Marcos advice to parents: Note changes in kids’ behavior

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday urged parents to watch for behavioral changes among their children as he called for greater vigilance to prevent school violence following a series of incidents involving students.

The call came after school shooting incidents in Tacloban City, Zamboanga City, and South Cotabato that resulted in at least eight deaths and several injuries in the past three months.

“We must closely watch over our children, our young people. We must ensure that they do not get involved in these kinds of acts. This is not easy to do—we all need to be vigilant and work together,” the president said in his remarks after visiting Patul Elementary School in Santiago City, Isabela.

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“We must do this together, including the parents. Of course, you are the first ones who need to watch your children for changes in their behavior—if they become unusually sad, angry, or anything else. We simply need to keep a close eye on them,” Mr. Marcos added.

Protecting young people, the president said, is a shared responsibility among parents, teachers, and the government.

Teener found with gun

“We need everyone—the national government and local governments—to work together and help ensure that our children can study well and remain safe, so that we do not see any more unfortunate incidents,” Mr. Marcos added.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old student in Catarman, Northern Samar, yielded a gun and bullets after policemen, who were responding to an alert from school authorities, confronted him inside a classroom at Catarman National High School on Thursday.

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This came after another student told a teacher that the Grade 10 student was allegedly carrying a firearm inside the classroom, reports from the Eastern Visayas regional police showed.

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The teacher reported the matter to the school administration, which then notified the Catarman municipal police.

Police recovered a .45-caliber pistol without a serial number, four magazines and 10 rounds of ammunition from the minor. The student reportedly told authorities that the gun and bullets belonged to his father, who is a bus driver.

A source, who asked not to be named due to lack of authority to speak to reporters, told the Inquirer that authorities were assessing whether the minor had acted with discernment when he brought the firearm to school, a determination that could affect whether a complaint may be filed.

The source said the student claimed he had no intention of harming anyone.

No class suspension

Classes at the school, which has more than 5,000 enrolled students, were not suspended following the incident.

But police met with school officials to review and strengthen safety and security measures to protect students, teachers and other school personnel.

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The student was assisted by personnel of the Women and Children Protection Desk and was referred to the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office for assessment and appropriate intervention in accordance with law. —WITH A REPORT FROM MARY JOY SALCEDO