Erwin Tulfo seeks Senate probe into Tacloban shooting

Senator Erwin Tulfo on Tuesday called for an immediate Senate investigation into the fatal shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City that left three students dead and several others wounded.

In a statement, Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, urged his fellow senators to include the incident in the ongoing inquiry on Senate Bills 441 and 1582, which seek to expand the coverage of the Anti-Bullying Act.

He said the probe aims to determine whether there were lapses on the part of the school and to recommend measures to prevent similar attacks in the future, citing initial reports that pointed to bullying as the alleged motive behind the shooting involving minor suspects.

“Bagama't di tama ang naging paraan nila para resolbahin ang bullying sa kanila, isa po itong nakakaalarma na hudyat para sa lahat ng mga eskwelahan at sa mga awtoridad: lagyan na ng pangil ang implementasyon ng Anti-Bullying Act,” Tulfo said.

(While their way of addressing the bullying was wrong, this is an alarming signal for all schools and authorities: it is time to strengthen the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act.)

Tulfo said the incident showed how bullying had escalated into more violent consequences.

“Kung dati ay masasakit na salita o pisikal na pananakit, at pagkitil sa sariling buhay ang resulta ng bullying, ngayon humantong na pagpatay sa ilang bata sa loob pa ng paaralan na itinuturing nilang ikalawang tahanan,” he said.

(If before, bullying resulted in hurtful words, physical harm, or taking one’s own life, it has now escalated into the killing of children inside the schools they consider their second home.)

He questioned the weak enforcement of anti-bullying laws and warned against the normalization of school violence.

“Ilang buhay pa ang dapat na mawala bago tayo magising sa katotohanan na malamya ang implementasyon ng mga anti-bullying laws sa bansa?” Tulfo said.

(How many more lives must be lost before we wake up to the reality that anti-bullying laws in the country are being weakly implemented?)

“Huwag po nating hayaan na mahanay ang ating bansa sa mga lugar na normal na ang mass shooting at bullying sa mga eskwelahan,” he added.

(Let us not allow our country to be counted among places where mass shootings and bullying in schools have become normal.)

Tulfo also extended his condolences to the victims’ families and condemned the violence that erupted inside the school, as he stressed that schools should remain safe spaces for young people.

“Mariin nating kinokondena ang ganitong karahasan na nangyari pa mismo sa loob ng paaralan na dapat ay ligtas na lugar para sa ating mga kabataan,” he said.

(We strongly condemn this kind of violence that happened inside a school, which should be a safe place for our youth.)

Tulfo said his office is already coordinating with the victims’ families to provide assistance.—MCG, GMA News