Three dead in Philippines school shooting: Suspects aged 14 and 15

Three students lay dead and seven others wounded after two teenagers opened fire at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City in the central Philippines, police confirmed.

This is the first school killing in the city in recent memory.

The two suspects, both aged 14 and 15, had a .38-calibre revolver and a 9mm pistol, which were gotten from civilian gun owners. One was immediately apprehended at the scene while the other surrendered after some hours.

Both are being held in detention as the investigation proceeds on the possibility that the shooting incident was motivated by a "grudge" involving bullying.

The firearms were not those of the teen shooters but were got from civilian gun owners. This brings up several concerns regarding storage and control. Jennelyn Badoria, mother of the dead 15-year-old student, raised questions on accountability.

"I'm asking that the gun owners be charged, because the guns wouldn't have ended up in the children's hands if it weren't for them," she told Agence France-Presse outside the school.

The city police department officer Evalyn Diaz went straight to parents with guns and requested them to lock up the weapons and discuss gun safety with their children. The number of policemen conducting patrolling duties in Tacloban City has been increased.

Although school shootings are rare in the Philippines, gun violence prevails there. The Philippine National Police received reports of almost 5,000 gun violence cases in the country in 2024.