Tingog Party-list on Monday vowed to assist students wounded in the Tacloban City high school shooting, their families, and the families of the three students who lost their lives.
In a statement, the group said it is already coordinating with relevant agencies to provide hospitalization and medical assistance, as well as mental health support.
“At this difficult hour, our first responsibility is to care for the victims and their families. Tingog Party-list is already coordinating with the concerned hospitals, the Tacloban City Government, the Department of Education, and relevant national agencies to help ensure that the injured students receive the medical attention they need,” it said.
The group said assistance would cover hospitalization, medicines, laboratory requirements, follow-up treatment, transportation, and other immediate medical expenses.
It also pledged to arrange mental health and psychosocial support for the affected families.
“Tingog Party-list also recognizes that the wounds from this tragedy go far beyond physical injuries. Psychosocial support must immediately reach the bereaved families, the injured students, their classmates, teachers, school personnel, and the wider San Jose community,” it said.
The group said it would work with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Education, health professionals, guidance counselors, faith communities, and local government partners “to provide grief counseling, trauma debriefing, crisis intervention, and continuing mental health support.”
It joined Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez in calling for a swift and thorough investigation into the shooting incident.
“We call for a thorough, swift, and impartial investigation into how this tragedy happened, including how firearms entered the school environment and what measures must be strengthened to protect learners and educators. Accountability must be pursued fully, with due regard for the law and the special protections required where minors are involved,” it said.
The group expressed grief over the incident and mourned with the families who lost their loved ones.
“Our hearts are with the families now carrying an unimaginable loss, with the injured students and their loved ones, and with every teacher, classmate, and school personnel member shaken by this terrible act of violence,” it said.
“To the families who have lost their children, we mourn with you. To the injured and traumatized students, you are not alone. Tingog Party-list stands with the San Jose National High School community and the people of Tacloban City in prayer, solidarity, and concrete action so that healing may begin and every learner may return to school with safety, dignity, and hope,” the group said.
The party-list organization also called for stronger measures to ensure school safety.
“A school must always be a place of learning, safety, friendship, and hope. The loss of young lives within a campus wounds the entire Tacloban community and calls on all of us to respond with urgency, compassion, and resolve,” it said.
“Tingog Party-list supports stronger and sustained measures for safer schools: closer coordination among schools, parents, barangays, police, mental health professionals, and local government units; accessible reporting channels for threats and warning signs; strengthened school security protocols; and programs that promote peace, responsible conflict resolution, and care for the well-being of every learner,” it added.
