NCPO tightens school securityafter Tacloban campus shooting

By Paulo DS Papa

THE Naga City Police Office (NCPO) is now conducting school visitations and a series of dialogues with teachers, school officials, and even parents to discuss incident management and safety measures aimed at ensuring the safety of students.

PCol. Rizaldy Caballero, officer-in-charge of the NCPO, during a press briefing last Tuesday, June 23, revealed his directive ordering a massive, citywide police coordination with schools in response to the shooting incident that occurred last Monday, June 22, within the premises of San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte.

The incident involved two Grade 9 male students, aged 15 and 14, and resulted in three deaths and seven injuries as of this writing.

Caballero said his office had already ordered the deployment of police personnel to all campuses within the city since the beginning of the current school year.

As a preventive measure, a series of dialogues with school officials, teaching staff, and parents has begun as part of the NCPO’s citywide coordination activities to establish plans for a fast response in case violence may transpire within school campuses, Caballero said.

He suggested that school administrations throughout Naga procure metal detectors for their security personnel so that all students can be properly checked, preventing them from bringing deadly weapons inside school premises.

In a separate statement, the NCPO urged parents and guardians to strictly monitor the online activities of their children to protect them from the influences of violence, extremism, and online exploitation prevalent on social media platforms and gaming applications.

The police also advised that children should be taught responsible internet usage, online safety, and privacy awareness as protection against risks that may affect them. Open communication between parents and children was also recommended for proper guidance.

The city police office urged school principals, teachers, administrators, and stakeholders to closely observe students and report any suspicious activities within and outside their campuses.

Police authorities in the city had already deployed around 600 personnel to school areas a week before the opening of School Year 2026–2027 as part of the Balik Eskwela program.

Police Lt. Col. Henry Taduran, deputy city director for operations of the NCPO, told the press that the police deployment and coordination activities with school officials before the school year began on June 8 were initiatives of their office, and that requests from school heads were no longer necessary for the provision of security, in partnership with the Public Safety Office and barangay law enforcement units.

POLICE authorities in Naga City has intensified their coordination with school officials for a safer learning spaces especially to strengthen response mechanism in times of incidents that compromise student’s learning process. A series of dialogues on safety and security highlight the school visitations.