MANILA, Philippines — How did the two suspects — both minors — in the deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, which left three students dead and 20 others injured, end up with guns in their possession?
The suspects, identified only by their aliases Rod, 15, and Nash, 14, were tagged by police as the perpetrators of Monday’s attack inside the school campus in the San Jose district.
Authorities said Nash used a Glock 17 pistol reportedly owned by his aunt, a police officer assigned to the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO 8), while Rod was allegedly armed with a .38-caliber revolver that was traced to a security agency based in Cebu.
READ: Not just bullying? DOJ probes nihilistic extremism in Tacloban shooting
The police officer has since been placed under restrictive custody while investigators determine whether criminal and administrative charges may be filed against her.
In a message to the Inquirer, PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co said the police officer may face a criminal case for malversation under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.
She may also face administrative sanctions, such as a P10,000 fine for failure to report a lost firearm, the revocation of her firearms license under Republic Act No. 10591, or the Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and an administrative case for grave misconduct under National Police Commission (Napolcom) Memorandum Circular No. 2016-002.
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Meanwhile, the security agency to which Rod’s gun was traced may face the revocation of its license to operate for failing to report a lost firearm under Section 198 of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 11917, or the Private Security Services Industry Act, Co said.
Rod’s grandfather reportedly previously worked at the security agency as a security guard.
In both the policewoman and the security agency’s cases, the families of the victims may lodge civil cases against the gun owners for damages, Co said.
The PNP has vowed to pursue cases against the gun owners.
“Let this serve as a warning to all registered gun owners on the responsibility—and accountability—that comes with the privilege of owning firearms,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a separate statement, Napolcom Commissioner Rafael Calinisan said its Eastern Visayas office will conduct its own motu proprio investigation on the possible administrative liabilities of the PRO-8 policewoman.
“This intentional or negligent act of the policewoman in allowing her [nephew] to use her issued firearm led to the death of three teenagers and the wounding of many others. She has a lot of explaining to do,” said Calinisan.
Not simply bullying?
The two suspects are currently under the care of the City Social Welfare and Development Office in accordance with laws governing children in conflict with the law.
Investigators are examining photographs and online conversations that circulated on social media allegedly showing the suspects posing with firearms and discussing plans to attack the school, raising suspicions that the assault had been carefully planned.
The shooting seemed to have been planned by the assailants weeks before the incident, according to PRO 8 director Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy.
“Based on our information, as early as May 1 — they’ve been planning this since April or May,” Capoy told reporters in a phone interview.
The motive behind the attack has yet to be conclusively established.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, who visited Tacloban on Tuesday, said he was not convinced by claims that the suspects were victims of bullying, a motive earlier cited by the minors.
“It appears that this was premeditated based on the chats that have surfaced,” Angara said, adding that he wanted to personally speak with the two suspects to better understand what drove them to commit the attack.
No information was immediately available on whether Angara met the minors during his visit.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that it is looking at patterns of extremism, radicalization, or unusual extreme behavior, rather than bullying alone, as possible triggers for the two students’ actions.
“I think to downplay the discourse to just a simple bullying incident would be to downplay the whole issue entirely. [These are] the nuances of the issue that the DOJ is looking into — if it is a form of extremism, specifically nihilistic violent extremism,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez told reporters.
Ordinary teenagers
According to police reports, the suspects were students of the same school but were not classmates. Rod was enrolled in grade 10 while Nash was a grade 9 student.
Rod was arrested while attempting to flee the school campus after the shooting, while Nash was later turned over to authorities by a concerned resident in their community, located about 200 meters from the crime scene.
Residents and school personnel who knew the suspects described them as ordinary teenagers.
A store owner near the school said the two occasionally bought items from her store but never caused trouble.
“They don’t loiter. They just buy something and leave,” she said.
One of Nash’s teachers described him as a quiet student who rarely interacted with classmates.
“He was a loner. That’s why I was shocked when he got involved in this crime,” the teacher said.
Rod, meanwhile, was known on campus as a member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
“That’s the sad part. He was a Boy Scout member of our school but became involved in this heinous crime,” another teacher, who requested anonymity, said.
‘Psychological first aid’
The school community remains in mourning following the tragedy.
Classes at San Jose National High School have been suspended for one week, although officials said the closure may be extended to allow students, teachers, and staff to recover from the trauma.
“Our immediate concern is for our learners and teachers to undergo psychological first aid because of the trauma they experienced due to the incident,” said Nilo Eder, information officer of the Tacloban City Schools Division.
Eder said school officials have yet to decide whether the classrooms where the shooting occurred will be used again. Personal belongings left behind by students remain under lockdown inside the campus.
“Many students may still be afraid of returning to the scene. All of their belongings are secured,” Eder said. /cb /atm
