Philippine authorities are confronting an anonymous and widespread online threat tied to a recent surge in school violence after two fatal shootings occurred within two months.
The issue came to light on Monday, August 24, during a House Committee on Appropriations budget hearing featuring officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Both agencies warned of “groomers” operating on online gaming platforms and private group chats to incite youth violence.
Addressing lawmakers regarding the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte, Justice Secretary Frederick Vida stated that local authorities have indicted the firearm owner for criminal negligence.
Vida revealed that investigators uncovered a deliberate effort by online perpetrators to lure young players into private chat channels.
“This has been conveyed and relayed to our law enforcement agencies…yung mga naglalaro po, yun pong mga anak natin o yung nagpa-particpate sa games, mayroon invitation sa kanila to join a separate chat room na kung saan ang nakikita po nating pattern, may mga groomers po na tinatawag doon where they are enhanced, yung level of violence, yung level of getting more points,” Vida said.
He added that authorities are working to determine the full scope and underlying motives of these individuals.
The Tacloban incident involved two Grade 9 students, aged 14 and 15, who used a .38 revolver and a 9mm pistol to fatally shoot three fellow minors before being subdued. The tragedy was followed by an August 18 shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, where a Grade 9 student killed a schoolmate before taking his own life.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag emphasized that the Tacloban attack was not an isolated event. He revealed that intelligence monitoring discovered private chat groups where future attacks were actively being organized and scheduled.
“As early as doon sa event ng Tacloban, we see that it is not an isolated case but it is designed na ganyan talaga na gagawin nila. And we monitored that mayroon pa silang mga naka-schedule sila na mga previous attacks in the coming months,” Matibag informed the panel.
“In fact there is a group chat na mayroon sila na we used to monitor pero nag-disband sila,” he added.
In response, a Philippine delegation—comprising representatives from the NBI, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Office of the Executive Secretary, and the Office of the House Speaker—is scheduled to meet with Meta representatives in Singapore on Wednesday, August 26, to address the proliferation of these online groups.