Three students are dead and two more are hospitalised after a shooting at a high school in the Philippines, with authorities confirming the attacker was a former student who had been bullied. The UK Foreign Office has issued a statement condemning the ‘senseless act of violence driven by a bullying grudge that should never have been allowed to fester’.
The shooting unfolded at around 11 am local time at San Sebastian High School in Manila, a city where gun violence is all too common but rarely breaches the school gates. Sources confirm the gunman, identified as 18-year-old Miguel Santos, entered the main building carrying a .45 calibre pistol. He opened fire in a second-floor corridor, hitting four students before turning the weapon on himself.
Police Colonel Reynaldo Cruz told reporters that Santos had been expelled two months ago after a series of fights. ‘He was a known target for bullies. We received complaints from his parents, but the school’s response was inadequate. He snapped.’ Cruz said investigators recovered a suicide note in Santos’s pocket that detailed years of harassment, including physical assaults and public humiliation.
The UK’s condemnation comes amid growing international scrutiny of school safety in the Philippines. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We are horrified by this tragedy. Every child deserves to learn in safety, free from fear. The bullying that precipitated this is a stain on the school and the system that failed to protect these young people.’ The statement stopped short of naming specific sanctions, but sources indicate UK aid for Philippine educational programmes may be reviewed.
Victims were identified as Maria Reyes, 16, Juan Dela Cruz, 17, and Luis Manalang, 17. Two others, a 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, are in critical condition with gunshot wounds. The school was placed under lockdown for three hours while police cleared the building.
This is not an isolated incident. The Philippines has one of the highest rates of school bullying in Southeast Asia, according to a 2022 UNICEF report. Meanwhile, gun laws remain lax: anyone over 18 can purchase a handgun after a cursory background check. Santos bought his pistol online three weeks ago.
Local politicians are already circling. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno called for immediate gun control reform: ‘We cannot keep burying our children. The system is broken.’ But sources in the presidential palace say no new legislation is planned. President Marcos has yet to comment.
For the families, there are only questions. Maria Reyes’s mother, sobbing outside the hospital, told this reporter: ‘She was a good girl. She never hurt anyone. Why did no one stop this?’ Why indeed. The trail of documents I have seen suggests that the school’s administration had been warned repeatedly about the bullying. They chose to expel the victim. That decision cost three lives.
As the sun sets over Manila, the school gates are locked. Police tape flutters in the breeze. Tomorrow, students will return to class. But six desks will be empty. And a nation will ask itself: how many more must die before we act?
This is a developing story. More details to follow.
