Gun owner charged over Tacloban shooting

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended the filing of criminal charges against the owner of one of the guns used in the June Tacloban school shooting that killed three people, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said on Monday.

At a congressional budget hearing, Vida said a Tacloban prosecution office on Monday found probable cause to charge the gun owner with criminal negligence. He did not disclose the gun owner’s name.

Two students, aged 14 and 15, opened fire at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on June 22, killing three and injuring 20 others. Authorities believe the students’ actions were motivated by a grudge over alleged bullying.

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The 14-year-old suspect allegedly used a 9mm pistol registered to his aunt, a policewoman, while the 15-year-old suspect allegedly used a .38-caliber revolver registered to a Cebu-based security agency.

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READ: School shooting kills 3 students in Tacloban

Vida said authorities “are seeing a pattern” in the spate of school violence that has rocked the Philippines in recent months. Last week, a student also opened fire at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University campus, killing another student before he shot himself.

The justice chief said “groomers” target children playing online games and lure them into chat rooms where violence is amplified and encouraged.

Drills postponed

Meanwhile, the Nationwide Simultaneous School Safety Drill for Active Attack Incidents initially scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed, according to the Department of Education (DepEd), to ensure alignment with the guidance of psychosocial support experts.

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READ: DepEd postpones nationwide active shooter drills

“We are deferring temporarily to incorporate new suggestions,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara told the Inquirer on Monday.

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In an advisory, DepEd announced that the activity will be moved to the first week of September.

On Saturday, the Philippine Psychiatric Association and Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry urged the deferment of the shooting drills, citing studies that show the drills can “expose learners to hyper-realistic scenarios of violence,” causing possible psychological issues.

In a statement released on Monday, the Philippine Pediatric Society also said evidence on children’s participation in active-attack and lockdown drills remains “limited” or “mixed.”

Returned to family

Following the concerns raised by health experts on the shooting drills, the Philippine National Police said it was “willing and always ready to participate in any consultation with all groups concerned.”

PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co also reported in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Monday that the Cebu junior high school student allegedly caught with a gun inside his bag while in school has been returned to his family.

The student, who initially said the gun was his grandfather’s, was first turned over to local social workers for intervention under Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

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But “due to the lack of personnel there to handle the case, as well as a proper facility for it, he was returned to his family,” Co said. INQ