• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City government and Department of Education (DepEd) will boost public school security by installing metal detectors and requiring visitor gate passes.
DepEd Bacolod Schools Division spokesperson Lila Arro said June 30 that the priority is the installation of walk-through metal detectors and increasing the number of handheld metal scanners in campuses as deterrence to students planning on bringing weapons to schools.
The walk-through metal detector will be installed in schools with student population of 2,000 and above, and not classified as high risk. These include 21 elementary and 19 secondary schools.
Schools with lower population that are considered high risk due to prior security incidents will also receive walk-through detectors.
“All schools will have (handheld) scanners, 100 percent, the mayor now is proposing 291,” Arro said.
The Bacolod City National High School, which has three entrance gates and current enrollment of over 6,800, will be equipped with three walk-through scanners.
“The timeline begins today. We started the proposal for procurement. We are running out of time but the mayor assured us that as soon as possible, the procurement process will be complied with and the metal scanners ready for the schools,” she said.
She added that they are also strengthening the gate pass mechanism, forbidding visitors from entering school premises without authorization.
Arro also said that 98 police personnel are currently deployed to secure the areas outside school perimeters across Bacolod.
Meanwhile, Mayor Greg Gasataya said he requested an evaluation from the DepEd regarding the number of teachers and specialized personnel available to support student mental health.
DepEd has already submitted the data on the psychologists and guidance counselors currently assigned to elementary and high schools to help the city in identifying areas that need reinforcement.
The city will also collaborate with the DepEd’s disaster risk reduction officer to train school-based emergency response teams, Gasataya said. | TMD
