S. Cotabato School Shooting Leaves 2 Students Dead, 8 Injured

Two Grade 9 students were killed and eight others were injured after a shooting inside Banga National High School in Barangay Benitez, Banga, South Cotabato, on Friday afternoon, Sept. 18, according to authorities.

The shooting occurred at around 1:15 p.m. inside a classroom, prompting students to flee the school as police, emergency responders, and school officials responded to the incident.

Police identified the suspected shooter as a Grade 9 student who died by suicide after the shooting. 

The two other fatalities were Grade 9 students, a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, according to reports from local officials and The Associated Press. 

Initial reports released shortly after the incident gave different casualty figures as authorities assessed the situation. 

The South Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office initially reported three students dead, including the suspected shooter, and six injured. 

The injured students were brought to various hospitals for medical treatment. 

One student was transferred to the Cotabato Regional Medical Center and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit as of Saturday morning. 

Three injured students had been discharged, while three others were referred to private hospitals in Koronadal City. 

South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. said he saw students running in different directions when he arrived at the school following the shooting. 

Local officials and school personnel were already attending to the victims and coordinating the emergency response.

“It pains me to see this happening in one of our schools,” Mr.  Tamayo said, adding that the provincial government had allocated funds for security guards to help strengthen safety in schools. 

Authorities are also investigating how the student obtained the firearm used in the incident. 

Banga Mayor Albert Palencia said the firearm was owned by the student’s father, a Department of Education (DepEd) employee. 

Authorities are investigating how the firearm was accessed and brought onto the school campus. 

DepEd said it was coordinating with local authorities and law enforcement in investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

DepEd also deployed intervention teams to provide psychological first aid and mental health support to students, families, and school personnel affected by the shooting. 

Officials are also examining reports about the student’s online activities. 

South Cotabato officials said the student was reportedly associated with an online “true crime community,” while Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators were looking into the student’s involvement in online activity. 

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the department would seek assistance from the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of the Interior and Local Government in examining the matter. Authorities have not established that the online activity was the sole cause of the shooting. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a thorough investigation into the incident, including how a minor was able to obtain and bring a firearm into the school. 

He also directed concerned government agencies to strengthen measures intended to prevent similar incidents and assured assistance for the injured students. 

Following the shooting, classes across the municipality of Banga were suspended as authorities secured the school and responded to the needs of students and their families. 

DepEd urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information and graphic material concerning the incident. 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development also said it would provide financial assistance to the families affected by the incident, including assistance for the injured students and the families of those who died. 

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including the source of the firearm, the events leading up to the attack, and reports concerning the student’s online activities.