DepEd joins world in mourning Peshawar attack victims

The Philippine Department of Education on Friday joined the world in mourning the massacre of innocent students in a school in Pakistan by the Taliban.

 

In a solidarity statement, DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro condemned the attack on the Peshawar school.

 

"We are one with the world in mourning for the hundreds of lives lost and dreams unfulfilled. We will continue to provide light through prayers for the survivors and bereft families in this moment of darkness and grief. We pray that they find strength and healing in their path to recovery," Luistro said.

 

He also said the DepEd and Filipino students condemn the Taliban’s "outright terrorism against defenseless school personnel and innocent children in Peshawar, Pakistan."

 

"We stand firm in the belief that education and children should not be casualties in any conflict nor be subjected to any form of violence. All schools are zones of peace, free from strife and serving as beacons of peace and knowledge," he said.

 

Earlier, President Benigno Aquino III also condemned the massacre, voicing outrage over the killing of innocent schoolchildren and school officials and personnel.

 

Aquino branded as "senseless" the deaths of so many young lives, even as he scored the "barbarism" of this attack as "an affront to all civilized peoples."

 

"There can be no justification for this tragedy, which has dishonored Islam," he said. — Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News