MANILA, Philippines – For three days, the community of San Jose High School (SJNHS) in Tacloban City began a long process of healing after bad shot It happened in their institution.
On June 22, two children they opened fire inside the school premises causing three students to lose their lives and 20 others to be injured. A tragedy of that magnitude cannot be shaken off overnight.
School shootings are unheard of in the Philippines, prompting criticism of the school safety guidelines. But more importantly, psychological support emerged as a critical need for healing.
Julienne Rose Peñaranda-Saballa, Registered Guidance Counselor of the Department of Education (DepEd) Tacloban Schools Division, led the development of the program for the SJNHS community.
In an interview with Rappler on Saturday, June 27, Saballa said more than 500 people were given psychological first aid (PFA) at St. Roch the Healer Parish Church and San Jose Parish Church in Tacloban City.
“PFA is voluntary. So if children, parents, or teachers don’t feel like coming to PFA, we can’t do anything about it but only encourage them,” Saballa said.
The original program started from Wednesday, June 24, to Friday, June 26. The first day was for teachers, the second for “high risk” students, or those who saw the shooting themselves and their classmates and close friends of those killed or injured, and the third for the rest of the student body.
On Friday night, the SJNHS alumni association organized a mass and lit candles. They respected it Ayesa Nicole DazoChris Lorenz Fabian, and Joyancee Badoria Separathree victims in the shooting.
“Since what they went through was tragic, there is still sadness and fear in the community, but they are coming together and ready to heal,” Saballa said in Filipino.
Early physiological responses
Saballa defined psychological first aid as “a human form of social assistance to a person experiencing distress to provide him with a sense of security, comfort, healing, and recovery.”
PFA providers do not offer advice, suggestions, or opinions but rather provide victims with a safe space to share their feelings and thoughts. They encouraged victims to continue their coping strategies and connect them with appropriate organizations that can further address their needs.
In their program, participants were given sheets of paper to draw hearts and color them – as an art therapy exercise to start the session. They then told their stories and addressed those experiences with PFA providers.
By the end of the session, they practiced the butterfly hug technique, where they cross their arms, tap their shoulders, repeatedly affirm themselves, as well as breathing exercises.
Many in the community shared with PFA service providers fear for their safety and security.
“Others, especially those who witnessed the shooting themselves, experience survivor’s guilt because they lived when others died, and think about what will be their future after this,” Saballa said.
They found that even the blue color of the school walls now creates fear in the community.
The school will be painted next week, Nilo Eder, DepEd Tacloban School Department information officer told Rappler earlier. SJNHS is preparing for the possibility of reopening classes. The city government also strengthened security at the school, such as a strong perimeter fence and the installation of additional CCTV cameras and emergency panic buttons.
More work to be done
The initial plan to move to regular learning is considered July 1. But Saballa said it may still be too early for the resumption of classes at SJNHS.
He said they will still have to include reports and recommendations on how to help children after the disaster. Eder previously told Rappler that the knowledge of PFA service providers will be highly valued.
Among long-term plans, Saballa said they also plan to build on the network established during the response and create a team for Eastern Visayas.
For the school shooting incident, they have gathered psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, guidance counselors, nurses, police officers, and religious groups, and other non-governmental organizations.
But the tragedy also highlights the shortage of guidance counselors in the country. SJNHS, in fact, does not have a certified guidance counselor.
In Tacloban, there are only three guidance counselors registered with DepEd, including Saballa, who is at Leyte National High School. Others have moved on to higher education institutions.
“It is a nationwide issue…We are asking the government to speed up the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 12080, re-establish the existing DepEd counselor group, (and) hire school counselor partners,” he said.
He was referring to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Basic Education Act. The law strengthens school mental health programs, establishes care centers, and hires school counselor partners to address the lack of guidance counselors in public schools.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has told DepEd to expedite the hiring of school counselors, as the 2026 national budget allocated P2 billion for this. The budget is sufficient to hire approximately 10,000 school counselor associates.
In the short term, Saballa said the counselor who appoints and teachers in Tacloban City can be strengthened and given more training on mental health, especially identifying red flags, to be able to provide appropriate interventions to students.
“It is difficult for teachers to do the work of a guidance counselor. Because the work of a guidance counselor should be full-time. You can’t just give teachers two hours and then go back to teaching,” he said in Filipino.
The groups also put pressure on government agencies lack of focus on safety in addressing school violence. What the country has seen in the past week is the provision of metal detectors and other security equipment. Schools now have stricter protocols for entering their buildings, resulting in long queues at school entrances.
For the Women’s Resource Center, safe schools must be built through education, care, and social justice and not through punitive measures and military escalation.
“What students really need are guidance counselors, mental health professionals, social workers, effective child protection practices, libraries, and adequate school facilities that promote their well-being and development,” it said. – Rappler.com
Some quotes were briefly translated into English.
