Manila – “The country cannot afford to let another incident of school violence go unnoticed without addressing the challenges faced by its young people.” Cardinal José Advincula, Archbishop of Manila, made the appeal, urging families, schools, Churches and communities to “listen to young people who may be struggling silently with loneliness, anxiety, bullying, academic pressure or family problems.”
The Cardinal was referring to the shooting that took place on 18 August at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Jesuit-run educational institution comprising a high school and university in the city of Zamboanga, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. At around 7:50 a.m., in the Junior High School building on the Tumaga campus, a student opened fire on fellow students, killing 15-year-old schoolmate Patrick Dylan Wee. The alleged shooter, identified as Mohammad Mael Jalani, later committed suicide. Two people therefore died, including the attacker, while others were injured or required assistance after fleeing the building in panic.
The attack caused fear and deep distress within the school community. In the following days, students described the difficulty of returning to school after what had happened, while authorities launched investigations into how the weapon was brought onto the campus and the possible causes of the attack. The Zamboanga shooting comes amid growing concern over school safety in the Philippines. It was the second fatal incident of its kind in the country in less than two months, following the 22 June attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, where three students were killed and others injured.
“We must not allow this tragedy to go unnoticed without listening carefully to what it tells us about the difficulties faced by our young people,” Cardinal Advincula said. He called for the creation of safe spaces where young people can speak without fear of being judged, seek help without shame and know that they are valued. “The response,” he said, “must go beyond security measures” and include stronger systems of support and accompaniment. “We must listen to them, not only when they speak out loud, but especially when they suffer in silence,” he said.
The pastoral response, therefore, focuses not only on the immediate emergency but also on the conditions of loneliness, anxiety and pressure that can affect adolescents’ lives. “This tragedy must strengthen our shared responsibility to make schools safe places for learning, socialization, care, vigilance and peace,” wrote the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines , an organization representing Catholic schools, colleges and universities across the Philippines. CEAP urged people to show “sensitivity, compassion and restraint”, because “behind every report, photograph or social media post are students, families, teachers and a community in deep mourning and shock.”
Fr Guillrey Anthony Andal, SJ, president of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, expressed his “deep sorrow” to the entire community. He assured full cooperation with the investigating authorities and stressed that the priority is the wellbeing of students, staff and families. The president called for patience and urged people to avoid speculation that could cause further suffering. The University observed 19 August as a day of mourning and prayer across all its campuses, offering pastoral and psychological support.
In an official statement, the Archdiocese of Zamboanga called for a thorough investigation, stating that “the families of the victims deserve truth and justice”. “We pray that the authorities are guided by wisdom, fairness, courage and a sincere commitment to justice,” the statement said. “In this moment of sorrow, we choose prayer over fear, compassion over condemnation, truth over speculation and justice over vengeance.”
In the weeks preceding the shooting, the Ministry of Education had already asked schools throughout the Philippines to prepare for nationwide drills on responding to possible attacks or incidents, amid growing concerns about safety in educational institutions. Schools were instructed to develop, review or update local emergency plans and share approved plans with local government authorities, the Philippine National Police and parent-teacher associations.
Around 50 school-related incidents involving young people and acts of violence have been recorded over the past two months, including bomb threats, shootings and knife attacks. Against this backdrop, Church community leaders are calling for a network of attentive support around adolescents: families, schools and communities are being urged to recognize loneliness, anxiety, bullying and other forms of suffering at an early stage.
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