Three students were killed and five others wounded on June 22 when two teenage classmates opened fire inside a government-run high school in the central Philippines, sending hundreds of terrified students fleeing the campus in a deadly school shooting.
The attack unfolded mid-morning on Monday at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, a school that serves more than 1,500 students. Regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy confirmed that two suspects — a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old — were taken into custody. Both attend the same school as their victims, and neither had any prior criminal record.
Suspects Claimed They Were Bullied
Investigators are working to establish a clear motive, but early indications point to a grievance rooted in harassment. Capoy said “the suspects, who were close friends, said in initial questioning that they were bullied in school,” though he declined to elaborate on the specifics of those claims.
The attack did not stay contained to a single location. According to Capoy, the suspects forced their way into two separate classrooms, pursuing fleeing students who had scattered after the initial gunfire broke out in the first room. Police recovered at least 40 shell casings across the scene. Most of the dead and wounded were female students.
Footage that circulated online captured the chaos from inside one locked classroom, where students crouched beneath desks, sobbing and screaming as gunshots rang out nearby. Some could be heard calling their mothers. Additional video showed waves of visibly shaken students pouring out of the campus gates, many clinging to one another as they ran.
How the Guns Got on Campus
The pair managed to smuggle two weapons onto school grounds due to a significant gap in campus security. Capoy said only a single guard was stationed across multiple entrances and exits, making it relatively easy for the students to slip through undetected. One suspect carried a 9 mm pistol obtained from an aunt who works as a police officer — she is now under investigation. The other arrived armed with a .38 caliber revolver.
One of the suspects was apprehended on school grounds shortly after the shooting. The other fled the campus and took refuge in a nearby residence, where he was tracked down after local residents alerted authorities to his location.
Legal Questions Surround the Younger Suspect
Because of the suspects’ ages, the legal path forward is complicated. Under a 2006 Philippine law, the minimum age for criminal liability is 15, which means the 14-year-old cannot face criminal prosecution regardless of the circumstances. The 15-year-old may be held criminally liable, but only if authorities can demonstrate the suspect was clearly aware of the crime and understood its consequences at the time it was committed. Both suspects are expected to be transferred to government welfare officers once the investigation wraps up, given their status as minors.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a comprehensive investigation into the shooting and directed law enforcement agencies to strengthen security measures at schools, workplaces, and other public spaces across the country. Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the president was deeply affected by the news, adding that “anybody, especially the parents of the victims, will feel sad and terrified.” The national police also urged the public to remain calm and cooperate with ongoing investigations.
A Rare but Not Unprecedented Tragedy
While gun violence tied to unlicensed firearms remains a persistent problem in the Philippines, deadly school shootings are comparatively uncommon. The last major incident drew national attention in 2022, when a gunman opened fire at an upscale Manila-area university on the eve of a graduation ceremony, killing a former Philippine town mayor and two other people.
The June 22 attack in Tacloban City has reignited urgent questions about campus security, the accessibility of firearms, and how schools identify and respond to students experiencing bullying before violence erupts. Investigators have not yet confirmed whether any formal complaints about bullying were ever filed at San Jose National High School before the shooting took place.
