Probe Underway As BOC Relieves Father Of School Shooting Suspect In Zamboanga

Following the incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City where a high school student carrying two pistols shot to death a fellow student before killing himself on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Bureau of Customs relieved the suspect’s father of his duty as BOC district police chief.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno ordered the relief of Lt. Lars Jalani II, head of the BOC Enforcement and Security Service in Zamboanga. Jalani is reportedly the school shooter’s father.

The suspect, a Grade 9 student, entered school premises carrying a high-powered firearm and a .45 caliber pistol. The shooting occurred at around 7:45 a.m., barely an hour after classes began.

“Nepomuceno has ordered a comprehensive accounting and inventory of all issued firearms across the bureau and a review of compliance with all BOC policies and issuances on gun safety, firearm custody, transport, carrying, storage and safekeeping,” the BOC said.

One of the pistols carried by the suspect came from his father, BOC deputy commissioner Nolasco Bathan told reporters.

‘Not a good example’

President Marcos has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

Taking a jab at state officials, Palace press officer Claire Castro said “threats against lives, the hiring of assassin and readiness to kill seem to be tolerated. This is not a good example. This should serve as a lesson.”

“Do not tolerate these kinds of speech and abuses, especially among public servants,” Castro added.

Recent incidents of school violence are a manifestation of a culture of violence brought by the previous administration’s extrajudicial killings, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said.

Funding for mental and psychosocial support and services in schools and communities must be prioritized, the group stressed.

Hundreds of students were evacuated after shots rang out in the high school building of the AdZU campus on Tuesday. Two other people were injured, police and city officials said.

The suspect, identified by police as a Grade 9 student, fired at a teacher sitting in front of a class but apparently missed. He then shot a student on the fourth floor of the building before going up one floor and killing himself, police said in an initial report.

“He entered and started indiscriminately firing, hitting a Grade 10 student at the fourth floor then subsequently went to the fifth floor and jumped from the said building and committed suicide,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters.

“He showed this on Facebook Live starting when he was climbing up the stairs but there were only snippets,” Remulla said. “We’ll look into his gaming history and his chat history so we cannot come up with a complete answer why this happened until we do a complete forensic analysis.”

The high school building, where the gun attack happened, is in a secured campus, separate from a larger campus of the privately owned Catholic university where its colleges and professional schools are located in Zamboanga. One of the largest and most prestigious universities in the south, Ateneo suspended classes at all levels Tuesday and Wednesday following the attack.

Joe Darryl Jaron has just driven his child to the school when he heard the gunshots that prompted students to scream in panic and dash to safety. He took a video of the commotion and posted it on Facebook. “There are gunshots here in Ateneo, help! help,” he said.

A few hours after the shooting, police said the situation was under control. They asked parents and guardians of students to remain calm and follow the high school’s advice and arrangements to pick up their children.

“Authorities are currently establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said. The police “will provide verified information as appropriate and appeals to the public to refrain from sharing unconfirmed reports, photos, or videos that may cause unnecessary concern.”

The PNP assured the public “that the safety and well-being of the school community remain a priority. We thank the school administration, parents, guardians, and the community for their patience, cooperation and understanding as authorities continue to manage the situation.”

The shooting happened despite police assurances that security in schools across the country would be strengthened after a shooting in June in which three high school students were killed and at least 20 others were wounded in central Tacloban city. Police arrested two students, ages 14 and 15, and accused them of carrying out that shooting.

Crimes involving the use of firearms are prevalent in the Philippines, partly due to the proliferation of unlicensed firearms, but school shootings are relatively rare.

Days after the school shooting in Tacloban, authorities said they temporarily blocked an online gaming app to assess whether it played a role in fostering such violence. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said its decision to indefinitely block Gorebox was prompted by an ongoing police investigation which showed that one suspect was an avid user of the app.

The Department of Health deployed mental health and psychosocial support teams to Ateneo de Zamboanga University to assist those affected by the shooting and cover the victims’ medical expenses.

Nihilistic violent extremism

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Sen. Risa Hontiveros condemned the latest incident as the chamber resumes on Thursday its probe into school violence and “nihilistic violent extremism” among the youth.

