At least one killed, four injured in Philippines school shooting, provincial governor says

A shooting at a high school in southern Philippines left at least one person dead and four others wounded, according to the provincial governor. This marks two shootings in schools in the region since June, an event that had been uncommon in the country. The Department of Education expressed deep concern over the incident that occurred in Banga town, South Cotabato.

Provincial Governor Reynaldo Tamayo provided minimal details, confirming at least one fatality and four injuries, but offered no further information on the shooter or the victims. Police had previously confirmed the occurrence of the shooting. Earlier this month, a student had live-streamed the murder of another student in a classroom in Zamboanga before committing suicide.

In June, three students were killed and around 20 others injured in an attack at a public high school in Tacloban, where two classmates carried out a shooting on campus. The Philippines maintains relatively stringent gun ownership laws, including background checks and psychological evaluations. However, illegal firearms continue to circulate.

This event also echoes a high-profile shooting in Thailand in August, where a student carried out a shooting rampage at a school on the outskirts of Bangkok.