Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed on Thursday that authorities were able to stop 53 planned school shootings in South Cotabato.

"That week there were 53 planned school shootings in South Cotabato. We stopped all of that,” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

"We couldn't talk about it at the time because it was very sensitive and there were also children in conflict with the law. But that's how serious this problem is," he added.

Remulla said the authorities also arrested over 50 alleged online "groomers" linked to planned school shootings.

"We have arrested 53 people involved in online threats and groomers," he said.

"I cannot say rescued because there was an active threat, they display guns on the internet so they are not rescued, what we did was intervention," he added.

Just last month, three students including the alleged shooter died while six others were wounded in another shooting incident at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.

It was the third school shooting that was recorded in the country. The first 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