THE Office of the City Prosecutor of Tacloban City has recommended the filing of charges against a female police officer in connection with the June 22, 2026 shooting at San Jose National High School that left three students dead and 20 others injured.
Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Polo Martinez said the prosecutor’s office recommended charges for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and physical injuries against Police Staff Sergeant Arla Ray Pacencia, the aunt of one of the minor suspects in the shooting.
“The recommendation follows the preliminary investigation conducted on the complaint filed by parents and students of San Jose National High School, in connection with the shooting incident involving a Child in Conflict with the Law,” Martinez said.
He said the charges would be filed before the Family Court of the Regional Trial Court in Tacloban City.
The shooting allegedly involved two students, aged 14 and 15, who opened fire inside the school, killing three of their fellow students and injuring 20 others.
The younger suspect reportedly used a firearm taken from Pacencia. He allegedly fired more shots than the older suspect whose firearm jammed after the first or second shot.
Pacencia earlier claimed that her nephew broke into her house and took her service firearm, which she said was kept in a locked drawer.
The Tacloban shooting was followed nearly two months later by another school shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University on August 18. A Grade 8 student shot and killed a schoolmate before taking his own life.
The Bureau of Customs later confirmed that one of the firearms used was issued to the suspect’s father, a Customs official. (TPM/VoxPop Philippines)