The Department of Education-Davao Region (DepEd-Davao) has employed 512 handheld metal detectors and deployed 1,295 security personnel across schools in the region as it strengthens campus security following consecutive school shooting incidents in the country, including the recent fatal shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU).
DepEd-Davao spokesperson Jenielito Atillo said the region is continuing to build up its school safety infrastructure, although he acknowledged that resources remain insufficient to equip every school with security devices.
The figures were based on DepEd’s School Safety and Security Audit Round 2 Tracker as of August 10, 2026, which was presented during the Davao Peace and Security Press Corps media briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel on August 19.
The tracker recorded 512 metal detectors distributed across the region's 11 school divisions, along with 1,295 security personnel, 1,423 schools with perimeter fencing, 771 CCTV systems, and 554 public address systems.
Davao City had the largest number of handheld metal detectors at 186, followed by Davao del Norte with 61 and Davao de Oro with 57. Davao Occidental had 44 units, Panabo City had 39, Davao del Sur had 33, while Davao Oriental and Digos City each had 24. Mati City had 20, Tagum City had 18, and the Island Garden City of Samal had six.
Atillo clarified that the units procured by DepEd-Davao are handheld metal detectors and not walk-through screening devices.
“We cannot really provide for all schools, but the gesture of trying to provide is with us. And in fact, we have procured, or we have bought some metal detectors for some schools and it's continuing at present,” Atillo said.
He said DepEd-Davao plans to acquire more units as funding becomes available, admitting that the current number remains inadequate for the needs of all schools in the region.
However, Atillo stressed that campus safety should not be measured solely by the availability of metal detectors.
“Pero dili lang ta dapat mag-focus sa metal detectors,” he said, explaining that school security also depends on the presence of guards, perimeter fencing, CCTV coverage, and public address systems.
The DepEd-Davao security audit also showed that Davao City has the largest concentration of security resources, including 420 deployed security personnel, 273 schools with perimeter fencing, 172 CCTV systems, and 143 public address systems.
The renewed focus on campus security comes days after a shooting inside the junior high school campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City on August 18, which left two students dead, including the alleged shooter. Authorities said other students were also injured in the incident.
The shooting occurred while classes were ongoing and was reported to have been livestreamed online. The incident has prompted investigations into how the minor gained access to firearms and was able to bring them into the school.
The Commission on Human Rights said the case underscored the need to strengthen school safety and child protection mechanisms, including safeguards against children's access to firearms.
The Zamboanga tragedy followed another deadly school shooting in Tacloban City in June, making it the second major school shooting reported in the country in less than two months and renewing nationwide concerns over campus safety and minors' access to firearms.
The incidents have also prompted government agencies and schools to reassess security measures, with authorities examining not only physical safeguards inside campuses but also firearm access and other factors surrounding youth violence.
Following the Zamboanga shooting, the PNP ordered action against the online spread of graphic videos and images of the attack while investigators continued to determine how the firearms were brought into the school.
