At least three teenage students have been killed and five others injured in a shooting at a school in the central Philippines, police said on Monday.
Police said the suspected gunmen were aged 15 and 14. They allegedly fired “randomly” inside San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte province, at around 9am local time (0100 GMT).
Police Lieutenant Evalyn Diaz told AFP the motive was still under investigation, though early information suggested bullying may have played a role. “We are hearing bullying was the motive behind their actions, but we have yet to ask them,” she said.
She said officers were still investigating how the weapons were obtained and brought into the school. “We’re still getting the guns, checking where they got those and how they were able to bring that inside the school,” she said.
Authorities said the sequence of events had not yet been fully established. The suspects were being questioned at a police station in the presence of their parents, as both are minors.
There has been no immediate update on the condition of the five wounded students. Earlier, regional police said the victims were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment and medical care.
A video verified by AFP and widely shared by local media showed children screaming and crying as they hid inside a classroom while gunfire was heard outside.
The Philippine Department of Education described the incident as a “high-alert situation”. It said central office officials and regional staff were coordinating with school authorities and police to secure the site.
School shootings are rare in the Philippines, although gun-related violence is more common in some regions. In 2022, three people, including a former city mayor, were killed in a shooting at Ateneo de Manila University in the capital, an attack later linked to personal motives.
Authorities say legal gun ownership is tightly regulated in the Philippines, but the circulation of illegal firearms remains a concern.
