MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) said there’s a possible link between some cases of fatal school shootings in the country to online “nihilistic violent extremism,” an ideology being spread by unknown actors online to vulnerable targets, often minors, on platforms such as Roblox.

PNP-ACG Deputy Director Colonel Romeo Desiderio shared this at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, April 14, where he cited a series of alarming incidents involving minors allegedly influenced by the type of online extremism.

This comes after a previous report on a foiled planned school shooting in February 2016 in Calamba, Laguna, involving seven minors.

Desiderio cited a case in Marikina in October 2025, when a student reportedly took his father’s licensed firearm, pointed it at a classmate, then at himself and “while joking” fired the gun. The student who brought the gun later died in the hospital.

“When we checked the cellphones and other gadgets of this victim, it showed that he was possibly influenced by this violent extremism,” Desiderio said.

“They advocate violence because they believe life, society, or human existence has no value or meaning,” Desiderio explained.
Another case involved a Grade 12 student in Batangas who, on February 5, brought a .45 caliber firearm to school, fired twice at the classroom floor, and then shot himself despite intervention attempts. He also later died. Again, Desiderio said that they found links to grooming:

“Then we checked the gadgets [of the victim]. He was also possibly groomed to conduct this incident. The parent decided not to file a case,” he said.

Those two cases are part of at least five rescue operations of the PNP-ACG involving 12 minors across areas including Marikina, Las Piñas, Negros Occidental, Batangas, and Pampanga.

In the Las Piñas case, 20 replica guns were recovered.

The cases all involved grooming on Roblox, according to Desiderio. Seven other similar cases also remain under active investigation.

Desiderio also shared new details about the February incident in Laguna. Authorities said they uncovered messages that discussed tactics such as using fire extinguishers for “flash blinding effects,” as well as references to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and Molotov cocktails. The messages expressed an intent to die by suicide after the planned shooting, and before doing so, they were to post a “final YouTube message,” and write a manifesto.

The seven minors had planned to conduct the attack during the school’s foundation week.

“Ito ‘yung information na nakuha natin sa Facebook messages na ito,” Desiderio said, indicating how messaging usually moves from Roblox to other platforms including Telegram and Discord. (This is information we got from Facebook messages.)

Authorities said most of the groomers behind the extremist influence are based abroad, with only one identified locally.

“It goes back to nihilistic violent extremism,” Desiderio explained.

Recovered materials included a “No Lives Matter” shirt and other items linked to extremist ideology. Police also noted that some minors showed interest in Nazism, satanism, and occult groups such as the Order of the Nine Angels, as well as admiration for perpetrators of mass shootings abroad such as those in the US.

The profile of affected minors ranges from 12 to 15 years old, most of whom are students in private schools, suggesting they come from middle- to high-income families.

The PNP-ACG said it continues to monitor online spaces, including gaming platforms, through dedicated cyber patrol operations.

“We have cyber patrollers that are patrolling on Roblox,” Desiderio said.

Roblox responses

In response to concerns, Roblox outlined a series of platform-level interventions aimed at tightening safeguards for younger users. Nicky Jackson Colaco, Roblox vice president and global head of public policy, said the company will roll out an age-tiered access system by early June to better align user experiences with developmental stages.

Under the new framework, “Roblox Kids” accounts for users aged 5 to 8 will have communication features disabled by default and will be limited to a vetted catalog of games that have passed a “rigorous” multi-step screening process. Meanwhile, users aged 9 to 15 under “Roblox Select” will still be allowed to chat, but with filters in place and restrictions limiting interactions to users within similar age groups.

Parental oversight tools, full ID verification for creators whose content is accessible to younger audiences will also be enhanced, Roblox promised. The company also committed to pledging to provide the PNP and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) with 24/7 direct access to Roblox personnel through a dedicated “Green Lane” reporting channel.

Mental health professionals, however, emphasized that technical safeguards alone are insufficient. Dr. Kristine Elaine Abary from the Department of Health representing the National Center for Mental Health underscored the urgency of early intervention, warning that “prevention is better than cure,” particularly because children are biologically and cognitively “immature.”

The Philippine Psychiatric Association’s (PPA) Bernadette Arcenas pointed to a worsening mental health crisis among young people, noting that suicide rates are “getting higher, and they are getting younger.”

At the same time, they warned that parental controls are not a “silver bullet.” Concerns on bypassing age verification restrictions, and parental controls were also raised.

The government agreed on placing Roblox under a three-month probation period to roll out safety improvements. Within that window, a one-month warning may be issued if insufficient progress is observed. Authorities also pushed for Roblox to establish a physical office in the Philippines to make coordination easier.

Roblox‘s Colaco took a cautious stance, saying she was “not in a position” to confirm such a move at this point. – Rappler.com