Two female high school students, reportedly friends, were found dead within the premises of Signal Village National High School in Taguig City, just before midnight on November 10, 2023.
According to a relative of one of the victims, her cousin was a 13-year-old Grade 8 student, while her friend was a 15-year-old Grade 10 student, both residents of Barangay Central Signal Village.
A 16-year-old student and Barangay Emergency Response Team (BERT) Officer was the first to discover the two young girls hanging from the iron grills of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines room on the third floor of the Magsaysay Building.
The BERT Officer alerted the guards, revealing the victims hanging by a cord, which was promptly cut.
Police were the first to open the door of the room using a bolt cutter, as the iron grill door was padlocked with curtains obstructing the view. They found the bodies of the two girls lying on the floor after the guards had cut the cord from their necks.
In a Facebook post, a cousin of one of the victims pleaded for help: "Our family is asking and begging for your help- to all the classmates, teachers, and friends of 'I' and her classmate, 'M,' please come forward and tell the truth. Both were found dead last night, allegedly hanging according to the guards of Signal Village National High School. They said there is no working CCTV in the school. Please look into this DEPED TAPAT-Division of Taguig City and Pateros DepEd Philippines and Mayor Lani Cayetano."
The cousin of the victim also expressed disbelief at the notion that her cousin had committed suicide.
"My cousin was an honor student and part of the GSP. She's in Grade 8, Gold Section. She would not dare kill herself."
In the initial investigation conducted by the Taguig City Police and the Scene of Crime Operation (SOCO), they found no signs of foul play in the deaths of the two students.
"The initial evidence gathered by the Philippine National Police-Taguig and the Scene of Crime Operation (SOCO) do not indicate foul play in the deaths of two female high school students whose lifeless bodies were discovered almost midnight of Friday, Nov 10, at Signal Village National High School. PNP-Taguig urges the public to refrain from making speculations that could worsen the situation experienced by the grieving families."
The Taguig City Police assured that they will continue their investigation and will immediately release the results.
