Philippines launches active shooter drills after rare school attack

The Philippines has launched its first active school shooter drills, a measure prompted by a rare and fatal incident in June where two teenage students opened fire at a school, killing three classmates and injuring 20.

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We acknowledge the increasing number of violent incidents because of exposure to damaging social media sites, wrong influences and terrorist groups online actively recruiting.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara stated that the drills are a necessary adaptation to the "new activities of perpetrators," citing a rise in violent incidents linked to "damaging social media sites, wrong influences and terrorist groups online actively recruiting." The drills involve students and teachers practicing barricading classrooms and remaining silent during simulated attacks.

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We really have to be very creative and adjust to the new activities of perpetrators.

This rare outbreak of school violence in the Philippines, a nation of 113 million where such events are exceedingly uncommon, has sent ripples of concern. Despite strict gun ownership laws, weak enforcement has reportedly made firearms more accessible, with the suspects in the June shooting allegedly stealing handguns from relatives. Teachers and students at Manila Science High School, where drills were held on July 15, expressed a mix of apprehension and a sense of increased security.

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It’s important to prepare students in case there’s really an active shooter.

The Philippines' move mirrors actions taken by other nations in the region. Thailand, for example, began similar drills after a 2022 mass shooting at a nursery claimed 36 lives. However, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines urged authorities to prioritize preventive measures, advocating for schools to remain "genuine zones of peace and safety" rather than normalizing active shooter drills due to unaddressed underlying security issues.

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Before we didn’t consider it as part of emergencies.