Senate to probe online radicalization

The Senate will open an investigation into Monday’s fatal school shooting in Tacloban City to determine if the incident was connected to the growing concerns over the online radicalization of young people.

The inquiry set to begin on 1 July will aim to determine whether online and gaming platforms could be held liable following reports they are being weaponized by “groomers” to encourage children to be radically violent.

“[Online platforms] are becoming a breeding ground for groups that brainwash and radicalize children…someone has to be held accountable,” Senator Risa Hontiveros stressed.

The investigation would be a continuation of the 14 April hearing launched by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality chaired by Hontiveros.

At that hearing, authorities found that the recent spate of extremist activities in schools was traced to gaming platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Free Fire.

One of the examples of extremist activities, according to the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group, was the mass shooting plotted by a group of students in Calamba, Laguna, supposedly during their foundation week.

Local police thwarted the plan in March after they were notified by their foreign counterparts.

The police said the intel helped them follow a digital trail and found that the suspect initially had gotten in touch with the minors through Roblox before shifting to private messaging on Facebook.

As a result of this, lawmakers and cybercrime authorities have pushed to mandate age verification and child safety standards on gaming platforms.

Hontiveros said they will follow up with the online and gaming platforms concerned to see whether there has been any development on the proposals once the Senate investigation resumes on 1 July.

Police Regional Office–Eastern Visayas said that one of the minor suspects in the 22 June shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City was playing the violent online game “Gorebox.”

The shooting incident took the lives of three students and wounded several others. The suspects, aged 14 and 15, were Grade 9 students at the school.