Three students killed in Philippine school shooting, including gunman, officials say

"The suspect supposedly sat beside his friends and 'because after lunch, I will be executing my plan'. His friends laughed because the shooter was a known joker," Palencia told. Reuters.

"After lunch, he started shooting students. He hit 10 students before killing himself," Palencia added. Read:Gunman fires inside Thai government office as country reels from school shooting.

Last month, a studentlive-streamed himself shootingand killing another student in a classroom in Zamboanga in the country's south before taking ‌his own life. In June, at least three students were killed and about 20 others injured in an attack at a public high school in Tacloban, where two classmates opened fire on campus.

The Philippines has relatively strict gun ownership regulations, including background checks and psychological evaluation requirements, although illegal firearms remain in circulation. The Friday shooting also follows a high-profile incident in Thailand in August, where a student went on ashooting rampage at a schoolon the outskirts of the capital Bangkok.

South Cotabato governor Reynaldo Tamayo urged parents to ensure guns were kept out of reach of minors. "We need to be responsible in storing firearms. Gun owners, in particular, must make sure that minors do not have access to them," Tamayo told.

Reutersby phone. "We cannot expect a handful of security personnel to monitor thousands of students. We need to work together because otherwise this will be very difficult for us to address.

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