The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has been conducting a simulation exercise (simex) for active shooting incidents in various public schools in Bacolod as part of the efforts to keep campuses safe and secure.
BCPO Director Col. Eugene Rebadomia said on Wednesday, July 15, that the Department of Education (DepEd) Bacolod Schools Division Office itself has requested for the conduct of a simex.
“Before this, police station personnel would visit the school and request the principal to conduct the activity. However, they still had to seek a reply from the city schools superintendent. Now, they have initiated the request,” Rebadomia said in a press conference.
He said Mayor Greg Gasataya himself met with the DepEd officials and discussed the need to ensure safety and security in school campuses.
Rebadomia said the BCPO is conducting a simex in coordination with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and the council of the barangay where the school is located.
On Tuesday, an active shooter simex was conducted at Barangay Singcang-Airport National High School led by personnel of the BCPO Special Weapons and Tactics Team.
With the assistance of CDRRMO staff, rescue volunteers, and village watchmen, students and teachers were taught the protocol to follow in the event of the presence of an active shooter.
Following the fatal shooting incident at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City last month, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has tasked local police offices and units to coordinate with the DepEd in holding active shooter drills in all schools nationwide.
According to the PNP, these drills are intended to bolster the safety of students, teachers and school personnel on campuses across in case of emergencies.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara earlier said active shooter drills will focus on the things that should be done when there is a gun attack inside the school.
It would serve as an automatic protocol that will be followed by the school authorities to protect the learners and the rest of the people in the school in cases of a gun attack, he added.*PNA
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