18/08/2026
IN SYMPATHY WITH ALL THOSE AFFECTED
TheraPathPH Therapy Center – Zamboanga joins the Zamboanga community in mourning following the tragic incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus.
Our hearts are with the families who have lost loved ones, those who were injured and are recovering, the students, educators, school community, and every family whose life has been touched by this tragedy.
There are moments when words feel insufficient. For families grieving, waiting beside a hospital bed, comforting a frightened child, or simply trying to understand what happened, the weight of this moment may be impossible for the rest of us to fully comprehend.
We stand against gun violence.
We stand against bullying in all its forms.
We stand for the safety, dignity, and well-being of every child.
But while our community mourns, we ask for something equally important:
PLEASE CHOOSE COMPASSION.
Behind every name being shared online is a human being.
Behind every photograph is someone’s child, sibling, parent, friend, or loved one.
And behind the headlines are families who may be grieving, frightened, overwhelmed, or facing public attention at one of the most painful moments of their lives.
No innocent family member—especially a child—should become the target of harassment, threats, ridicule, public shaming, or retaliation because of another person’s actions.
We can mourn with the victims.
We can condemn violence.
We can seek answers and accountability through the proper authorities.
And we can do all of these things without creating additional victims.
BEFORE YOU POST, SHARE, COMMENT OR REPOST — PLEASE PAUSE.
In moments of tragedy, what we put online matters.
Before pressing “share,” ask yourself:
Is it verified?
Rumors and incomplete information can cause lasting harm.
Is it necessary?
Not everything we receive needs to be forwarded.
Could this hurt someone who is already grieving?
Could this expose a child or an innocent family member?
Is the photo or video graphic, violent, or deeply distressing?
Am I sharing information—or simply adding more anger?
Would I want this shared if it were my own child or family?
Please avoid circulating graphic images or videos, private conversations, unverified screenshots, names or photographs of minors, addresses, family relationships, or personal information about people who were not directly involved.
Even when something is already circulating publicly, we do not have to help it travel further.
Sometimes compassion means not reposting.
Sometimes kindness means refusing to participate in speculation.
Sometimes protecting another person simply means giving them privacy and space to grieve.
⸻🖤
TO OUR PARENTS & CAREGIVERS
Please check in with your children during the days ahead—not only physically, but emotionally.
Children process frightening events in different ways.
Some may ask many questions.
Others may suddenly become quiet, fearful, clingy, irritable, angry, withdrawn, have difficulty sleeping, or become afraid of going to school or leaving home.
Sit beside them.
Listen before explaining.
Let them ask questions.
Reassure them.
Ask gently what they have seen online, what their classmates are talking about, and what may be circulating in their group chats.
Remind them:
You do not have to repost disturbing content.
You do not have to participate in cruel conversations.
You should never bully, shame, threaten, or target another child or family.
And when something online makes you afraid or concerned, tell a trusted adult.
Please also pay attention to significant changes in your child’s sleep, appetite, behavior, school attendance, communication, or emotional regulation.
Maintain familiar routines whenever possible and remind them that the adults around them are there to listen and help keep them safe.
If your child tells you they are being bullied, threatened, or feel unsafe, listen carefully and take them seriously.
If they encounter threatening messages, violent content, or concerning statements suggesting that someone may harm themselves or another person, encourage them not to challenge, mock, repost, or amplify it—but to immediately show it to a responsible adult so appropriate help can be sought.
Early listening matters.
Speaking up matters.
Taking children seriously matters.
OUR CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US, TOO.
They are watching how adults respond when emotions are high.
They are listening to the words we use about people we may not personally know.
They are learning from whether we choose compassion or cruelty, responsibility or rumor, kindness or ridicule.
Let us teach them that accountability and compassion can exist together.
Let us teach them that we do not need to know every detail of another family’s story before deciding to treat them with dignity.
Let us teach them that a tragedy should never become entertainment.
And let us teach them that no child should carry the consequences of something they did not do.
To every family affected by this tragedy—those mourning someone they love, those caring for someone recovering, those comforting frightened children, and those carrying pain that the public may never fully understand:
Our hearts are with you.
May you be given the privacy, support, strength, and compassion you need in the difficult days ahead.
We respectfully ask our community:
Please do not spread rumors.
Please do not share graphic content.
Please do not expose the identities or private circumstances of children.
Please do not target innocent family members.
Please report genuinely concerning behavior instead of amplifying it online.
Please allow grieving families the space to grieve.
May we support those who were harmed without causing further harm.
May we be gentler with one another.
May we listen more carefully to our children.
May we speak up when something feels wrong.
And may we continue building communities where every child can feel safe, heard, protected, and valued.
For those we lost.
For those who are healing.
For every grieving family.
For every frightened child.
For the entire Ateneo de Zamboanga University community.
For Zamboanga.
🕊️ Pause before you post.
Listen before you judge.
Speak up when something is wrong.
Protect our children.
Choose compassion. Choose kindness. Choose safety. Choose peace.
— TheraPath Therapy Center - Zamboanga Branch
