AdZU fails first test after hosting Zamboanga City’s first active shooter drill

SIMULATION. The Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) Grade School Department conducted Zamboanga Cityu2019s first full Human-Induced Simulation Exercise (SIMEX) on July 18, 2026, at the AdZU Fr. William H. Kreutz, SJ, Campus, in Barangay Tumaga, Zamboanga City.

Ateneo de Zamboanga University

The shooting happened in the same campus where AdZU led Zamboanga City’s first active shooter simulation

Only a month after hosting an active shooter exercise last July 18, Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) may have failed its first test — a real-life school shooter.

In a featured story published on AdZU’s website, the university’s grade school department said that it conducted Zamboanga City’s first full Human-Induced Simulation Exercise (SIMEX) in collaboration with authorities like the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO), Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (ZCDRRMO), and the Anti-Kidnapping Group-Mindanao Field Unit (AKG-MFU), to name a few.

“The activity simulated an active shooter incident, enabling participants to practice established lockdown procedures and emergency response protocols while examining communication, coordination, and decision-making among school personnel and responding agencies,” the website read.

The university also said that the SIMEX showed the importance of equipping schools with knowledge, systems, and coordinated response mechanisms needed to safeguard communities during high-risk situations.

On Tuesday morning, August 18, two students were killed in a shooting incident at the university’s Tumaga campus in Barangay Tumaga.

Never mind that the shooting happened in the same campus where the SIMEX was held in July. The shooter was an AdZU junior high school student and was one of the fatalities in the tragedy.

Two days earlier

Only two days before the incident, August 16, AdZU published another article on its website outlining the university’s Annual Guard Assembly with a focus on “campus readiness for safer, more responsive security.”

“Nearly 70 security personnel assigned to Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU) underwent security briefings, tactical inspection, safety discussions, and drug prevention education during the Annual Guard Assembly for School Year 2026–2027, equipping the University’s frontline security team to better prevent unauthorized access, respond to emergencies, and protect the AdZU community and its facilities,” the website read.

Rappler reached out to Father Guillrey Anthony Andal, AdZU president, for comment on how the shooter, a child in conflict with the law (CICL), was able to bring firearms in the school’s campus. This story will be updated once we get his reply.

Police reports noted that the CICL was carrying a long firearm and a 9mm caliber pistol. 

Bureau of Customs (BOC) Chief Ariel Nepomuceno confirmed that the handgun was agency-issued, while authorities were still checking whether the long firearm was also a government-issued weapon.

The gun was issued to the CICL’s father, the Enforcement and Security Service District commander of the port of Zamboanga. Nepomuceno told Rappler that they have relieved the CICL’s father from duty pending a thorough investigation.

Drought on info

On Tuesday evening, August 18, Zamboanga City Vice Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco gave the latest briefing on the AdZU shooting, confirming the two fatalities, but admitting that they did not have more information to share on the incident.

“We cannot give further information as of press time because we still do not have the official incident report of the Philippine National Police because they are still collating [information],” the vice mayor said.

According to Climaco, a lot of disinformation has spread since the incident. The vice mayor appealed to the public to refrain from spreading disinformation and using social media to create content from the issue.

“It is creating panic, it is creating discrimination, and sad to note, it is creating harm,” Climaco stressed. – Rappler.com