Angara visits South Cotabato’s Banga school a day after deadly shooting

BANGA, South Cotabato — Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Saturday, Sept. 19, visited Banga National High School, where teachers dressed in black and parents gathered.

This event comes a day after a shooting inside the campus that left three students dead and several others wounded.

Angara met with teachers, parents and school officials during his visit as the school community grapples with the aftermath of Friday’s tragedy.

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The Philippine flag at the school was flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning for those who died in the attack.

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Angara’s visit was meant to check the situation of the affected students, teachers and families and to determine the assistance needed by the school.

During his visit, the secretary also acknowledged the need to increase security measures in schools, saying the education sector was not prepared for disasters such as school shootings.

“We really need to strengthen security measures because we were truly not prepared for shootings like this,” Angara admitted to reporters.

He said DepEd had largely focused its attention on students’ academic performance, while schools continue to face gaps in physical security, including fencing and security personnel.

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Angara said improving school security will require cooperation among DepEd, local governments and communities, noting that the department does not have enough funding for school fences.

He also thanked the South Cotabato provincial government for funding the security guards at Banga National High School.

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DepEd is also seeking the assistance of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in looking into the circumstances surrounding the attack.

He wanted to know what could have influenced the 16-year-old student allegedly behind the shooting to carry out the assault.

The secretary also referred to a handwritten note reportedly linked to the student, but he stressed that he was uncertain about its authenticity.

“We really want to investigate that because we are not familiar with it. We will ask for help from the DICT and the DILG,” he said.

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The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, while classes were being held at Banga National High School. /apl