Student’s heroism in South Cotabato campus shooting cited

COTABATO CITY - There might have been more casualties in the Banga, South Cotabato campus shooting rampage on Friday, September 18, if not for a brave student who fought the attacker barehanded and forced him out of their classroom despite sustaining a gunshot wound to the arm.

Banga Mayor Albert Palencia and South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. separately told reporters on Monday, September 21, that the courageous male student of Banga National High School managed to break the windows at the rear side of their classroom after shutting its door, allowing his classmates to escape and run to safety while his right arm was bleeding profusely from the gunshot wound.

"He is a hero. He exemplified what we call courage under fire, ignoring his gunshot wound bleeding then," Tamayo, now in his third and final term as South Cotabato's provincial governor, said.