Three Students Killed in Philippine School Shooting, Including Gunman
A 16-year-old student opened fire on classmates before taking his own life; eight others were injured.
Three students were killed in a school shooting in the southern Philippines on Friday, including a 16-year-old suspect who turned the gun on himself, provincial officials reported. Eight other students were injured, four of whom are in critical condition.
The victims, all aged between 14 and 17, were shot during school hours in Banga town, South Cotabato province. Albert Palencia, the mayor of Banga, said the suspect had told his friends before lunch that he had a plan to execute after the meal. His friends initially dismissed his statement, considering him a jokester.
"After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself," Palencia stated.
This incident marks the third fatal gun incident at a Philippine school since June, a trend previously considered rare in the country. In August, a student live-streamed his own fatal shooting of a classmate before committing suicide in Zamboanga. In June, two classmates opened fire at a public high school in Tacloban, resulting in the deaths of at least three students and injuries to approximately 20 others.
Despite relatively strict gun ownership regulations in the Philippines, which include background checks and psychological evaluations, illegal firearms remain accessible. The recent school shootings have prompted calls for greater responsibility in firearm storage. South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo urged parents and gun owners to ensure minors do not have access to weapons, emphasizing the need for collective efforts to address the issue.
The shooting in the Philippines also occurs in the context of a similar incident in Thailand in August, where a student carried out a shooting rampage at a school near Bangkok.