MANILA — Saying that schools are “sanctuaries of learning for the youth,” President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored today the need to keep all school campuses safe and secure to avoid incidents such as the senseless killings that took place on Tuesday at the Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
At the same time, the President expressed her condolences to the grieving families, students, staff and faculty of the university, and offered prayers for the victims of the worst school shooting in the United States history.
“We are one with the world in condoling with the victims of the senseless killings in Virginia Tech University,” the President said in a statement.
“The unfortunate incident magnifies the need to keep all campuses safe and secure at all times as sanctuaries of learning for the youth,” she stressed.
“We offer prayers and sympathies to the grieving families, students, staff and faculty of Virginia Tech University, and to the people of the United States during this difficult time,” the President added.
Reports said that on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), Cho Seung-hui, a South Korean student at the Virginia Tech University, went on a shooting rampage in the school campus, killing 32 people and injuring up to 50 others before killing himself. (OPS)
