Teen Gunman Kills Three And Himself At Southern Philippines High School
Photo: Collected
Three people were killed and eight others injured in a shooting at a high school in Banga town, located in the southern Philippine province of Mindanao, officials said.
Banga Mayor Albert Palencia stated that two of the victims were 14-year-old students, while the 16-year-old gunman was also killed. Among the eight wounded, the condition of four individuals remains critical. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at the Banga National High School.
Mayor Palencia told Reuters that during lunchtime, the teenage attacker had instructed his friends to go home, telling them he would execute his plan right after lunch. Friends initially laughed off the remarks, assuming the teenager was joking as he frequently did. Shortly after finishing his meal, the gunman began opening fire indiscriminately at students, shooting at least 10 individuals before taking his own life.
In response to the tragedy, local disaster management authorities announced the suspension of classes across all educational institutions in the Banga municipal area. The Philippine Red Cross reported receiving an alert at 2:00 p.m. local time and immediately deployed an ambulance carrying four paramedics to provide emergency medical assistance. Police have secured the scene and launched an investigation.
The Philippine Department of Education issued a statement expressing deep concern over the violence, marking the third fatal attack at a Philippine educational institution since June. "Our main priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and school personnel," the ministry stated, adding that it is maintaining constant communication with authorities to gather detailed information and provide necessary support. The department urged the public to remain calm during the ongoing investigation and cautioned against sharing unverified information.
While gun-related crimes are relatively common in the Philippines—making the nation one of the top countries for private gun ownership in the region—mass shootings at educational institutions remain rare. However, Friday's bloodshed marks the third fatal attack on a school campus in the past four months. In June, three students were killed and several others wounded by classmates in a central Philippine high school shooting, an incident investigators believe stemmed from bullying.
