EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara is seeking an in-depth investigation into the “true crime community” in light of the tragic incident involving a student at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
In an interview with reporters in Banga, Angara said the Department of Education (DepEd) will work closely with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the conduct of the probe.
“Ayan talagang gusto natin imbestigahan yan dahil di natin kabisado yan. Hingi kami ng tulong sa DICT, sa DILG at siguro dapat talagang iimbestigahan ng maigi itong mga... dahil mukhang na-impluwensyahan siya,” he said.
(That is something we really want to investigate because we are not familiar with it. We will ask for help from the DICT and the DILG, and perhaps these things really need to be thoroughly investigated because it appears that he was influenced.)
“Ewan ko kung totoo ‘yung sulat na nabasa ko but ‘yung sulat na galing sa kamay ng bata na parang hindi niya mapigil ‘yung sarili niya. Alam niya ang mali ‘yung gagawin niya. Pero ginagawa pa rin niya dahil parang may nag-convince sa kanya na gawin,” he added.
(I don't know if the letter I read is authentic, but the letter, which was written by the child, seemed to indicate that he could not control himself. He knew what he was going to do was wrong, but he still did it because it seemed someone had convinced him to do it.)
In a separate press conference on Saturday, September 19, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the student who killed himself after shooting several of his fellow students at Banga National High School on Friday, September 18, was heavily into the deep dark web and was a member of the “true crime community.”
“According to his phone, he left several notes detailing his depression at tuloy-tuloy ito. And it was discovered last April 2026 ng parents niya. And the parents tried to handle the situation ngunit nagkulang,” he said.
(According to his phone, he left several notes detailing his depression, and it continued. His parents discovered it in April 2026. The parents tried to handle the situation but fell short.)
Three students were killed during the incident, while eight others were wounded.
Of the injured students, four have already been discharged from the hospital, three remain confined but are in stable condition, while one remains unconscious.
Angara visited Banga National High School on Saturday to lead response efforts and extend support to the affected victims’ families and personnel.
He conferred with its personnel, parents, local officials, and police to coordinate emergency response, deploy critical psychosocial services, and address safety vulnerabilities.
The education secretary underscored the urgency of immediate care, community partnership, and proactive mental health interventions to prevent similar incidents.
“No words can undo the grief and trauma felt by our families here in Banga. Our primary duty right now is care, providing real, sustained support to our learners, teachers, and personnel,” Angara said.
He said there is much work to do in terms of security in schools, admitting that the agency is not fully prepared for such incidents as its focus remains on the academic performance of the students.
Angara renewed his call for the active role of barangay officials, particularly to supplement police patrols in schools lacking security guards.
He also raised the need to prioritize early mental health support for students, noting subtle behavioral red flags that require broader community-wide intervention.
“Pati ang mental health ng ating mga kabataan ay apektado na rin. Paigtingin natin ang ating interventions dahil minsan hindi ito halata. Minsan sinasabi ng mga guro na magaling at walang problema ang bata, pero mayroon palang mga problema. Kaya hiring tayo ng School Counselor Associates para makatulong nang malaki,” the secretary said.
(The mental health of our young people is also being affected. Let us strengthen our interventions because sometimes it is not obvious. Sometimes teachers say that a child is doing well and has no problems, but there are actually problems. That is why we are hiring School Counselor Associates to provide significant help.)
Angara said DepEd is expediting a comprehensive review of its existing campus safety guidelines in close coordination with the DILG and the PNP.
He also proposed a Joint School Safety Task Force with the DILG and PNP for localized risk assessments across schools and coordinated action. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)