Senators Question Weapon Access After Deadly Zamboanga Classroom Shooting

Manila – In the wake of a fatal classroom shooting in Zamboanga, several senators pressed the government for answers on how a teenage gunman obtained and brought two weapons into a junior high school. Senate President Win Gatchalian urged law‑enforcement agencies to trace the chain of custody of the firearms and to determine how they bypassed existing security checks.

The shooter, a ninth‑grade student, targeted a group of peers in a classroom, killing a tenth‑grader and then ending his own life. Two other pupils survived with injuries. The weapons have been linked to the attacker’s father, a senior customs officer who was immediately relieved of his duties.

Senators called for immediate policy reforms, including stricter background checks, mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms, and heightened security presence on school grounds. The Department of Health also sent mental‑health response teams to provide counseling for the affected students and staff.