Police target ‘True Brown Style’ gang exploiting minors

Members of the street gang True Brown Style (TBS) have established a presence across all local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila and 78 of the country’s 83 provinces, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla warned Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a police vehicle turnover at Camp Olivas, Remulla disclosed that the syndicate originated in California before taking root in the Philippines roughly 25 years ago, concentrated primarily in major urban centers.

“They are in every LGU in Metro Manila,” Remulla said during the event transferring 48 motorcycles to the Unified 911 Emergency Hotline.

“Of the 83 provinces, I think they are in 78. In some areas their presence is large, in others small,” he added.

The DILG identified the gang as a community-based criminal syndicate composed primarily of teenagers and young adults.

Authorities noted that the group systematically recruits children as young as 14 to participate in criminal activities, including armed robberies of convenience stores as part of initiation rites.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed law enforcement agencies to dismantle the group following reports of its expanding recruitment network.

Remulla confirmed that the Philippine National Police is holding command conferences and consolidating intelligence data to locate and arrest syndicate members nationwide while disrupting their recruitment of minors.