Senate starts hearing on proposed school safety law | July 9, 2026

The Senate starts its hearings on the proposed School Safety Act, tackling issues of violence, bullying, and other threats in and out of schools on Thursday, July 9. The hearings would tackle the June 8 drowning of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity of the Ateneo men’s basketball team in Dipaculao, Aurora. The June 22 fatal school shooting in Tacloban City that left three students dead and 20 others wounded is also a central topic of the hearing. Senator Bam Aquino, chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, leads the joint hearing with the committees on higher, technical and vocational education; science and technology; civil service, government reorganization and professional regulation; justice and human rights; and finance.