Zamboanga police chief flags gaps in AdZU vehicle checks

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s security lacks thorough protocols for checking vehicles entering the campus, Zamboanga Police Chief PCol, Fidel Fortaleza Jr. said on Thursday.

Fortaleza reported the assessment during the Senate committee on women and children hearing into Tuesday’s shooting incident at the university, where a Grade 8 student opened fire using his father’s guns that had been left unattended inside their family vehicle.

“Yung pong mga bata, mga estudyante, na papasok po ng school, na naglalakad po or by, wala po silang sasakyan ay nachecheck po at mayroon po mga security guards. Doon naman po sa sasakyan is merely visual search lang po yung mga security guards natin at nakakapasok sila,” Fortaleza shared.

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(“The children, the students, who are entering the school on foot or without vehicles are checked, and there are security guards. As for the vehicles, our security guards merely conduct a visual search, and they are allowed to enter.)

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READ: Ateneo de Zamboanga shooter’s father left guns in car — BOC

He recommended that schools consider installing X-ray or scanning machines to improve the inspection of vehicles entering school compounds.

Meanwhile, AdZU Executive Assistant to the President and Legal Adviser Armee Cresmundo told the panel that the Grade 8 student, after exiting the vehicle, managed to avoid the building’s security check.

Cresmundo said the student used a ramp designated for students with disabilities.

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“This ramp is closed normally, and inoopen lang siya pag may dumadaan na estudyante with disability. At that time, the ramp was opened because a student will pass through and unfortunately, ito po yung ginawang access point para makalusot po doon sa security na meron in the building itself,” Cresmundo told the panel.

(This ramp is normally closed and is only opened when a student with a disability passes through. At that time, the ramp was opened because a student was going to pass through, and unfortunately, this was used as an access point to bypass the security measures inside the building.)

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To this, the Senate panel’s chairperson, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, lamented the security lapses.

“Very, very, unfortunate talaga. At a certain point na the school was still a safe space, somehow na breach siya kasi either kulang ang protocols or hindi naimplement  nang sapat and somehow those weapons were able to be brought into the school,” Hontiveros said.

(Very, very unfortunate indeed. At a certain point, the school was still a safe space; somehow it was breached because either the protocols were lacking or they weren’t implemented enough, and somehow those weapons were able to be brought into the school.)

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The shooting on Tuesday left two people dead, including the shooter, and at least two others injured./dp