BANGA, South Cotabato — The deadly shooting at Banga National High School is taking a more disturbing turn as investigators piece together evidence that the teenage suspect had allegedly planned the attack weeks before opening fire—and had warned friends shortly before the violence began.
Authorities said the Grade 9 student reportedly told classmates to go home because he was going to “do something” after lunch. His friends reportedly dismissed the warning as a joke, according to Banga Mayor Albert Palencia.
The shooting on September 18 killed two students and the suspected shooter, while eight other students were injured, according to the latest reports from authorities cited by Reuters, AP and Philippine media.
Attack allegedly planned weeks earlier
The investigation has since uncovered a Messenger group chat in which the suspect allegedly discussed carrying out an attack as early as August.
Palencia said the student had reportedly planned to carry out the attack on September 3, but did not proceed at that time. In another message shortly before Friday’s shooting, he allegedly warned friends not to attend classes because he intended to execute his plan.
The disclosures raise questions about whether warning signs were missed and whether there were opportunities to intervene before the shooting.
Authorities have not said that the classmates who received the messages understood them as credible threats. Reports indicate that some friends thought the teenager was joking.
Gun reportedly came from his father
Investigators are also examining how the student obtained the firearm used in the attack.
Officials said the weapon belonged to his father, a Department of Education Region 12 employee. The firearm had reportedly been kept in a secured container, but the teenager allegedly broke it open and took a 9mm pistol.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators found that the father had licensed firearms that were not sufficiently secured, allowing the teenager to access one of them. Authorities are continuing to determine potential responsibility and the circumstances surrounding the firearm’s storage.
Authorities examine online activity
Investigators are also looking into the teenager’s internet and social-media activity.
Remulla said authorities found evidence that the student had been involved with what officials described as the “deep dark web” and had encountered violent material online. Investigators reportedly recovered notes from his cellphone concerning his personal struggles and examined his digital activity.
Officials have cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the role of online communities while the investigation remains underway.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the department intends to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to examine reports concerning the so-called “true crime community” and its possible connection to the case.
Banga shooting follows two other school attacks
The South Cotabato shooting comes after two other deadly school shooting incidents in the Philippines in recent months.
A June shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City killed students and injured around 20 others, while an August shooting at a school in Zamboanga City killed a student. The incidents have intensified calls for stronger school security, firearm safety and measures addressing potentially harmful online content accessible to minors.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the DepEd, DILG and Philippine National Police to assess existing school-security measures following the incidents.
DepEd considers stronger school security
Angara visited Banga National High School on September 19 and proposed a Joint School Safety Task Force involving DepEd, DILG and the PNP.
The proposed mechanism would conduct school-specific security assessments, focusing on areas including campus access control, threat reporting, emergency response and coordination with law enforcement.
Officials have also discussed stronger screening measures, including metal detectors, as part of efforts to prevent weapons from entering school campuses.
The government is simultaneously examining the need for greater mental-health support and better mechanisms for reporting threats.
A warning that came too late
Perhaps the most troubling element of the investigation is that the alleged warning came before the shooting.
Friends reportedly heard the teenager say that something would happen after lunch. Investigators are now examining his previous messages, online activity, personal notes and access to the firearm to determine how the attack developed and whether earlier intervention could have prevented it.
For now, authorities continue to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the Banga tragedy, including the suspect’s alleged planning, his access to the firearm and the possible influence of online communities.
The case has also renewed a broader question confronting Philippine schools: when a warning sounds like a joke, how can schools, families and students recognize when it is actually a threat?
