Following the third school shooting incident in the country this year, Vice President Sara Duterte said more Filipino children are at ''risk of becoming casualties'' due to the alleged "incompetence and neglect" of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In a statement on Monday, Duterte noted that "for the Marcos administration, it is easier to be incompetent, steal, and exploit others than to serve the nation honestly".

"And instead of taking meaningful action and enforcing order, the Marcos administration is trapped in an endless game of political survival and consolidation," the vice president stated.

"The Marcos administration has failed the victims and survivors of the South Cotabato tragedy. Countless more Filipino children remain at risk of becoming casualties of this government's incompetence and neglect. We deserve better leadership than this," she noted.

Duterte stressed that the series of school shooting incidents is a "proof that this kind of violence is a bitter reality that can happen in our children’s schools at any time."

"This reminds us that when a government prioritizes political consolidation over fundamental governance, the protection of children is inevitably compromised," she said.

"This also reflects the widespread violence in society, exacerbated by the government’s failure to ensure that Filipinos can live safely, peacefully, and comfortably," she added.

Last Sept. 18, three students of Banga National High School in South Cotabato died while six others were wounded in the third school shooting incident recorded in the country this year.

Three students also died while several others were injured

In a video posted on his Facebook page, South Cotabato Reynaldo Sucayan Tamayo Jr. confirmed that three students including the shooter died while six others were wounded and immediately rushed to different hospitals for treatment.

"As of 4:10 pm with regard to the shooting incident in Banga National High School, we now confirm three fatalities, they are 14 years old students, two males and one female including the gunman," he said.

The first school shooting incident where three students were killed and seven others were injured occurred in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City last June 22, while two students also died including the shooter and two others were wounded in the second shooting spree in Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City last August 18. Robina Asido/PHS