This will see school guards, barangay tanods, police patrols, and modern surveillance tools work together.
On Tuesday, August 25, Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced the planned implementation of a hybrid campus security framework thay aims to maintain safety in public schools nationwide.
Through the said framework, the Department of Education (DepEd) seeks to address the shortage of security guards by distributing personnel based on student population and needs of each campus.
Under the proposed framework, the DepEd will also prioritize the deployment of security guards in public schools with high student populations, while community assistance will be expected in smaller schools.
For small campuses with less than 500 students and medium-sized campuses with 501 to 1,000 students, it is proposed to deploy one security guard who will be supported by barangay tanods during school hours and dismissal hours, along with Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) volunteers at the school gates.
Meanwhile, large campuses with 1,001 to 3,300 students will be manned by two security guards along with LGU or barangay tanods for perimeter control, and PTA assistance teams for crowd and traffic control.
For campuses with 3,301 to 8,500 students and extra-large campuses with 8,501 students and above, four security guards will be assigned, reinforced by PNP mobile patrols and local security officers of the LGU.
The DepEd said that it will conduct the implementation in two phases, with large schools being prioritized before small and medium-sized schools.
Meanwhile, to strengthen security without relying too much on additional personnel, DepEd will also invest in surveillance infrastructure such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, improved ambient lighting, access control systems, and scanners.
This initiative also reinforces the collaborations that were formally initiated through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2026-037 on Safer School Zones.
Through this circular, guidance on the authorized duties, coordination arrangements, and operational limitations of barangay tanods in maintaining peace, order, and public safety in and around schools were provided.
It also recognizes the complementary role of officials at the local government units (LGUs) and barangay levels in school safety—especially in perimeter security, traffic and crowd management, monitoring of student rush hours, and the prompt reporting and endorsement of incidents to the relevant authorities.
All, while maintaining the authority of school officials and other appropriate agencies.
“Alam natin ang limitasyon sa ating pondo, kaya hindi natin pwedeng iasa sa iilang security personnel lamang ang seguridad ng buong kampus,” said Angara. “Sa pamamagitan ng ating hybrid security model, katuwang natin ang ating mga komunidad at iba pang stakeholders para masiguro natin ang isang ligtas at maayos na kapaligiran para sa bawat paaralan.”
