Observing National School Safety Week, Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla led a joint school safety audit and safety drill at Bangkal High School.
The event marked the formal signing of a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to deploy barangay tanods into school premises.
The agreement addresses campus security concerns by tapping local government units to augment school protection, while DepEd continues to hire professional security personnel.
“These past few months have been challenging for us, especially for our teachers and learners. Pero responsibilidad nating ipadama sa kanila na ang ating mga paaralan ay mananatiling ligtas na kanlungan. We see this partnership as a decisive step toward safer schools,” Secretary Angara said.
Barangay tanods will serve as supportive partners but will not replace school authorities or law enforcement, with orientations conducted to ensure alignment on child protection, learner rights, and school safety.
“Alam natin na ang presensya ng mga security personnel sa isang lugar ay nagbibigay ng dagdag na kapanatagan at seguridad. At malaking tulong ito, lalo’t alam nating kulang ang ating mga paaralan sa mga security guard, kaya malaking bagay ang suporta ng ating mga lokal na pamahalaan at barangay,” Angara added.
Under the agreement, schools can coordinate with barangays to request the deployment of barangay tanods to maintain order and security within school perimeters as community partners.
Barangay tanods will serve as supportive partners but will not replace school authorities or law enforcement, with orientations conducted to ensure alignment on child protection, learner rights, and school safety.
Angara and Remulla also oversaw a school safety drill at Bangkal High School in Makati to strengthen emergency response, allowing learners and personnel to practice evacuation, lockdown, and emergency communication procedures.
Consistent with child protection principles, the drill was conducted in a trauma-informed and age-appropriate manner without utilizing hyper-realistic or fear-inducing scenarios.
Alongside these security measures, DepEd emphasized the integration of values education lessons and parent engagement to foster holistic learner well-being. Officials observed Grade 8 classes tackling the Positibong Disposisyon lesson, which focuses on helping learners develop positive attitudes, resilience, and responsible decision-making when facing social issues and personal challenges.
A Kaagapay Program session was also held, which trains parents and caregivers to recognize online risks, bullying, and warning signs of learner distress. The nationwide program reinforces socio-emotional support, positive discipline, and home-school-community partnerships.
Following the National Simultaneous School Safety Drill last September 3, 2026, DepEd mandated nationwide rollouts of age-appropriate and trauma-informed safety school safety drills.
Beginning November 2026, monthly safety drills will be conducted in all public schools, focusing on distinct threat scenarios from localized risk assessments. School authorities and stakeholders will coordinate scheduling to safeguard instructional hours while ensuring drill effectiveness.
DepEd’s updated guidelines on safety drills require schools to adopt a continuous improvement cycle consisting of assessing risks, drilling selected emergency scenarios, evaluating observed gaps, and implementing corrective actions for future sessions.
