ARGAO, CEBU – After the gruesome death of a public school teacher that was witnessed by grade school students of Binlud Elementary School in this town, the Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu Province is now considering deploying police auxiliary elements to tighten security in all public schools in the province.

The proposal came after Romeo Duran, 52, a Grade Six adviser at said school was shot by a masked man inside the classroom while having class late afternoon Wednesday last week. The masked man, accompanied by three other men, barged inside the classroom, pointed a gun at Duran and shot him pointblank in the head.

Results of the initial investigation by the police said Duran was killed while he was seated, checking test papers in front of his students.

The gunman was described as wearing shorts, a blue T-shirt, an orange cap, with a scarf covering his face.

Argao Police Station case investigator, SPO1 Arnold Abemir said they are eyeing personal grudges as the main motive behind Duran’s murder after learning that the latter had been in heated arguments with another member of his family.

Parents of Duran’s students say their kids were suffering from trauma after witnessing the coldblooded murder of their teacher, with some refusing to return to school. The students will undergo counseling to be provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Meanwhile, DepEd Cebu Province Division Superintendent Arden Monisit said that during the recent Regional Executive Conference of DepEd, he made a proposal that coordination be made with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the latter agency’s provision of at least one barangay tanod or police auxiliary in every public school to ensure security and/or reinforce already existing security measures in such institutions. (With a report from Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)