ILOILO City — The Department of Education (DepEd) has abandoned fear-inducing active-attack simulations in schools, replacing simulated gunfire, weapons and role-playing assailants with calmer, trauma-informed exercises designed to prepare students for emergencies without exposing them to unnecessary psychological stress.
The major shift in school safety training was rolled out across Western Visayas on Thursday, September 3, as hundreds of schools joined the National Simultaneous School Safety Drill while others completed the exercise earlier or scheduled it on later dates.
Under the revised protocol, students are no longer subjected to hyper-realistic active-shooter scenarios. Instead, schools conduct step-by-step walkthroughs, emergency alarm responses and systematic threat procedures focusing on orderly movement and situational awareness.
The overhaul comes amid concerns raised by child psychology and mental health experts over the possible emotional impact of aggressive emergency drills on young learners.
DepEd Region 6 tapped the Philippine National Police (PNP), Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), local government units and public health agencies to help schools carry out the exercises safely.
Iloilo recorded the biggest September 3 mobilization, with 623 schools conducting drills — more than 73 percent of schools that participated region-wide on the official drill date.
Another 498 Iloilo schools scheduled their exercises on later dates, while 53 had already completed theirs much earlier than September 3.
Across Western Visayas, 1,381 schools — mostly in Antique, Aklan and Iloilo, including Iloilo City and Passi City — opted to conduct the exercise later to ensure police and other emergency personnel could provide adequate supervision without overstretching their manpower.
“Schools categorized under ‘conducted prior’ have completed their drills before September 3 and will no longer repeat the exercise; they only need to submit their documentary requirements,” DepEd Region 6 information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. explained.
Regarding schools holding the exercise later, Escullar said: “Those setting a later date are coordinating directly with the PNP and local stakeholders to ensure proper supervision and support.”
DepEd data showed 19 schools in Aklan conducted the drill on September 3, while 361 scheduled theirs later and five completed the exercise earlier.
Antique had 112 schools participating Thursday, 422 scheduled later and four that had already finished the drill.
Capiz recorded one school participating on September 3 and 470 that completed the exercise earlier, while Guimaras had five participating Thursday and 111 that had already conducted their drills.
Iloilo City had seven schools participating on September 3, 55 scheduled later and three that conducted the exercise earlier.
Passi City had one school participating Thursday and 45 scheduled for later dates.
In Roxas City, 47 public schools and 28 private schools conducted the exercise on September 3. Three public schools had already completed their drills.
DepEd Region 6 and the Schools Division of Roxas City also spearheaded the regional activity at Inzo Arnaldo Village Integrated School, which served as the flagship venue for active-threat preparedness.
“The drill provided learners, teaching personnel, and non-teaching staff with practical experience in responding to potential active attack situations using established safety protocols and localized contingency plans. It also highlighted the importance of coordination among schools, local government units, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and parents in ensuring a safe and secure learning environment,” DepEd-6 stated.
At Pavia National High School, officials identified another safety concern arising from the exercise — the possibility that moving a large student population simultaneously during an emergency could itself create dangerous overcrowding or a stampede.
School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coordinator Joy Sumortin said the school is considering shifting to building-by-building exercises instead of evacuating the entire campus at once.
“Our contingency plan serves as a guide to help us identify and revise any gaps in our response,” Sumortin said.
“Given that we are a large school, I am looking at conducting drills building by building rather than all at once, as a simultaneous campus-wide evacuation risks triggering a stampede,” she added.
The exercise was limited to “Run” and “Hide” responses, deliberately excluding “Fight” tactics to protect students from psychological stress and possible secondary trauma.
DepEd Region VI and the Schools Division of Iloilo are now consolidating post-drill evaluations to identify weaknesses, establish best practices and improve school contingency plans across Western Visayas.
“DepEd reiterates that school safety remains a shared responsibility and that preparedness initiatives such as this drill are essential in building resilient and secure school communities,” DepEd-6 stated./PN
