MANILA: A 16-year-old student shot dead at least two fellow students and then killed himself at a school in the southern Philippines on Friday, provincial officials said.

Eight others were injured, with four in critical condition, and all the victims were students aged 14 to 17, said Albert Palencia, mayor of Banga town in South Cotabato, where the shooting took place.

The incident follows two fatal gun incidents since June at schools in the Philippines, where school shootings were previously rare.

“The suspect supposedly sat beside his friends and told them to go home ‘because after lunch, I will be executing my plan’. His friends laughed because the shooter was a known joker,” Palencia said.

“After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself,” Palencia added.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2026