

“This is deeply concerning and distressing because it is not an isolated incident. Sa nakalipas na mga buwan, may iba pang pamamaril na naganap sa loob o paligid ng mga paaralan na kinasangkutan ng mga estudyante. Isa itong seryosong suliranin na kailangan nating tugunan kaagad (In recent months, there have been other shootings inside or around schools involving students. This is a serious problem that we need to address immediately),” he said.

The Speaker said protecting learners requires more than tighter security measures and must include stronger values formation, support systems, and interventions that address warning signs before violence occurs.

“We must take a hard look at how we can better protect our learners — not only through stronger school safety measures, but also by strengthening the values, support systems, and early interventions that can prevent violence in the first place,” he said.

“At the same time, mental health support for learners must be strengthened. Students experiencing distress, conflict, trauma, or other difficulties must have safe and accessible avenues to seek help. Schools must be equipped not only to respond when a crisis occurs, but also to recognize warning signs and provide timely and appropriate support.”

Whole-of-gov’t review

Meanwhile, senators pressed for a whole-of-government review of school safety mechanisms, saying the response should cover not only campus security but also gun access, mental health, warning signs, and online influences on young people.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said the recurring violence requires government agencies to examine the different factors that could leave children vulnerable.

“This cannot be our new normal,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

She cited mental health, parental supervision, gun access, school security, nihilistic violent extremism, and the role of online platforms in fueling radicalization and violence among the youth as areas requiring attention.

Hontiveros said the proposed SAGIP Bata Act, which includes measures against online grooming and recruitment into violence, could be an initial intervention but should not be treated as a complete solution.

“Government needs to do a real accounting of how we are failing our children,” she said.

She said the objective should remain preventing children from having to fear the places where they are supposed to learn.

“Pangalawang tahanan ng bata ang eskwelahan kaya dapat itong maging espasyo hindi lamang ng karunungan, kundi ng kapayapaan (The school is a child’s second home, so it should be a place not only of learning but also of peace),” she said.

In a separate statement, Senator Loren Legarda likewise asked the Department of Education, Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and concerned local governments to jointly determine how the weapon entered the school, whether warning signs were overlooked, and where existing safeguards failed.

She also sought a coordinated review of firearm safekeeping, school security protocols, threat-reporting mechanisms, and access to timely mental health and psychosocial intervention.

Legarda said authorities should also revisit commitments made after the Tacloban and Zamboanga shootings and determine which measures were actually implemented and why they failed to prevent another incident.

“Kung may batas ngunit hindi naipatutupad nang maayos, dapat managot ang nagpabaya. Kung may kakulangan sa batas, dapat itong punan ng Kongreso (If there are laws that are not being properly enforced, those responsible for the failure must be held accountable. If there are gaps in the law, Congress must address them),” she said.

The incident was the third deadly school shooting reported in the country since June, following attacks in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City. Authorities were still investigating the South Cotabato shooting, including how the firearm was obtained and whether warnings before the attack had been missed.

-Philippine News Agency