Three Dead, Eight Injured in High School Shooting in Southern Philippines

At least three students were killed and eight others injured following a shooting at a high school in the southern Philippines, local authorities have confirmed. The incident, which occurred on Friday, September 18, 2026, took place at Banga National High School in the municipality of Banga within the province of South Cotabato.

According to provincial and municipal officials reporting to news agencies Reuters and AFP, the 16-year-old shooter was among the three individuals confirmed dead. Banga Mayor Albert Palencia stated that four of the eight injured victims remained in critical condition following the attack. The victims involved in the incident were aged between 14 and 17 years old.

Mayor Palencia shared details regarding the suspect's actions prior to the tragedy, noting that the 16-year-old had allegedly sat alongside friends and instructed them to go home because he planned to execute an action after lunch. Friends reportedly dismissed the remark, believing the shooter was joking.

Footage related to the aftermath emerged online. In a video posted to Facebook and verified by AFP, a man was seen carrying an apparent injured child from the school grounds and placing him into the sidecar of a waiting motorbike. Another video featured a teacher speaking in a local dialect discussing potential suspects, with a student insisting outsiders were involved.

In response to the tragedy, the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office announced an immediate suspension of school classes across the entire Banga municipality.

This incident marks the third school shooting in the Philippines since June, a concerning trend for a nation where such campus violence was previously rare. In August, a student live-streamed the fatal shooting of another classmate in a classroom in Zamboanga before dying by suicide. Earlier in June, at least three students were killed and roughly 20 others injured when two classmates opened fire at a public high school in Tacloban.

The latest school attack also follows closely behind a separate mass shooting days prior in Cotabato, where three people were killed and 15 injured during the first parliamentary election held in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

While the Philippines maintains relatively strict gun ownership regulations—including mandatory background checks and psychological evaluations—illegal firearms continue to circulate. Following the shooting, South Cotabato Provincial Governor Reynaldo Tamayo urged parents and legal gun owners to ensure firearms are securely stored and kept completely out of the reach of minors. Governor Tamayo emphasized that security personnel alone cannot monitor thousands of students and called for a collective community effort to address the issue.

The rise in campus attacks has already prompted nationwide live shooter drills across Philippine schools earlier in the month, underscoring growing concerns among educators and officials over student safety and firearm access.