WESTERN VISAYAS — Thousands of students, teachers and school personnel across Western Visayas are set to take part in a major school safety exercise on Tuesday, August 25, as the Department of Education (DepEd) conducts a nationwide simultaneous drill designed to test schools’ readiness for active attacks and other extreme emergencies.
The exercise is scheduled for 9 a.m. and will involve public and private elementary and secondary schools implementing safety procedures based on their localized School Contingency Plans for Active Attack Incidents. DepEd said the exercise is intended to strengthen preparedness, emergency coordination and protective measures—not to signal that a specific attack is expected.
Why DepEd is conducting the drill now
The nationwide exercise comes as concerns over school security have intensified following two deadly school shootings in the Philippines within a span of roughly two months.
On August 18, a shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus in Zamboanga City left two people dead, including the alleged student gunman. Authorities said the incident involved a Grade 9 student who entered the school carrying firearms and opened fire before later taking his own life.
The incident followed a June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City that killed three learners and injured others. DepEd subsequently suspended classes in Tacloban amid heightened concern for the safety and well-being of students and school personnel.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has also called for a thorough investigation into the Zamboanga shooting and stronger safeguards to protect schools, emphasizing that educational institutions should be among the safest places for Filipino children.
What schools are expected to test
DepEd has instructed schools to develop, review or update their contingency plans for active attack incidents and coordinate those plans with local government units, the Philippine National Police, parent-teacher associations and other emergency-response partners.
The preparations include:
- classroom security measures, including double-locking mechanisms where appropriate;
- clearly identified evacuation routes;
- designated safe rooms or protective areas;
- emergency communication procedures;
- family reunification areas;
- coordination with police, fire and disaster-response authorities; and
- evaluation of the school’s response following the exercise.
An external evaluator from an appropriate emergency-response or partner agency may also participate to identify weaknesses and recommend improvements.
The objective is not simply to see whether students can evacuate quickly. The exercise is designed to test how school personnel communicate, protect learners, coordinate with responders and eventually reunite students with their families during a serious emergency.
Western Visayas police have already begun simulations
The DepEd drill comes after the Police Regional Office 6 intensified school-safety coordination across Western Visayas.
According to SunStar, Western Visayas police conducted eight simulation exercises from August 14 to 20 under Oplan Balik-Eskwela for School Year 2026–2027.
The exercises covered different emergency scenarios, including three active-shooter situations, three bomb threats, one stabbing incident and one hostage-taking incident. Police said the exercises were conducted with school administrators and partner agencies to improve emergency response and coordination.
Police Regional Office 6 director Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño stressed that these simulations are not an indication of a specific or imminent threat against schools in Western Visayas.
Instead, authorities say the purpose is preparedness: testing existing procedures, identifying gaps and ensuring responders know their roles before an actual emergency occurs.
Preparedness without creating fear
DepEd has also emphasized that active-attack drills must be conducted carefully.
The department directed schools to prioritize the physical safety and psychological well-being of learners and personnel. Activities should be age-appropriate and trauma-informed, with emphasis on preparedness, protective actions, coordinated response and recovery rather than unnecessarily frightening students.
That distinction is particularly important for younger learners, who may interpret realistic emergency simulations differently from older students.
The goal is therefore not to create panic—but to build familiarity with what to do when an emergency occurs.
A warning for schools—and a test of readiness
For Western Visayas schools, Tuesday’s exercise will provide an opportunity to determine whether their existing safety plans actually work in practice.
A contingency plan on paper is only useful if teachers, school administrators, students, parents, police officers, firefighters and local disaster-response teams understand how to act when seconds matter.
Recent incidents in Tacloban and Zamboanga have made that question more urgent.
The August 25 drill is consequently more than another compliance exercise. It is a test of whether schools can turn preparedness plans into coordinated action—and whether gaps can be identified before a real emergency exposes them.
For now, authorities stress that there is no specific or imminent threat behind the exercise. The message from DepEd and police is preparedness, not alarm.
But after two deadly school shootings in the Philippines in less than two months, one question is difficult to ignore:
If the worst happens, are schools truly ready?
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