It is with profound sadness that we find ourselves undergoing yet another trial as a society. In the midst of incessant rains and an impeachment trial, we now find ourselves investigating the latest tragedy in Zamboanga City.

Once again, it involves students. Once again, it involves firearms. Once again, it has cost lives.

If we must quarrel as a country about many things, let us not quarrel about this: the safety of our children is paramount to us all. Children know few things about politics. They still have to discover and discern right from wrong.

What is confounding is the cruelty of the crime. It is one of the few times where everyone is a victim. The shooter, however young and troubled he may have been, is himself a victim of what I believe are video games inhabited by actors who induce terror, influencing young and fallible minds.

The students, security guards, and others who were injured have no sin except being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

We have much to do as a department. We have much to do as a country.

As a department, the safety of everyone is paramount. Whether you are caught in a flood or a fire, or find yourself in the crosshairs of a gunman, we should be protecting you.

We should also protect ourselves. Gun ownership is a privilege accorded to those who need to protect themselves. But that privilege carries with it not only the responsibility of ownership, but the responsibility of safekeeping. One cannot exist without the other.

We will take the necessary steps to ensure that this kind of tragedy can be prevented. If that hurts the sensibilities of a few, or of the many, then let your voices be heard. We will make the hard choices in order to protect the Filipino people.

The social contract holds. This country will remain safe. That is our duty