VP Duterte says Marcos admin failed victims of South Cotabato school shooting

Vice President Sara Duterte launched a sharp critique against the Marcos administration on Monday, accusing the government of failing the victims and survivors of the recent shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.

In a statement dated Sept. 21, Duterte highlighted the incident—which she identified as the country’s third school shooting this year—as a grim reminder of the pervasive risk of violence in Philippine schools.

“The Marcos administration has failed the victims and survivors of the South Cotabato tragedy,” Duterte said. “Countless more Filipino children remain at risk of becoming casualties of this government's incompetence and neglect.”

Describing the threat of campus violence as a “bitter reality” for students, the Vice President linked the tragedy to broader societal violence, attributing it to systemic failures in public safety, peace, and order.

“This reminds us that when a government prioritizes political consolidation over fundamental governance, the protection of children is inevitably compromised,” she added, accusing the administration of placing political survival above meaningful governance.

Duterte further escalated her rhetoric in Tagalog, condemning the leadership's priorities.

“Para kasi sa administrasyong Marcos, mas madali ang maging inutil, magnakaw, at magsamantala kaysa magsilbi nang tapat sa bayan,” Duterte said. (“For the Marcos administration, it is easier to be useless, steal, and take advantage than to serve the country faithfully.”)

“We deserve better leadership than this,” she concluded.