After the June school shooting, the Phillipino community was quick to blame America. Now after this third shooting, also one garnering international attention, is America still to blame or is it something else?
For years, the wringing of hands started by being explained away as due to " white male supremacists" and gun ownership, but those are myths. How do you explain gang violence, school shootings, or murder in every country?
Why do people kill? Since Cain and Abel, the story is as old as time and answers can be illusive. Yesterday crucifixtion, today guns, tomorrow will it be "Hal".
Do we stop trying because humans can be cruel and there is nothing we can do? Do we get opportunities to help before recovery? How about the starfish or beached whale that still has a chance if sent back into the ocean.? Do people sit and watch death happen?
The Philippines is experiencing what we experienced in 1996-1997. The frog is slowly boiling in the Philippines as we were before Columbine in 1999.
The kid, per the initial reports (less than 72 hours) indicates that he paid attention to the dark web of true crimes which does glorify school shooters . Any other reports? As did the Columbine shooters, evidently friends were warned of something happening in the afternoon and passed it off. Were adults feeding the beast?
This is 2026, the horse left the barn, the genie is out of the bottle and Pandora opened that box ions ago. What do school districts do now in the Philippines? Do they have to start from scratch and reinvent wheels? They do not really need to.
Billions of dollars in training may be needed for drills before clean up of blood spills. That protocol needs to be practiced, but do we have ears to hear?
Think about it, what puzzle piece did the kids miss per reports?
DepEd chief: ‘We are really not prepared for these shootings’ https://share.google/pPAFSS9m2pZ6keX4G
The Phillipines can not blame America, one shooting, maybe, is a shock. But three is a pattern that belongs to them.
Pray for our schools that someone will speak up, and that the warning is heeded and not self reported only in the rescue stage.
Every child, ttoubled or not, has a voice. Listen.
God is heard in the whispers. Sometimes the messengers are young.
Did the shooter give a clue hoping to be stopped?
Marian R. Carlino
September 20, 2026