MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday blamed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration for the recent school shootings, the latest being in South Cotabato, which killed three students.
In a statement, Duterte said that the three fatal school shooting incidents recorded this year alone reminded the public that the protection of children is “inevitably compromised” when a government “prioritizes political consolidation over fundamental governance.”
READ: South Cotabato school shooting kills 3, hurts 6
“Sumasalamin din ito sa laganap na karahasan sa lipunan na pinalalala ng kabiguan ng pamahalaan na tiyaking ligtas, payapa, at maginhawa ang pamumuhay ng mga Pilipino,” said Duterte.
(It also reflects the widespread violence in society, exacerbated by the government’s failure to ensure a safe, peaceful, and comfortable life for Filipinos.)
“Para kasi sa administrasyong Marcos, mas madali ang maging inutil, magnakaw, at magsamantala kaysa magsilbi nang tapat sa bayan,” he added.
(For the Marcos administration, it is easier to be incompetent, to steal, and to exploit than to serve the country honestly.)
She then accused the Marcos administration of being “trapped in an endless game of political survival and consolidation” instead of enforcing order.
“The Marcos administration has failed the victims and survivors of the South Cotabato tragedy. Countless more Filipino children remain at risk of becoming casualties of this government’s incompetence and neglect,” she said.
The latest shooting incident occurred on Friday at around 1 p.m. at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
It took place just a month after the shooting incident in Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School in Zamboanga City on Aug. 18, which also killed three./coa