QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla has raised concerns over local street gangs allegedly luring adolescents as young as 14 into illicit acts as a requirement for joining.
Remulla singled out a group known as True Brown Style (TBS) as a key target under active government surveillance, pointing out that its members groom young teenagers to pull off crimes.
”There is a group called TBS, True Brown Style. That is our next focus of our attention. We are going to dismantle this syndicate. It’s a community-based syndicate of 20-year-olds who are grooming children as young as 14 and 15 to become criminals,” Remulla said.
According to the DILG chief, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed law enforcement to dismantle TBS alongside similar neighborhood outfits. Reports indicate that gang members aged 18 to 20 persuade 14- and 15-year-olds to hit convenience stores for theft during their initiation rituals.
Authorities aim to crush TBS and parallel entities before they can scale up into more organized criminal networks.
The crackdown on TBS coincides with broader government initiatives targeting individuals who coax youth into violent behavior and lawlessness, including recent campus shooting incidents.
Remulla previously stressed the need to prioritize the mental and psychological health of young people following a rash of violent episodes in schools nationwide.
He emphasized that addressing these underlying issues must go hand-in-hand with heightened security measures enforced across academic institutions.
Viewing recent school-related violence as a critical turning point for law enforcement and local government units, Remulla called on families and local communities to carefully examine the broader pressures affecting youth.
”And maybe even the parents to further be introspective and be empathetic towards what is happening to our children,” Remulla continued.