MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities are hunting down an individual suspected of grooming and encouraging the minor involved in the fatal school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato, through digital channels, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced Wednesday.
Remulla confirmed that the suspect is currently located within the Philippines, and law enforcement agencies have already pinpointed the individual’s location.
According to the DILG chief, the suspect exploited the student’s personal vulnerabilities, manipulating the minor into believing that committing acts of violence would earn him status and fame.
“They prey upon their insecurities, telling them that they will be glorified if they do something like this. It’s a very insidious way of inciting that kind of hate,” Remulla said.
Investigators previously tied the junior high school student’s behavior to exposure to underground online platforms, pointing to a dangerous trend in digital spaces.
“They now glorify violence through the deep dark web. It’s very alarming,” he stated.
In the wake of recent school shootings across Tacloban, Zamboanga, and Cotabato, government agencies are treating online threats tied to campus violence with heightened urgency, noting that four students were earlier flagged for alarming digital posts.
To address the growing crisis, the national government is considering policy interventions to restrict minors’ access to social media and unsafe websites, drawing inspiration from similar regulatory models implemented in Australia.
Remulla also called on family members to actively monitor their children’s online habits for warning signs of radicalization.
“We’re asking the parents to watch their children kaysa we discover it too late,” he urged.