Two students die in livestreamed shooting at Philippine Catholic high school

Morning assault at Ateneo de Zamboanga

A fatal shooting occurred on Tuesday morning at the high school campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a private Catholic institution in Zamboanga City, located roughly 800 kilometres south of Manila. Local reports placed the start of the gunfire between 07:50 and 08:30 local time. According to initial police reports, a ninth-grade student arrived at the school armed with a handgun and a rifle. The shooter fired toward a teacher without hitting them, proceeded to a fourth-floor classroom, and opened fire on students, killing a male tenth-grade classmate. Two other individuals sustained gunshot injuries during the attack.

Regional police spokeswoman Shella Chang explained how the suspect moved through the upper floors of the building.

What we know so far is that (the shooter) went to the classroom of our known victim. He shot the victim, and after doing that, he went up to the fifth floor and shot himself.

Social media broadcast and police investigation

The gunman broadcast portions of the attack on Facebook Live using a camera worn on his body. Video footage broadcast by local news outlets showed a firearm barrel pointed down a hallway in a first-person perspective before discharging into a classroom, prompting pupils to flee toward emergency exits. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that authorities disabled the suspect's social media profile and are analyzing the student's digital communications, chat histories, and online activity to determine a motive. National police investigators are working to trace the ownership of the two firearms and discover how the student carried them past campus security checkpoints. National police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez appealed to the public not to redistribute unverified recordings or photos of the incident.

Campus response and presidential directive

University officials suspended classes across the campus as armed police and military personnel secured the perimeter and helped evacuate hundreds of students. The Philippine Department of Education dispatched personnel to provide psychological first aid to students, teachers, and school staff members. Ateneo de Zamboanga University president Father Guillrey Andal stated that the school is fully cooperating with law enforcement and communicating directly with affected families. Andal noted that the campus security team had recently organized emergency preparedness drills following national safety directives.

We are in process of working with the police for us to be able to identify them, so that we can communicate first with their loved ones.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the violence, directing police and education officials to present concrete preventative measures.

Schools are the places where we entrust our children to learn, grow, and dream about their future. They must also be among the safest places in our country.

Context of firearm access and school safety

The shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga represents the country's second fatal school shooting in less than two months. On 22 June, two teenage students opened fire at a public high school in Tacloban City, killing three students and injuring between 5 and 20 others.

While Philippine law establishes strict licensing requirements, including psychiatric evaluations, mandatory drug tests, gun safety training, and criminal background checks, an active black market supplies thousands of illicit weapons nationwide. Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso confirmed that the campus is secure as municipal authorities work with regional police investigators to finalize their incident report.