Overview
- Authorities say a student opened fire at Banga National High School in Cotabato del Sur on Friday, September 18, then died by suicide after the attack.
- The Department of Social Welfare and Development reported six dead and 17 injured including the shooter while local officials initially gave lower provisional counts; casualty figures remain under verification by police.
- Investigators have identified the weapon as a 9 mm pistol reportedly taken from a safe at the attacker’s home and said the firearm belonged to his father, a Department of Education employee.
- Officials are probing the student’s repeated warnings to peers and his participation in an online 'True Crime Community' for signs of premeditation and influence.
- Classes in Banga and nearby municipalities are suspended, DepEd is coordinating support and investigations, and the attack is the third fatal school shooting in the Philippines since June, raising questions about illegal guns, household storage and youth mental health.