- 7 minutes ago
DepEd is set to launch its nationwide school safety drills in the first week of September 2026, following recent school violence incidents that have renewed calls for stronger safety and preparedness measures.
But how can schools prepare learners for emergencies while ensuring that safety drills do not create fear or trauma?
As DepEd incorporates expert recommendations and trauma-informed practices, Beyond the Headlines takes a closer look at what these nationwide drills could mean for the country’s schools and learners.
Look deeper. Think better. Only here on Beyond the Headlines.
But how can schools prepare learners for emergencies while ensuring that safety drills do not create fear or trauma?
As DepEd incorporates expert recommendations and trauma-informed practices, Beyond the Headlines takes a closer look at what these nationwide drills could mean for the country’s schools and learners.
Look deeper. Think better. Only here on Beyond the Headlines.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Music
00:11Music
00:12Music
00:30It starts with a fresh shot of espresso, bold, rich, bold, just right.
00:39Then comes the milk, steamed smooth, creamy, and balanced.
00:45The perfect latte is not brushed, it is crafted, one cup at a time.
00:51Your perfect latte is ready.
00:54Coffee first, then everything else.
00:58Good afternoon and welcome to Beyond the Headlines.
01:01I'm DJ Moises and today's conversation is brought to us by Coffee First.
01:05Two firearm-related incidents in Cebu schools were contained through prompt action by teachers, school personnel, and police.
01:15One involved a 14-year-old student who brought his grandfather's revolver to school, raising questions about firearm storage and
01:24adult responsibility.
01:25The other involved a 21-year-old student allegedly making shooting threats through a dummy social media account, including threats
01:35against a teacher.
01:37Cebu increased police presence in schools following the August 17 Samwanga City School shooting, with more than 200 police officers
01:46deployed across 278 schools as of August 18.
01:51Earlier today, DepEd postponed its nationwide school safety drills, originally scheduled for tomorrow, following the suspension of face-to-face
02:01classes in several areas due to bad weather.
02:05So for the latest developments, we have Sunstar Correspondent in the National Capital Region, 3rd Ann Malonzo.
02:12Hello, 3rd. Good afternoon.
02:14Yes, Sir DJ. Good afternoon.
02:17Oo, tama ka nga dyan.
02:18Sa nabanggit mo, pinaspone nga ng DepEd.
02:21Ito nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga
02:31nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga
02:32nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga
02:36nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga
02:42nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga
02:45nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga nga n
02:47citing initially the suspension of face-to-face classes in various parts of the country
02:54due to implement weather.
02:55The drills will instead be conducted next week, the first week of September 2026.
03:01In a statement, the DepEd said this postponement was also an opportunity
03:07to consolidate expert opinions and evidence-based practices to strengthen the activity.
03:14Kasi nung mahapon, Sir DJ, the Philippine Psychiatric Association and the Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
03:27urged the DepEd to defer the activity saying it could expose students to hyper-realistic scenarios of violence
03:36and can cause psychological harm across different age groups.
03:41The PSA and the PSCAP said, based on current evidence, such stimulation will not result to the reduction of casualties
03:52or prevent violent incidents.
03:55They said school safety is best strengthened through measures that protect without causing trauma.
04:02They cited classroom blocks, controlled entry points, and perimeter security which should be prioritized instead.
04:13The PSA also encouraged schools to adapt tabletop exercises which are discussion-based.
04:20Ito nga yung pwedeng mag-sit down ang mga students kasama yung kanilang mga teachers or yung mga school staff.
04:27Ganun din nakasama yung kanilang parents at mag-discuss sila ng mga what-if scenarios to build coordination
04:35and preparedness among children without frightening them.
04:40The group said participation should also be inclusive with accommodations for learners who have disabilities,
04:48sensory processing needs, or prior trauma.
04:51Each school should conduct a needs assessment before developing and implementing drills
04:59to ensure that the unique characteristics of its community are considered.
05:06Earlier, the DepEd ordered schools to develop, review, or update their school contingency plan for active attack incidents
05:16and share the final and approved plan with their respective LGUs, the Philippine National Police,
05:24and the Parent Teachers Association.
05:26Among the measures included in the plan are yung nga yung pag-dobel lock,
05:31yung mga double lock mechanisms and other classroom security measures,
05:36information and educational materials, family reunification areas,
05:42safe room and evacuation routes, and emergency communication procedures.
05:48The Education Department reminded schools that drills should prioritize the safety and psychological well-being of learners,
05:57teachers, and non-teaching personnel.
06:00It said activities should be age-appropriate and trauma-informed,
06:04with emphasis on preparedness, protective actions, coordinated response, and post-incident recovery.
