Remulla to meet experts for ‘comprehensive plan’ in response to school shootings

MANILA — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said he is set to meet with experts on Wednesday to establish a “comprehensive plan” in response to recent incidents of school shootings in the country.

“We’re meeting with experts tomorrow, and we have to come up with a comprehensive plan… So we have to come up with a more comprehensive plan, and that takes precedence over everything. I have to finish that. And then I will move on to the other matters,” Remulla told reporters.

The House of Representatives earlier pushed for stronger mental health support and security measures in schools, with 10,000 school counselor associate positions funded for 2026 expected to be fully filled by December.

The push comes after a series of violent incidents in schools, including a shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato last week and the Ateneo de Zamboanga University shooting in August.

Meanwhile, Remulla said the DILG apprehended four people who planned another school shooting in Mindanao, following the recent incident in South Cotabato.

The four individuals posted about this on social media, according to Remulla.


Remulla told the media, “Actually, we’ve got four others na who are planning to do the same actions. Kaya nga sabi sa inyo, this takes all of my attention now to make sure that this is stopped.”


“They were planning to do school shooting. Pero parang yabang lang eh. They put it on Facebook. But we take all threats seriously… Doon rin sa Mindanao region,” Remulla added.