President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday extended his condolences to the families of the victims of the school shooting incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University earlier this week.
Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. personally conveyed Marcos’ sympathies to the victims’ families and met with school administrators during his visit.
“Nakausap ko kanina si Pangulo. Bilin niya sa akin to really extend his sympathies. Masyadong masakit ang nangyari rito,” Abalos said.
“I came here to sympathize with the community. Masyadong masakit ang nangyari, lalo na para sa mga magulang,” he added.
Abalos urged the public to avoid speculation and wait for the authorities to complete their investigation into the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Tigilan na muna ang haka-haka at fake news. Hindi ito nakakatulong sa komunidad, lalo na sa mga bata at mga guro. Antayin na lamang natin ang resulta ng imbestigasyon,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary stressed that the tragedy should never happen again and that sufficient, appropriate reforms must be implemented.
“Talagang hustisya ang importante rito, at importante ring huwag na itong maulit. Ang tama at masusing imbestigasyon ang magdadala sa atin sa mga repormang kinakailangan,” Abalos said.
He also called for a review of existing safeguards protecting children from harmful online content.
“May mga bagay na hindi dapat mapanood at makita ng maliliit na bata. Sa sinehan, may parental guidance, pero sa social media, wala. Regulation is important. We must come up with laws about this,” he said.