TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — In what has been described as one of the most terrifying and anomalous acts of campus violence in modern Philippine history, a routine morning session disintegrated into a horrific tragedy. A localized school shooting tore through the grounds of San Jose National High School, leaving three students dead and sending waves of panic across the country.
The targeted assault sent more than 1,600 enrolled students and over 110 faculty members scrambling blindly for survival as active gunshots echoed through the academic hallways.
The attack ignited rapidly at 9:20 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026. What initially sounded like firecrackers quickly forced a structural panic as students realized armed attackers were deliberately hunting individuals inside active classrooms:
[ THE SAN JOSE HIGH CAMPUS CRISIS LOG ]
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[ THE CLASSROOM PENETRATION ] [ THE TACTICAL ARRESTS ]
• **Firing Through Windows:** Witness accounts detail that one • **The Immediate Takedown:** One suspect was physically
attacker initially opened fire through a classroom window before • restrained directly on-site by a combined cluster of teachers,
barging through the door to chase fleeing targets. • terrified students, and arriving parents.
• **The Secondary Breach:** Teacher Glenn Bazar recalled dropping • **The Neighborhood Surrender:** The second minor escaped into a
to the floor as a separate shooter pointed a handgun directly • settlement 200 meters away but was ultimately escorted to the
at him, leaving his students weeping on the ground. • police precinct by a local tricycle driver.
The violent outbreak claimed the lives of three students aged 16 to 17, who sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the head and back. Concurrently, 20 other students were treated for injuries—15 directly wounded by flying shrapnel or bullets, and five suffering orthopedic trauma from jumping out of elevated classroom windows to escape.
A high-priority multi-agency ballistics investigation conducted by the PNP Public Information Office led by Col. Allen Rae Co quickly traced the origin of the weapons recovered from the two minor suspects (aged 14 and 15):
[ THE RECOVERED HIGH-POWERED BALLISTICS REGISTER ] │ ▼[ 9mm Glock Pistol ] ──► Fired extensively across multiple rooms; officially verified as a government-issued firearm belonging to a **serving PNP policewoman** who is an aunt to one suspect. │ ▼[ .38 Caliber Revolver ] ──► Used interchangeably during the assault; legally registered to an active commercial security agency operating out of Cebu City. │ ▼[ Crime Scene Evidence ] ──► Forensics units processed over **40 spent cartridges** strewn across the floors, verifying that the shooters reloaded high-capacity magazines mid-attack.
The tragedy has instantly trained national attention onto massive security vulnerabilities plaguing public schools. Faculty members confirmed that despite managing an active population of 1,600 children across vast gates, the campus only maintained two security guards on the official payroll, making entry checks virtually impossible.
While Tacloban City Police Director Col. Noelito Getigan confirmed that initial interviews with the minor suspects indicate a potential motive rooted in revenge for prolonged campus bullying, investigators are validating whether the attack was premeditated or supported by third parties. Both juvenile suspects remain under state control awaiting formal processing via social welfare channels, while the policewoman aunt has been immediately stripped of duties and placed inside a regional holding cell to face severe administrative and criminal prosecution for failing to secure her service weapon.