A 20-year-old Grade 11 student shot and killed his teacher at Balabagan Trade School in Lanao del Sur on 4 Aug 2025.
The victim was Danilo Barba, who taught at the school in Barangay Narra, Balabagan town.
The suspect, known only as “alias Kaizer”, used a caliber .45 pistol to shoot as the teacher entered the school campus.
Teachers, bystanders and tricycle drivers at the scene identified the suspect. He committed the crime alone while riding his motorcycle.
The student fled immediately after shooting Barba.
Col Caesar Cabuhat, provincial director for Lanao del Sur Police Provincial Office, said the suspect confessed to the crime. The motive was personal hatred after receiving a failing grade from Barba.
Police Arrest Student After Brother Surrenders Him
The suspect’s own brother, a police officer assigned in Lanao del Sur, personally surrendered him to authorities six days after the killing.
Cabuhat said the suspect had been hiding among relatives in Marogong town before his surrender.
Police filed a murder charge against the suspect on 5 Aug 2025, the day after the shooting.
The suspect told police he harboured no personal grudges against other teachers except for Barba.
Police have not disclosed how the student obtained the firearm. The investigation continues.
Schools Condemn Violence as Teachers Fear for Safety
Several teachers who also gave the suspect failing marks expressed worry about their security following the incident.
Cabuhat met with school officials last week to arrange police security assistance during the upcoming enrollment period.
The Schools Division Office of Lanao del Sur II and the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education condemned the violence on 10 Aug 2025.
“We strongly condemn this senseless and violent act that took away the life of an educator who committed himself to the service of our learners and the community,” said Lanao del Sur II Schools Division Superintendent Rubina Mimbantas Macabunar.
MBHTE Minister Mohager Iqbal called the killing “painful and unacceptable”.
“Teachers are pillars of our communities and their safety must be safeguarded at all times,” Iqbal said. “There is no place in our society for brutality, especially against those whose mission is to nurture and uplift the lives of others through education.”
The Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office has assured teachers of increased security measures to prevent similar incidents.
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