DOJ eyes online ‘mentors’ in Zamboanga school incident

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating possible online recruitment and mentoring of minors in connection with the recent school incident in Zamboanga, Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said Thursday.

Vida said law enforcement agencies are pursuing leads on individuals who may have been engaging minors through text messages and group chats, including possible attempts to influence or recruit them into violent activities.

“We have now teams looking at possibilities,” Vida told reporters. “We’re confirming information” about the alleged mentoring of children and their engagement in online groups.

He said investigators are looking into reports that some minors were being targeted through group chats and exposed to violent content, including violent games, before being recruited or encouraged to engage in violent acts.

Law enforcement agencies are already pursuing the leads, but Vida declined to provide specific details because the investigation remains ongoing.

Asked whether the incident could be considered a terrorist act, Vida said authorities were examining the possibility based on the element of creating fear among the public.

“The purpose of terrorism is to sow fear in the general population,” he said, adding that authorities were determining whether that element was present in the incident.

Vida said the DOJ’s field office in Zamboanga is ready to receive and act on any complaint that law enforcement agencies may file as the investigation progresses.

He also appealed to parents and others exercising parental authority to closely monitor children’s online activities and talk to them about what they encounter on the internet.

“You know your children better. You know your kids better. Please, tutukan natin ang mga bata,” Vida said.

Public urged not to share violent videos

Vida urged the public and the media not to share violent videos or other graphic material linked to the incident, warning that their widespread circulation could encourage copycat acts.

He said restraint was particularly important when dealing with violent content involving minors.

“The real power here is the power of restraint,” Vida said, urging Filipinos to refrain from sharing violent videos even when such material reaches them.

On possible criminal liability for people who reshare violent material, Vida said the DOJ was still studying the issue.

He noted that existing jurisprudence indicates such acts could fall within the sphere of individual freedoms and liberties, adding that he had “serious reservations” about imposing criminal liability on people who merely reshare the material.

Vida said legislation remains among the options being considered by the DOJ, but the department is currently focused on law enforcement efforts against violent extremism.