The Department of Education-Davao Region (DepEd-Davao) has intensified security measures across schools through its Safe School Program, following a shooting incident in Tacloban City that left three students dead. Regional Director Maria Ines Asuncion announced that schools have been directed to allocate funds for security upgrades, and local government units (LGUs) are being asked to provide security guards.
Coordinated Efforts for Student Safety
Asuncion said she has coordinated with DepEd Davao City Schools Division Superintendent Reynante Solitario and Davao City Councilor Antoinette "Petite" Principe, chair of the City Council Committee on Education, Science and Technology, to seek additional support through the City Peace and Order Council and the Regional Peace and Order Council. The goal is to involve law enforcement and communities in monitoring students' travel between home and school.
“Let us keep our learners safe for a brighter future,” Asuncion said in a media interview on July 7, 2026, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod. She noted that several LGUs have already deployed security personnel around schools to secure campus perimeters.
Proposed School Safety Ordinance
Councilor Principe revealed that the committees on peace and safety and on education jointly conducted a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to strengthen school security. Representatives from DepEd and various safety offices attended the hearing, and DepEd is currently reviewing the proposal. Key issues raised include the lack of perimeter fences in some schools, limited funding to hire security guards, and the absence of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and metal detectors.
Principe noted that larger schools generally have resources to install CCTV systems, hire security guards, and purchase metal detectors, while smaller schools often struggle to fund those measures. She added that the Davao City Government has deployed additional safety personnel, including members of the Civil Security Unit (CSU), to schools across the city.
Response to Tacloban Incident
The proposed School Safety Ordinance of Davao City, introduced by Councilor Luna Acosta, came after the Tacloban shooting that claimed three students' lives. The measure also calls on the Department of Education to provide funding for mandatory hiring of security guards in all public schools nationwide.
