Public schools in Bislig City are now operating under nationwide security rules that require regular bag inspections and restrict gadget use during class, after the Department of Education ordered stricter enforcement of an existing safety policy following a deadly school shooting in Tacloban City.
The policy behind it
The rules trace back to DepEd Order No. 006, series of 2026, the "Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment," signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara on March 24, 2026. The order was already in effect nationwide, but enforcement had been uneven across schools.
That changed after June 22, when two Grade 9 students opened fire inside San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, killing three students and injuring others. Two 14- and 15-year-old suspects were taken into custody. In the weeks after, Angara ordered every DepEd division in the country to strictly implement the existing order, rather than treat it as optional guidance.
What the order actually requires
The guidelines call for regular, random bag inspections using non-contact methods only, such as electronic scanners, handheld metal detectors, or search sticks. Physical pat-downs and "stop and frisk" procedures are explicitly barred. Inspections must be carried out by authorized personnel, and a bag search based on reasonable suspicion, such as a credible tip or visible bulge, is meant to happen in the principal's office rather than in the open.
The order also restricts the use of portable electronic devices by learners and personnel during instructional hours, with exemptions for academic use or emergencies. Separately, possession of deadly weapons and bomb threats have been classified as the most serious tier of student offenses under DepEd's disciplinary framework. DepEd has since piloted active shooter drills at Manila Science High School, alongside a wider push for schools to install CCTV cameras and metal detectors.
Why this matters in Bislig
Bislig City runs its own DepEd Schools Division, separate from the rest of Surigao del Sur, covering public schools such as Bislig City National High School, San Jose National High School, and Tabon M. Estrella National High School. DepEd orders apply uniformly across every division in the country, city divisions included, which means Bislig's public schools are bound by the same bag inspection and gadget restrictions as schools anywhere else, regardless of whether Bislig has had any safety incident of its own.
The timing lines up with the rest of the academic calendar shift Bislig Today has already reported on. Classes under the new three-term system began June 8, and Term 1 is now past its midpoint, meaning the stricter security rules are running alongside a school year that already looks different from previous years in how it's structured.
For parents, the practical change is that a child's bag may occasionally be checked at the school gate, and phones or other gadgets may need to stay away during class unless a teacher specifically allows their use for a lesson. Schools are also expected to make sure any inspection is conducted respectfully and does not single out students without cause.
Bislig Today will follow up on how individual schools in the city are rolling this out as more local details become available. Parents and students who have seen bag inspections or gadget checks in place at their own school in Bislig are welcome to share what they've observed through our contact page.