Binay: Security overkill not needed to make students safe in schools

MANILA, Philippines — While she understands that students must be safe while they are in school, excessive security measures would also be detrimental to youth development and may do more harm than good, senatorial candidate and Makati Mayor Abby Binay said on Monday.

Binay in a statement warned that submitting students to body searches and frisking—just like how it is done in airports—might create a culture of fear in schools.

Such security measures, Binay said, may be reserved to areas where mass shootings are common.

READ: Grade 8 student stabs to death classmate in Parañaque City

“Schools should not feel like a war zone. We don’t want to create a culture where children feel fear when they go to school,” the local chief executive said.

“The recent incidents are isolated cases and do not warrant extreme measures,” she added.

READ: Parents, schools liable for violence involving minors, says senator

Several sectors have proposed stricter security protocols in schools after a male Grade 8 student was stabbed to death at a high school in Parañaque last March.

Parañaque City assistant police chief Lt. Col. Eric Angustia said the incident arose from a disagreement between the 15-year-old suspect and the 14-year-old victim.

“Nag-ugat daw sa humihiram daw ng make-up yung suspek na hindi niya pinahiram. Kaya nagkaroon sila ng alitan ng suspek,” Angustia said.

(It started when the suspect borrowed make-up from the victim without her permission. That’s why they argued.)

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian also called on schools to implement stricter security measures, as the student was able to sneak in a deadly weapon into the campus.

Binay on the other hand called on school administrators, faculty, and other school staff along with community leaders to work together in keeping schools safe.

“The task of keeping our schools safe havens for learning entails sustained and strategic collaboration among all stakeholders. These include the school administrators, teachers, security guards, parents and guardians, and even the barangay peace and order personnel and the police,” Binay said.

“I urge parents and guardians to closely monitor your children for any signs of being bullied, or for behavior that may indicate that they are the aggressor. Be active in school activities raising awareness about the dynamics of bullying and help educate your children on how they can protect themselves through peaceful and lawful means,” she added

Furthermore, Binay noted that these incidents could be avoided if the shortage in guidance counselors—as mentioned by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) in its report— is addressed, to ensure that bullying in schools is countered.

“The role of guidance counselors is crucial and indispensable to promoting safe schools. Changes should be made in current policies and standards for this position to attract highly qualified professionals to fill in the vacancies,” Binay said.