Three Dead and Eight Injured in Philippines School Shooting

A 16-year-old gunman shot two students dead and injured eight others at a high school in the southern Philippines before taking his own life, according to local authorities.

The two students who died were both 14-year-old pupils at Banga National High School in Banga, a municipality in South Cotabato province on the island of Mindanao. Mayor Albert Palencia told the BBC that four of the eight injured students were in critical condition.

The shooting happened on Friday afternoon, prompting authorities to suspend classes at all levels across the municipality.

The Department of Education said it was “deeply concerned” about the incident and was coordinating with local authorities to verify the circumstances and provide support to those affected.

“Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of our learners, teachers and school personnel,” the department said.

It also urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information while the investigation continues.

Mayor Palencia told Reuters that the teenager had spoken to friends during lunchtime before the shooting. He reportedly told them to go home because he planned to carry out his attack after lunch.

“His friends laughed because the shooter was a known joker,” Palencia said.

“After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself.”

Emergency services were quickly deployed to the school. The Philippine Red Cross said it received an alert about the incident at 14:00 local time and sent an ambulance carrying four paramedics to provide emergency medical assistance.

Police also arrived at the school and began investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including how the teenager obtained the firearm and what may have led to the attack.

The incident has led to renewed concerns about firearm access and school safety in the Philippines. Gun ownership is relatively widespread in the country, although school shootings remain uncommon.

Friday’s attack is the third deadly school or campus shooting reported in the Philippines since June.

In June, three students were killed and others injured after fellow students opened fire at a high school in central Philippines. Investigators said the attack appeared to have been motivated by a grudge linked to bullying.

In August, a student at a Catholic junior high school in the southern Philippines shot at a teacher but missed before moving to another classroom, where he shot a fellow student. The victim later died, while the suspected gunman subsequently took his own life.

Following Friday’s shooting, South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo called on adult firearm owners to take greater precautions when storing guns and ensure that minors cannot gain access to them.

“We cannot expect a handful of security personnel to monitor thousands of students. We need to work together because otherwise this will be very difficult for us to address,” Tamayo told Reuters.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the shooting as the affected community deals with the deaths and injuries.