House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos have filed a measure seeking tighter firearm storage and accountability rules following the deadly shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
House Bill 11387, or the proposed Responsible Firearm Ownership and Safe Storage Act, would amend Republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. The measure proposes stricter safe-storage requirements, mandatory gun-safety training, tougher penalties for unauthorized access and a new offense covering criminally negligent firearm access.
Under the bill, firearms that are not under the immediate control of an authorized person would generally have to be stored unloaded in a secure device, while ammunition would be kept in a separately locked compartment or container. Additional safeguards would be required in homes or premises where minors or other unauthorized individuals may gain access.
The proposed offense of “criminally negligent unauthorized access” would apply when a registered firearm owner or custodian fails to properly secure a weapon and that negligence allows an unauthorized person to possess or use it. The bill also provides exceptions for cases involving theft, robbery, force, fraud or tampering despite reasonable precautions.
Dy said the measure was among the House leadership’s immediate responses to the Banga shooting, while also calling for stronger school safety measures, mental health support and early interventions for students showing signs of distress.
The Sept. 18 shooting left three students dead, including the shooter, and six others wounded, according to the latest figures cited by government authorities. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation into how the minor obtained and brought a firearm into the school.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, called for a broader government response covering mental health, parental supervision, firearm access, school security and the influence of online platforms on young people. She said the proposed SAGIP Bata Act could form part of the response but stressed that a single measure would not address all factors behind school violence.
Senator Loren Legarda also urged the Department of Education, Philippine National Police, Department of the Interior and Local Government and local authorities to review firearm safekeeping, campus security, threat-reporting systems and access to mental health and psychosocial services.
Legarda said authorities should also determine what measures were put in place following earlier shootings in Tacloban City and Zamboanga City and identify gaps in enforcement or existing laws.
The Banga incident was the third deadly school shooting reported in the Philippines since June, following attacks in Tacloban and Zamboanga. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the latest attack, including the firearm’s access and possible warning signs before the shooting.
