Two students killed in shooting at private Zamboanga school, Philippines

Two students died in a shooting at a private school in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga on Tuesday morning, including the student suspected of opening fire, city officials said.

Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Olaso confirmed that the alleged shooter and the other person killed were both students at Ateneo de Zamboanga University. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident remained under investigation.

The confirmation clarifies an initial Reuters report that described two casualties without specifying whether they had been killed or wounded.

Police declare campus secure

The shooting occurred early Tuesday at the Jesuit-run university’s high school campus in Barangay Tumaga.

Police Major Shellamie Chang, spokesperson for Police Regional Office 9, said two students had been identified as victims.

Crime-scene investigators and other law-enforcement personnel were deployed to the campus.

City police director Colonel Fidel Fortaleza said that by 8.40am there was “zero threat already”, indicating that the immediate danger had ended.

The university asked parents to remain calm and collect their children from a designated area inside the campus. Parents subsequently gathered at the school following reports of the shooting.

Psychosocial assistance prepared

The Philippine Department of Education said it was gravely concerned and was coordinating with mental-health partners to provide psychological first aid and psychosocial assistance to students, employees and others affected.

The department also urged the public not to circulate unverified information or sensitive images and videos, particularly because minors were involved.

Authorities had not disclosed the motive, the type or source of the weapon, or precisely how the shooting unfolded. The investigation remained in progress.

Second Philippine school shooting in under two months

The Zamboanga attack was the second school shooting in the Philippines in less than two months.

In June, two students opened fire at a public high school in Tacloban City, killing at least three students and injuring about 20 others.

The latest shooting also occurred less than 10 days after a high-profile incident in Thailand, where a student opened fire at Debsirin School in Nonthaburi province.

Firearm ownership in the Philippines is regulated under the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and administered by the Firearms and Explosives Office of the Philippine National Police.

Applicants for a Licence to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) must be Filipino citizens aged at least 21. They must pass psychiatric and drug tests, complete an approved gun-safety seminar, obtain police clearance and meet criminal-record requirements.

Carrying a firearm outside a home or workplace requires a separate permit.

Under Philippine law, applicants must demonstrate that their lives face an actual or imminent threat and submit a police threat-assessment certificate.

The Philippine Supreme Court has ruled that firearm ownership is a statutory privilege rather than a constitutional or fundamental right. The state may therefore impose licensing conditions and other restrictions on civilian ownership and possession.

The country’s regulatory framework largely focuses on licensing, firearm registration and background checks. Authorities also impose election-period restrictions intended to reduce political violence and control the movement of firearms.

The Philippines nevertheless has an established civilian gun culture and gun-rights advocacy organisations, including PROGUN. A 2014 study cited in the source estimated that the country had 1.7 million licensed firearm owners and 3.9 million privately held firearms, including both legal and illegal weapons.