Three killed in Philippine school shooting; two minors arrested

A shooting incident at a national high school in Tacloban, Philippines, has resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to several others. Brigadier General Jason Capoj, the regional police director, announced that two minors—aged 14 and 15—have been detained in connection with the attack. Both the suspects and the victims were students of San Jose National High School.

According to police, the suspects, who are friends, told investigators during initial questioning that they had been subjected to bullying at school. Authorities are now investigating the motives behind the shooting and how the incident unfolded. Neither of the two teenagers had a prior criminal record.

Police reported that a 9mm pistol and a .38-caliber revolver were used in the attack, but it remains unclear how the minors obtained these weapons. The suspects managed to bring the firearms into the school compound because only one security guard was stationed at the multiple entrances and exits, Capoj explained. Most of the fatalities and injuries were female students.

Gun-related crimes are common in the Philippines, often linked to the proliferation of unlicensed firearms, yet school shootings remain relatively rare. In 2022, a man armed with pistols opened fire at a high-profile university in the Manila metropolitan area before a graduation ceremony, killing a former city mayor with whom he had a long-standing feud and two others. The gunman was arrested. The current case is under investigation.