Three dead in Philippines school shooting, including gunman

Three pupils were killed in a school shooting on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao on Friday, including the 16-year-old suspected gunman who turned the weapon on himself. Albert Palencia, mayor of Banga town in South Cotabato, told Reuters that the suspect had warned his friends of his plan before lunch, but they dismissed it as a joke. The shooter subsequently hit 10 students before taking his own life. The victims were aged 14 to 17, and four of the eight injured remain in critical condition. Reynaldo Tamayo, governor of South Cotabato, urged parents and gun owners to ensure firearms are stored securely to prevent access by minors, noting the difficulty of monitoring thousands of students with limited security personnel. This incident follows a similar tragedy last month in Zamboanga City, where a pupil live-streamed the killing of a classmate before committing suicide. While the Philippines maintains relatively strict gun ownership regulations, including background checks and psychological evaluations, illegal firearms continue to circulate in the country.