06:12Ito nga, itong ganitong order ng DepEd,
06:16Sir DJ, alam naman natin yung nangyari sa San Jose National High School sa Tacloban,
06:22kung saan tatlong sudyante nga ang namatay.
06:25Dahil nga dun sa pamamaril na it was also perpetrated by two minor students.
06:30At ngayon din, just last week, yung nangyari sa Ateneo de Zamboanga,
06:34kung saan, dalawa ang namatay,
06:37kasama na nga yung isang minority-edad na na-import doon sa security.
06:43Thank you very much, Third, for keeping us posted as the development unfolds.
06:48And yeah, hopefully, by the time we see each other,
06:51the situation would be already safe and back to normal.
06:56Yes, hopefully, Sir DJ. Thank you.
07:00So, that's actually Third Anne Malonzo,
07:03Sunstar Correspondent at the National Capital Region.
07:07And she is live, reporting live from the PNP Complex at the NCR.
07:14So, before we close today's episode,
07:16we just have a few commentary that we want to share also to our viewers and the general public.
07:24And for the parents and school personnel and even students who are watching or everyday Sabuano,
07:31please also can feel free to engage us in the conversation.
07:36You can comment on the comment section below on what are the tips or the feedback that you can give
07:44so that we can continue to keep the schools safe from threats that are emerging for the past two months
07:54here in the Philippines.
07:55So, the last time we had a similar topic concerning the episode,
08:01the shooting in Zamwanga, which happened just within less than two months since the first incident that also happened in
08:10Tacloban.
08:10So, we highlighted that it would take really a village.
08:14If they say it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to keep our schools
08:20safe.
08:21So, parents, schools, and society in general, we all play a responsibility.
08:28So, I believe that for parents, they have the first responsibility.
08:33For the schools, they have the shared responsibility.
08:37And then the society, and that's where we all are.
08:41Everyday Sabuanos, everyday Filipinos, that's our collective responsibility.
08:46So, to be more specific about what are the parental responsibilities that we hope we should be seeing more in
08:54the coming days
08:54is specific to firearms, storage.
08:59If we take a look at the incident in Zamwanga, allegedly the father left the firearms in his bag,
09:11which is a violation because for those who are in the police force and they are issued with firearms,
09:18the firearms should have been with them every single moment.
09:23It's like their spouse, their partner.
09:25And so, leaving that allegedly in a bag in his car allowed the suspect to access those guns
09:39and eventually began firing and killing two people, including himself.
09:45And then now the incident in Pinamungahan, a revolver, which is allegedly owned by his grandfather.
09:54And it was left in a cabinet.
09:56And apparently, the 14-year-old student also had access.
10:01So, I think one of the important precautionary measures, especially with parents or adult family members
10:09who have firearms issued to them, the license ones.
10:15Those who don't have a license, this is already a warning for us about the effects.
10:19But for those licensed firearms, let's also make sure that they are properly stored
10:25so that children will not have access to these firearms.
10:30So, that's the first role that parents should ensure.
10:34Again, katong dua ka-incidence, there were firearms actually that were just left somewhere.
10:39And so, a minor eventually had access to these.
10:43So, na siya ay patterned.
10:44So, that's where parents should come in.
10:46The other thing also, because ang network sa ito, ang mga bata ka ron, has already expanded.
10:54Sa una, we had an idea about the people they are hanging out with because these are physical.
11:01We can see them physically.
11:03These are the children that they are playing with on the street.
11:06Or these are the kids that they would also bring home over lunch.
11:12Or these are also, at least we had an idea who their parents are.
11:15Because if our kids would also be spending lunch or playtime with them, at least we get to know the
11:21parents.
11:21But now that the network of our kids have also expanded online,
11:25So, the more parents will have to make time to actually get to know who what games and what social
11:33media platforms are they accessing.
11:36And at the same time, who are they playing with and who are they talking to.
11:43Because kining mga games, they also have options for messages.
11:46So, they truly have every opportunity also to interact with people.
11:50And some of them are not necessarily the right kind of people they should be interacting with.
11:55So, I know that this is a tall order considering that a lot of the households already in the country
12:03have both parents who are working.
12:06So, wala giud kayo yung nakatutok sa mga bata.
12:08And I have nothing against that because sa kalisud garon sa panahon,
12:13a lot of households will have to rely for both parents to actually work.
12:18But I also hope that in spite of their tiredness and exhaustion,
12:25Because traffic pag yun, dugay na sila makaabot sa balay.
12:28But in spite of the hardships, the challenges, and the exhaustion,
12:31the moment they reach home, they will still make time to have a conversation with their children.
12:36So that they would have a better grasp on the people who are surrounding their kids.
12:42The other thing also is, it's also the responsibility of the parents to make sure that the access that their
12:52minors at home
12:55are controlled and regulated.
