SEN. Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday there were indications that the Tacloban school shooting was influenced by a group called “764,” which had been designated a “terrorist group” in Canada and a “national security threat” in the United States.
Hontiveros, chairman of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, conducted the first public hearing on the June 22 shooting incident that killed three students and wounded several others. In her opening statement, Hontiveros said the group, which has a global reach, allegedly looked for vulnerable minors online to encourage them to “commit horrible things.” She said that according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the leaders of 764 “are pushing victims to create graphic pornography, to harm family pets, to cut themselves with sharp objects, or to even die by suicide.” “How? They befriend them first. They will give them a sense of belonging,” Hontiveros said in Filipino. “There were indications that this NVE — nihilistic violent extremism — networks use [online] games such Roblox, Minecraft and GoreBox as recruitment havens,” she said in Filipino and English. Inquiry opens Six of the relatives of the victims in the shooting at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City participated in the Senate inquiry. Two of the relatives of the wounded victims were present — Janica Bituin, elder sister of Gerric, and Rolando Lapidario, father of Kaye. Gerric sustained gunshot wounds in the neck and jaw while Kaye got a bullet wound on the hip. They are now in stable condition. Jennelyn Badoria and Jamie Separa, parents of Joyancee, who was killed in the shooting, participated in the inquiry online. The aunt of the 14-year-old suspect known as alias “Nash,” Police Staff Sgt. Arla Ray Paciencia was also present. She owned the firearm used in the shooting incident. Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian attended the public hearing as well. Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, Information Secretary Henry Aguda and Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. were not able to attend but sent their representatives. The investigation questioned institutional lapses regarding gun control and how the minors involved in the Tacloban incident managed to gain access to the firearms. Cry for justice The mother of one of the students killed in the Tacloban school shooting cried out for justice for her daughter and wanted jail time, not just rehabilitation, for minors involved in heinous crime. Jennelyn Badoria, mother of Joyancee Separa killed in the incident, who attended the public hearing online, agreed with the proposal of Sen. Raffy Tulfo to lower the age of criminal liability of children in conflict with the law. “They killed [someone]. And yet, he would only be housed in Bahay Pag-asa?” an emotional Badoria said in Filipino. “If possible, lower the age of criminal liability because the shooter said he would not be held liable. They should feel the pain [of losing a loved one],” Badoria said. The relatives of the students who sustained gunshot wounds during the incident echoed Badoria’s call. Tulfo called for stronger school security, tighter monitoring of online threats and improved rehabilitation programs for children in conflict with the law, saying authorities must address the root causes of youth violence. During the hearing, Tulfo said bullying, negative social media influence, family problems and gang involvement are among the major drivers of violent behavior among the youth. “If we want lasting solutions, we cannot afford to examine just one piece of the puzzle. We must see the entire picture,” he said. Tulfo criticized the lack of preventive security measures in schools, noting that recommendations to install metal detectors, CCTV cameras and strengthen campus security had long been raised but were not fully implemented. He supported the Department of Education’s (DepEd) school safety audit but pointed out that many schools still lack fences, adequate security and permanent guards. Citing DepEd data, he said only 2,242 permanent security guards serve nearly 48,000 public schools nationwide. The senator also questioned the low utilization of the Special Education Fund by some local government units, saying unused funds could have been spent on school security improvements such as CCTV systems, fencing and security personnel. Beyond school campuses, Tulfo warned of growing online threats to children. While noting the Philippine Pediatric Society’s recommendation against unsupervised social media use for children aged 16 and below, he said the goal is to protect children by identifying warning signs before violence occurs. “When a child posts a gun, school-shooting references, or other violent content, it shouldn’t just be a news feed. It should be a red flag,” he said. Sen. Mark Villar renewed his call to strengthen mental health programs in schools, saying better emotional and psychological support for students is essential to preventing future tragedies following recent incidents involving minors, including the fatal school shooting in Tacloban City. “These incidents are a reminder that it is not just physical security that we need to strengthen in our schools. We also need to ensure that there is adequate support for the mental and emotional health of our students,” Villar said. He stressed that schools should provide not only quality education but also strong guidance and counseling services to help students cope with personal, emotional and social challenges. Cash aid for victimsOn Wednesday, the Palace said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the release of more than P1 million of cash aid to the families of students who died and were injured in a school shooting in Tacloban city last week. “Heartbreaking, that’s what President Marcos Jr. felt in the incident in Tacloban, where some young people gave their lives to save other classmates. Young people are victimized and young people are also doing the victimizing,” said Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, speaking in Filipino. The cash aid, she added, would be sourced from the Office of the President and would be on top of the various forms of assistance already by the DepEd, and Department of Social Welfare and Development. “The families of the three students who died will receive P150,000 each and the 18 students who were injured in the shooting will receive P50,000 each,” Castro said. Critical lesson The Office of Civil Defense in Eastern Visayas (OCD-8) urged the public and government agencies to treat the recent school shooting in Tacloban City as a critical lesson that should strengthen disaster preparedness and crisis prevention efforts. OCD-8 Operations Section chief Rysiah Saises said disasters occur when communities are unable to recover immediately after being struck by either natural or human-induced hazards. “Under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management framework, we must not only know what disasters are but also learn from the disasters and incidents we have experienced so that they will not happen again,” Saises said. “The unfortunate incident that happened in a school in Tacloban should now be treated as a lesson learned because if we fail to learn from it, it could eventually lead to a crisis or even a disaster,” Saises said. Saises stressed that schools should remain safe spaces for learners, making it imperative for authorities to implement preventive measures before similar incidents escalate. She said government agencies have already begun coordinating interventions for affected students, including mental health and psychosocial support, financial assistance and other recovery programs through partner agencies. “It is unfortunate that this happened in our region, and we are saddened by what occurred, but the government is already taking steps to ensure that this incident will not happen again,” Saises said. BERNADETTE TAMAYO, JAVIER JOE ISMAEL, KRISTINA MARALIT AND MOISES CRUZ
