PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. expressed support for the proposal of Education Secretary Sonny Angara for the creation of the Joint School Safety Task Force with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the national police agency for the conduct of localized risk assessments across schools and coordinated action.
In a statement on Sunday, September 20, 2026, Nartatez raised the need to further strengthen public safety measures and address emerging threats involving children, schools, firearms, and online platforms in light of the series of violence involving students.
He said among the security measures they will discuss with the DILG and DepEd is to maximize the unique government setup of having barangay security officers, popularly known as barangay tanods, by tapping them as force multipliers in ensuring the safety of learners and learning spaces.
Nartatez said there are over 42,000 barangays across the country, which have at least eight barangay tanods each.
On the other hand, there are a total of 49,213 public and private schools nationwide.
“Almost all barangays have public schools and there are more than 42,000 barangays across the country. And if you will multiply that with the number of barangay tanod and barangay officials in every barangay, that’s the number of force multipliers that can assist us in securing schools,” Nartatez said.
Nartatez said the PNP will also discuss with the proposed task force the best practices of neighboring countries in ensuring school safety that were tackled during the country’s recent hosting of the Aseanapol Conference.
In the conference held in June, school safety was discussed after the gun attack at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, which resulted in the death of three students. The incident was perpetrated by two students of the same school.
“In the different schools in other countries, they banned the use of gadgets like cellular phones and the like,” said Nartatez.
The top cop also raised the need to beef up monitoring of cyberspace, particularly platforms that promote violence and are accessible to anyone, including minors.
Nartatez said he has already directed the newly designated Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) chief Police Major General Andre Perez Dizon to further step up cyber patrolling, surveillance, and appropriate action against cyber-related threats, particularly those that may pose risks to public safety.
“The recent incident in a school in South Cotabato underscores the need for stronger coordination and action, particularly against online spaces that promote or glorify violence. We need to strengthen monitoring, surveillance, and appropriate action on cyber-related threats, while ensuring that all police interventions are based on verified information and existing laws,” he said.
“We also urge parents to be more vigilant about their children’s online activities and to immediately report credible threats or disturbing behavior to the proper authorities. The PNP will continue to work with schools, DepEd, families and other government agencies to prevent online threats from translating into actual violence,” he added.
The Banga shooting on September 18 left three people dead, including two students and the shooter, while eight others were injured.
The shooter, a Grade 9 student, who shot himself in the head after the shooting, reportedly had been heavily involved in the deep and dark web.
Investigators also found notes on his phone detailing his depression, and his parents reportedly discovered the issue in April 2026 and tried to address it.
On August 17, another student opened fire inside the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, which resulted in the death of two students, including the gunman.
The minor suspect, who also killed himself after the shooting, was also reportedly “radicalized” through his online activities. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)