THE Grade 9 student who opened fire at Banga National High School in South Cotabato had accessed what Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla described as the “deep dark web” and left notes about his depression and plans to carry out the attack, authorities said Saturday.
Remulla said investigators were examining the 14-year-old student’s cellphone, other electronic devices, social media accounts and online activity to determine how digital content, mental health concerns and access to a firearm figured in the shooting.
“He was heavily involved in the deep dark web,” Remulla said at a press briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Remulla did not identify the websites, online communities or specific material allegedly accessed by the student.
He also stopped short of saying that any particular website or online community directly prompted the shooting.
According to Remulla, investigators found notes on the student’s cellphone concerning his depression. His parents reportedly discovered the notes in April and attempted to address the situation.
The student also left a note indicating that he had been planning the attack.
“He left a note saying that... he was planning to do it,” Remulla said.
But Remulla said the victims did not appear to have been specifically targeted.
Remulla said investigators were also looking into violent material in the student’s online activity and his interactions on social media.
He urged parents to closely monitor their children’s use of phones, internet searches, social media, gaming platforms, private chats and websites.
“I appeal to parents: please check your children’s phones. Check what they are searching for. This is not an issue of privacy — they are your children, and you ought to know what they are looking at,” Remulla said in Filipino.
He said the government was studying measures to protect minors from harmful online content and would coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and Congress on possible restrictions concerning children’s access to social media.
Remulla said the government had also met with game developers because children can use gaming platforms to communicate before moving to other social media or messaging platforms where conversations continue outside the games.
He said the incident should also prompt greater attention to depression and other mental health concerns among children.
“The depression is real,” Remulla said, stressing the need to make appropriate medical and psychiatric interventions available to young people.
The secretary cautioned against immediately blaming the parents, school, police or local government, saying the shooting required a coordinated response involving families, schools, communities and government agencies.
“We should not put blame on anyone and rather, we should have empathy and condole with those who lost their lives. We must act together as a country,” he said.
School security
Remulla said the government was also considering additional security measures in schools, including metal detectors.
He said police officers and barangay tanods were already stationed at the school and that bags were being inspected before the shooting, but the student was still able to bring the firearm inside.
He explained that routinely frisking students could be intrusive and could be misinterpreted, making metal detectors a possible additional security measure without requiring physical searches.
The government will review existing school security arrangements with the DILG, PNP, schools, local governments and parents, Remulla said.
He also said the shooting should prompt a broader discussion on the exposure of children to harmful online material, access to firearms and the availability of mental health services.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said DepEd would also investigate the possible influence of a “true crime community” on the student involved in the incident.
“That is really what we want to investigate because we are not familiar with that,” he said in Filipino.
