Senator Raffy Tulfo welcomed the Department of Education’s (DepEd) announcement of nationwide school safety measures following the shooting incident at a campus in Tacloban City that claimed the lives of three students on June 22.
Following the directive of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, the measures include the deployment of hand-held metal detectors and the installation of CCTV cameras in public schools, to strengthen school security and facilitate the collection of evidence in the event of security incidents.
Tulfo first proposed strengthening security in public schools by equipping security guards with hand-held metal detectors.
During the Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing on August 12, 2025, Tulfo first proposed strengthening security in public schools by equipping security guards with hand-held metal detectors, a recommendation that was supported by DepEd Undersecretary Filimon Javier.
The legislator reiterated the proposal during the committee hearing on March 17, 2026, where he also recommended installing CCTV cameras in classrooms and other common areas. However, these recommendations remained unimplemented by the Department.
Following the Tacloban shooting on June 22, the lawmaker immediately called Angara to follow up on the status of his proposals. The education chief assured the senator that the Department would act on the recommendations as soon as possible.
While Tulfo welcomed DepEd’s decision to finally implement the safety measures he has long advocated, he lamented that it took a tragic incident before they received the attention they deserved.
“Dati ko pang iminumungkahi ang mga ito pero bakit kinailangan pang maraming buhay ang masayang bago sila kumilos?”
“Bagama’t umaksyon na ang DepEd, ang tanong ay bakit ngayon lang? Dati ko pang iminumungkahi ang mga ito pero bakit kinailangan pang maraming buhay ang masayang bago sila kumilos?” he asked.
“Ang insidenteng ito ay paalala sa ating mga kawani ng gobyerno na huwag nang magantay na may mamatay o masaktan pa bago tayo gumawa ng hakbang tuwing magkakaroon ng suliranin na kailangan ng agarang aksyon,” Tulfo concluded.
