Senator Hontiveros alarmed by ‘grooming’ of minors into violent extremism via online games

Senator Risa Hontiveros raised the alarm over the emerging pattern of “grooming” among minors into violent extremism, following a testimony from the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) linking online gaming platforms to a foiled school attack plot.

During a Senate Committee on Women hearing on Tuesday, Hontiveros questioned PNP-ACG’s Romeo Desiderio about a foiled school shooting in Calamba, Laguna, where students allegedly began conversations on the gaming platform Roblox.

Desiderio confirmed that authorities conducted a rescue operation on January 13 involving seven high school students, preempting a planned attack scheduled for February 16 during a school event.

The case was flagged by foreign law enforcement partners through the Anti-Terrorism Fusion Group after monitoring suspicious online communications.

According to the PNP-ACG, the exchanges—later traced to Meta Platforms services—contained references to past mass attacks and discussions on weapons such as improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails, along with plans to carry out a school shooting and to die by suicide.

Authorities also uncovered troubling behavioral patterns among the minors, including interest in extremist ideologies and symbolic imagery tied to Nazism, as well as plans to publish manifestos and final messages online.

Hontiveros was deeply concerned over how these influences diverge sharply from the intended purpose of gaming platforms.

“Sobrang nakakabahala po. Talagang 180 degrees away from gaming, itong mga plano gumamit ng mga sandata, gumawa ng karahasan laban sa mga kapwa estudyante at hanggang sa sarili,” she said.

Desiderio said the case is part of a broader trend tied to what authorities call “nihilistic violent extremism” (NVE), where individuals are groomed into believing that life has no value, leading them to justify violence.

He noted that most groomers involved in these cases are based abroad, targeting minors online. “Most of the groomer… they are from abroad,” he said, adding that only one case in their data involved a Filipino suspect—and even then, the victim was located overseas.

The PNP-ACG reported that beyond the Laguna case, it has carried out at least five additional rescue operations involving 12 minors across Marikina, Las Piñas, Negros Occidental, and Pampanga. Seven cases are currently under investigation.

Crucially, Desiderio told the panel that these cases share a common starting point: “it all started in Roblox.”

Hontiveros warned that the pattern suggests a growing and potentially spreading threat, noting the possibility that similar incidents could emerge in other regions if left unchecked.

Investigators found that many of the minors, aged 12 to 15, were exposed to a mix of extremist influences—from Nazism and occult groups to the idolization of perpetrators of mass shootings abroad. Many were also enrolled in private schools, indicating that the issue cuts across socioeconomic lines.

The senator also highlighted how the concept of “grooming,” previously associated mainly with online sexual exploitation cases, is now being observed in the context of violent radicalization.

“Dati naririnig… ang grooming kaugnay ng OSAEC (Only Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children)… pero pati pala dito… may grooming,” she noted.

While initial reports suggested access to firearms, Desiderio clarified that no actual guns were recovered in the Laguna case—only airsoft units and replicas—though some minors had reportedly inquired about firearm training.

The PNP-ACG said it has since intensified cyber patrols, particularly on gaming platforms like Roblox, and has begun coordinating with platform operators to address the issue.