Thorough investigation needed on Tacloban school shooting; knee-jerk responses will worsen crisis, not solve it—Tinio

ACT Teachers Representative and Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio called for a comprehensive investigation into the Tacloban school shooting, warning against hasty legislative measures that criminalize children while ignoring the systemic failures and family circumstances that enabled the violence.

“Huwag nating palampasin ang pagkakataong ito na tukuyin ang tunay na sanhi ng karahasan sa mga paaralan,” Tinio stressed. “Hindi ito simpleng security failure—ito ay bunga ng mahabang krisis sa edukasyon na dulot ng patuloy na kawalan ng pondo ng pamahalaan sa mental health services sa mga paaralan.”

The representative pointed to critical details in the Tacloban incident that demand scrutiny. The 14-year-old shooter is the nephew of a police officer who trained him to fire weapons and we have received reports that he is a son of a former military officer and his parents were always fighting that end up being physical—circumstances that exposed him to both a culture of violence and direct access to firearms. Similarly, the 15-year-old who discharged a .38 caliber handgun obtained the weapon from a security guard relative.

“Given these circumstances, paano makakatulong ang pagbaba ng edad ng criminal responsibility o ang karagdagang militarizasyon ng mga paaralan?” Tinio asked. “Ang mga bata na ito ay hindi lamang criminal suspects—sila ay biktima ng isang sistema na bumigo sa kanila.”

Tinio cited House Resolution 1157, which he filed to investigate the root causes of school violence and address chronic systemic failures in the education sector. The resolution highlights severe underfunding of mental health services as a critical factor in the education system’s inability to prevent violence.

“The education system is broken,” Tinio noted. “We have a shortage of 150,000 public school teachers needed to bring class sizes down to the global standard of 35 students per class. We also have only around 2,000 guidance counselors serving 28 million students—a severe shortage compared to the 50,000 needed to meet international ratios.”

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), overcrowded classrooms with 60 or more students create environments rife with bullying, intimidation, and diminished student safety—conditions that no security measure alone can address.

While the Department of Education was mandated under Republic Act 12080 to establish Care Centers in every public school with proper mental health services, implementation remains inadequate. Congress appropriated P2.97 billion for the School-Based Mental Health Program in the 2026 budget, yet critical personnel shortages persist.

“Permanenteng solusyon ang kailangan natin sa edukasyon, hindi lamang security measures,” Tinio declared. “Dapat nating i-transform ang mga paaralan sa ligtas na espasyo na libre sa karahasan, at ito ay nagsisimula sa pagtugon sa mga systemic issues na nag-uudyok sa mga kabataan na gumawa ng ganitong mga aksyon.”

The representative urged Congress to conduct a thorough investigation while simultaneously formulating comprehensive legislative measures that address immediate security concerns, the critical lack of adequate mental health services in schools, and the underlying education crisis that continues to endanger Filipino students.

“Lowering the age of criminal responsibility will not prevent school violence—it will only criminalize poverty, trauma, and systemic neglect,” Tinio concluded. “What we need is an education system that cares for our children, not one that punishes them for the failures of their guardians and society.”