Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian flew to Zamboanga City Wednesday to check on students wounded in the Aug. 18 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) Junior High School campus.
Gatchalian said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered him to ensure that assistance reaches not only those who sustained physical injuries but the entire school community affected by the shooting.
“Pinapunta ‘ho kami ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., una para siguraduhin na ang mga nasaktan at mga biktima ay napapangalagaan,” Gatchalian told reporters.
He said the President considers the safety and recovery of the affected students, families, teachers and other members of the school community a priority, prompting the national government to mobilize concerned agencies.
Gatchalian also appealed to the public, particularly vloggers, media practitioners and other content creators, to stop posting or sharing graphic photos and videos from the shooting.
“We are appealing to the public, media practitioners, vloggers, and content creators to immediately stop posting, sharing, or amplifying graphic photos and videos of the Zamboanga school shooting incident,” he said.
He said circulating sensitive materials could cause further trauma to victims and their families and violate their dignity and privacy.
Gatchalian also warned against exposing children involved in the incident, whether as victims, witnesses or the minor suspect.
“Exposing children – whether they are victims, witnesses, or the minor involved – and spreading information, especially if inaccurate, constitutes child abuse, causes harm to their well-being, and affects their healing and recovery,” he said.
The DSWD chief said the injured individuals were recovering well but declined to provide further medical details because of patient confidentiality.
“Basta suffice to say na ang departamento ay sisiguraduhon na ang tanan nga nanginahanglan og tabang gikan niining insidente, matabangan,” he said. (Suffice it to say that the department will ensure that everyone who needs help from this incident will receive assistance.)
He said the DSWD is also prepared to provide psychosocial support to students, families and other members of the community who may experience emotional distress following the shooting.
Gatchalian said he would meet with the ADZU administration to assess the interventions already in place and coordinate the DSWD’s assistance with the school’s psychosocial support services.
The shooting at the university’s Junior High School campus left students dead and others injured, prompting authorities and government agencies to coordinate assistance for the affected community.
CEAP urges restraint
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) separately appealed to the public to refrain from circulating photos, videos and unnecessary details about the shooting.
In a message sent to Radio Veritas Wednesday, the group urged the public to spare the victims’ families from further distress as they grieve.
“At this painful moment, we ask everyone to respond with sensitivity, compassion, and restraint, remembering that behind every report, photograph, or social media post are students, families, teachers, and a community experiencing profound grief and shock,” CEAP said.
The organization also called on the public to avoid speculation, unverified information and sensationalized commentary while authorities and school officials work to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
It urged people to protect the dignity and privacy of the victims and their families and allow authorities and the school community to respond appropriately.
CEAP said the shooting should also serve as a call to strengthen safety and security measures in schools.
“May this tragedy awaken in all of us a deeper commitment to making every school a place of safety, care, vigilance, and peace, where the protection of every child and every member of the school community remains a shared moral responsibility,” it said.
The group expressed solidarity with the affected students, victims’ families, faculty members and the wider ADZU community as they cope with the aftermath of the shooting.
Photo courtesy of MindaNews
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