Hontiveros said it is too early to assume that online games or nihilistic violent extremism influenced the suspect.

The suspect livestreamed the attack using a body-worn camera, police and other officials said.

Senate inquiries have linked recent school shooting incidents to adult groomers, nihilistic violent extremism network “764” and video game “GoreBox.”

Influenced by games?

The Zamboanga school shooter could have been influenced by violent video games, Remulla said.

“The shooter, however young and troubled he may have been, is himself a victim of what I believe are video games inhabited by actors who induce terror, influencing young and fallible minds,” Remulla said.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is determining the extent of online game platform Roblox’s involvement in the incident.

While authorities have not yet established how the platform may be tied to the case, the Department of Information and Communications Technology has reached out to Roblox.

Video footage of the incident is being taken down by tech giant Meta.

Grief, solidarity

Following the shooting, various institutions and government agencies expressed grief and solidarity with the victims and all the students affected.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said he was deeply saddened by the shooting and extended his sympathies to the grieving families, teachers, learners and school personnel.

“As a father, my heart goes out to the parents who are grieving today. My sympathies are likewise with all the families affected by this tragedy, as well as the teachers, learners and school personnel who experienced this terrible incident,” he said.

Angara directed the Department of Education Regional Office IX to coordinate with the school and other concerned authorities and make psychosocial and financial support available to affected learners, teachers, families and school personnel.

The agency also appealed to the public to refrain from posting or sharing videos, photographs and other sensitive material showing the incident or its aftermath.

“Let us choose compassion over clicks. Our priority must be the safety, dignity and healing of the affected school community,” DepEd said.

The Ateneo de Davao University, meanwhile, condemned the shooting, with its president, Fr. Karel San Juan, expressing grief and solidarity with the AdZU community.

“Ateneo de Davao University stands in grief and solidarity with Ateneo de Zamboanga University following the violence that struck their community,” San Juan said.

“We mourn those whose lives were lost. We pray for those who were injured, for the families of all those affected and for the entire AdZU community,” he added.

Stressing that firearms must never become an answer to anger, conflict, grievance or despair, he declared: “We strongly condemn gun violence. No to gun violence. No to weapons in our schools. No to the normalization of violence.”

Accountability

The ACT flagged how deeply alarming the continuing occurrence of violent incidents inside schools involving young people.

“We call for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible for this grave failure to safeguard young people. Authorities must determine where the firearm came from, how it came into the child’s possession and who was responsible for securing it,” ACT said.

The group called for increased funding for mental health and psychosocial services in schools and communities, as well as a curriculum that promotes human rights, social responsibility and the value of young people as citizens.

“We urgently call for prioritizing funding for and strengthening mental and psychosocial support and services in schools and communities, alongside a curriculum that strengthens young people’s understanding of human rights, social responsibility and their value as human beings and citizens,” it said.

Echoing ACT’s statements, EDCOM 2 also said that the recent tragic events in schools were a stark reminder that authorities “must act now” to safeguard students inside and outside the classroom.

“It goes beyond bullying by ensuring students’ mental health is secure and prioritized. Every Filipino learner deserves a safe, supportive space to learn, grow and thrive,” it said.

The commission called for immediate support and psychological first aid for affected communities, along with urgent policy reforms to strictly implement anti-bullying policies and strengthen student safety and well-being nationwide.

“Educational institutions must remain safe havens for learning and growth,” it said.

Enact laws versus school violence

Congress and the Marcos administration should sign into law the proposed Child Safety Against Gun Violence Act and Digital Safety of Minors Act, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno and House Deputy Speaker David Suarez said.

“Through this measure, we are not banning technology or restricting young people’s right to learn and express themselves. We are simply ensuring that digital platforms are designed with the needs and safety of children as the priority,” Suarez said.

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said it is “very alarming that less than two months after the Tacloban school shooting, another act of violence like this has occurred.”

Senators Joel Villanueva and Mark Villar called for the passage of the Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces Act and Learning Institution’s Guaranteed Threat Avoidance and Safety Act, respectively. – With AP, Alexis Romero, Bella Cariaso, Delon Porcalla, Neil Jayson Servallos, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Rainier Allan Ronda, Roel Pareño, John Unson, Rhodina Villanueva