12:58Because even if there are certain games that a lot of us consider to be risky, such as Roblox, for
13:05example,
13:06But this type of games actually also have security restrictions.
13:13And if these are also implemented at home,
13:16then at least our minors are able to access only age-appropriate content or games online.
13:22So I know that this is, again, a tall order, but that's actually the parents' primary responsibility.
13:29We cannot just deep rely everything sa school.
13:33We're just hoping that because we're busy parents,
13:36it's already okay not to interact so much with our kids because anyway, we are sending them to good schools.
13:42Because at the end of the day, again, it's a shared responsibility.
13:45So the parents' responsibility, our responsibility actually comes first.
13:50And now, because we also have drills already, so I'm moving to the next point.
13:56I'm glad also that schools have already expanded their capacity to handle further risks in schools.
14:05In the past, we just talked about fire drill.
14:09And then eventually, there were earthquake drills.
14:13And now, risk in terms of possible shooting in school are also covered already about risk that needs to be
14:21managed.
14:22And earlier, third mentioned about tabletop because a lot of psychiatrists and psychology experts are also worried
14:31that if children are exposed to actual shooting, then some of those scenarios might not be age-appropriate.
14:39And they may not have enough time to process and let the kids understand.
14:43So basino niyag ang effect instead of helping children to be better in terms of reacting to incidents basig maka
14:52-encourage na noon siya, no?
14:54O kanang behavior that would inflict harm, no?
14:58Instead of avoiding harm.
14:59So there's also merit about tabletop exercises in which, as third mentioned, it becomes a conversation among the players such
15:09as the police, the teachers, the parents, no?
15:13And the students, no?
15:15And there are certain scenarios that they discuss so that everybody already knows what to do, no?
15:22Should an incident actually happen?
15:24So I'm also glad that at least the Department of Education is already orchestrating a nationwide safety drill.
15:32And I hope that this will push through soon, no?
15:35Because of certain weather challenges, this would have been conducted already by tomorrow because this is urgent.
15:43But because of certain limitations, then they're moving this to September.
15:46But I hope these drills can also be administered in all schools in the country, no?
15:53And for the schools, if they are already prepared when it comes to earthquake or fire, I also hope that
16:00we will elevate our maturity, no?
16:02On how we react and manage incidents that are already related to shooting attacks, no?
16:09So there are a lot of actions that are already done.
16:15The ALG, as we know, also called for the banning, total ban of Roblox, no?
16:20And my view, no, to this, I think for us na lang because kitang mga parents or kitang mga teachers,
16:28et cetera, or even the general public, we have kanang opinions such as this.
16:32And my view, actually, I do not consider games as to the sole reason why there are violence in schools,
16:39no?
16:40But I think for now, there are actions which we call the stopgap measures or the interim actions.
16:46So if this is considered to be part of the interim solution, temporary solution, then I am for it.
16:53But let's not also kanang just charge everything to violent content because there are also other countries, no?
17:01They also have access to this content, but it did not necessarily translate to the same risks that we are
17:08seeing now.
17:08So that's why I would have to say we go back to the parents' first responsibility and then before they
17:16pass them on to the school and also to the society.
17:20Because we cannot also pretend like if I don't consider games such as Roblox as the only determinant of a
17:28child's behavior,
17:29I don't believe in that, but we cannot also pretend that given the access that the online access that our
17:36children have,
17:37so we do not know, we don't absolutely know who they are interacting with while playing.
17:44So if this one would minimize the risk for now, then I'm for it.
17:48But what I'm just saying is let's not also believe that after the ban, we're already good.
17:54Because there are still more actions that we need to take to keep our schools and our children safe now.
18:03So from guns children can access to the content they encounter online, to the mental health struggles we fail to
18:12see,
18:12the threats may look different, but the responsibility is the same.
18:17We must pay attention.
18:19So that's true for the parents, to the schools, and to everyday Filipinos and everyday Cebuanos.
18:25So the goal is not to raise children who know how to survive dangerous situations.
18:31The goal is to build homes, schools, communities, and systems that make these situations less likely to happen.
18:41So I'm DJ Moises, shout out to Coffee First for supporting conversations such as this.
18:48This has been Beyond the Headlines.
18:50Let's continue to look deeper and think better.
18:53Have a good afternoon.
18:59It starts with a fresh shot of espresso.
19:03Bold, rich, bold, just right.
19:08Then comes the milk, steamed, smooth, creamy, and balanced.
19:14The perfect latte is not brushed.
19:17It is crafted one cup at a time.
19:20Your perfect latte is ready.
19:23Coffee first, then everything else.
19:37You named it.
19:38You BYSEloc forest.
19:39You're welcome.
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