A lawmaker led an urgent push to pass a comprehensive School Safety Act a week after the tense conclusion of the impeachment trial.
In a joint public hearing convened on Thursday, Senator Bam Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Basic Education, together with united lawmakers, government agencies, and the education sector to craft an urgent legislation to protect children from rising campus violence.
“Nandito po tayo dahil naniniwala tayo na ang mga paaralan ay dapat maging lugar ng pagkatuto at hindi ng takot. At lugar kung saan may kumpyansa ang bawat magulang na ligtas na makakauwi ang kanilang mga anak na pumasok sa paralan. Tiyaking ligtas ang bawat paaralan at bawat batang Pilipino,” Aquino stressed.
The hearing addressed the string of recent events that have shaken the nation, including a mass shooting in a Tacloban City high school that left three students dead and over twenty injured, as well as the tragic deaths of Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes.
The senator, who personally visited the grieving families in Tacloban, brought the emotional weight of those tragedies to the Senate floor.
“Sa ating pagbisita, nakita natin ang sakit ng mga magulang, ang takot ng mga estudyante at ang pangamba ng buong komunidad. Nandito tayo dahil panahon ng tanungin ang ating mga sarili, sapat na ba ang mga batas, mga pulisiya, mga programa upang mapanatiling ligtas ang ating mga paralan?,” he said.
The senator drew a hard line, stating that neither complacency nor politics has a place when it comes to campus security.
“Magkaiba na mga pangyayaring ito, iisa po ang mensahe. Ang mga paaralan ay dapat ligtas. Ang mga estudyante ay dapat ligtas. At ang School Safety Act ay dapat gawing priority ng ating gobyerno,” he said.
The proposed omnibus School Safety Act goes far beyond traditional anti-bullying measures.
Recognizing the evolving threats students face, Aquino detailed that the consolidated bill will aggressively expand off-campus and on-campus security, institutionalize emergency response protocols, mandate the strategic use of CCTVs and heavily reinforce mental health and psychosocial support for both students and educators.
During the hearing, Aquino heavily scrutinized the current state of emergency protocols, noting that during the Tacloban shooting, schools and parents lacked clear directives on where to go or how to respond.
”Ang school safety ay hindi lamang responsibilidad ng DepEd o ng paaralan. Responsibilidad po ito ng whole of nation, responsibilidad ito ng buong bansa responsibilidad ng mga magulang, ng komunidad at higit sa lahat resposibilidad ng bawat isa sa atin dito,” he added.
Setting a strict timeline, Aquino announced the committee’s intention to pass the consolidated School Safety Act within the next two months and reminds why the Senate must act swiftly, stripping away any lingering political divides to prioritize the legislation of the School Safety Act.
“Inaasahan po natin na susulong ito nang walang kulay ng politika. Kapag kaligtasan ng ating mga anak ang nakataya, iisa lamang ang dapat nating layunin. Ang matiyak na ang bawat paaralan sa ating bansa ay isang lugar ng pagkatuto, ng pangarap, at ng kaligtasan… Utang po natin sa mga kabataan ang mga paaralang ligtas at nagbibigay ng pag-asa. Utang po natin sa mga guro ang isang ligtas na lugar upang makapagturo at utang po natin sa bawat magulang ang katiyakang ginagawa natin ang lahat upang maprotektahan ang kanilang mga anak,” he concluded.
