NBI 7 rescued a 16-year-old in Cebu City for allegedly running an online group that groomed members to commit violent acts, including planned school shootings.
The minor is in DSWD custody as a child in conflict with the law under RA 9344, while agents investigate alleged AI-generated child abuse material and photo requests.
Following recent school violence, government agencies blocked violent sites and game GoreBox, while lawmakers move to advance online child safety legislation.
THE National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI 7) has rescued a 16-year-old in Cebu City who allegedly ran an online group that groomed its members, some of them minors, to commit acts of violence, including school shootings.
No case has yet been filed yet. The minor is now in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as a child in conflict with the law.
NBI 7 said the group was planning to livestream of violent act involving one adult and two minors, scheduled for December or early February.
The investigation began in August, when NBI 7’s foreign counterparts shared intelligence about a possible school shooting. On Sept. 23, agents served a search warrant and seized several electronic devices.
According to NBI 7 Agent Maria Contessa Lastimoso, such groups like this usually begin with simple conversations and friendships. Once trust is built, recruits are brought to an exclusive website for young members who agree to carry out the group’s aims.
The investigation revealed that the minor used several online identities and took part in chats about weapons and mass shootings.
NBI 7 is also looking into allegations involving child sexual abuse material generated with artificial intelligence, as well as a request for nude photos from another minor.
Custody, not arrest
NBI 7 called the operation a rescue, and the word reflects how Philippine law treats a minor accused of an offense.
Under Republic Act (RA) 9344, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, such a minor is considered a child in conflict with the law.
Law enforcers have eight hours to turn the child over to the social welfare office or an accredited group, and the child cannot be held in a detention cell. The goal is counseling and diversion away from the criminal justice system, not punishment.
When a minor can be held liable
Whether the 16-year-old can be held criminally liable comes down to discernment. Under RA 9344, as amended by RA 10630, a child 15 or younger is exempt from criminal liability. A child above 15 but below 18 is also exempt and placed in an intervention program, unless the child acted with discernment.
At 16, the minor falls in that second group. Discernment refers to whether a child grasps the moral side of a wrongful act and its consequences, and NBI 7 has not said whether it will argue that the minor acted with it.
Confidentiality rules under RA 7610 (anti-child abuse law) and RA 9344 protect the identities and records of both child victims and children in conflict with the law, which is why the minor is identified here only by age and city.
Where grooming fits in the law
In its warrant application, NBI 7 cited RA 7610 and RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act. It was also looking at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
The law that most directly covers online child exploitation, however, is RA 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Act. It defines grooming as building trust or an emotional connection with a child, in person or online, for sexual abuse or exploitation.
Last September, NBI 7 reported the first grooming case in Cebu. Parents found explicit messages and photos on their child’s phone, and investigators said an adult had posed as a fan of the child’s online content before persuading the child to send explicit photos.
A string of school attacks
In the past four months, three shooting incidents happened inside school premises. On June 22 in Tacloban, two students opened fire at San Jose National High School, killing three students and wounding 20. On Aug. 18, a 14-year-old at Ateneo de Zamboanga University shot a senior schoolmate in a livestreamed attack. And on Sept. 18 in Banga, South Cotabato, a 16-year-old student killed at least two classmates.
Since June 16, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has recorded 50 incidents involving minors in schools. The government has responded by blocking websites it says lure children toward violence and by temporarily banning the video game GoreBox.
The PNP wants the age of criminal responsibility lowered from 15 to 12, a proposal the Cebu Provincial Board backed on July 6. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has not endorsed it, and child-rights groups oppose it. Any change would require Congress to amend RA 9344.
Lawmakers are also moving on online safety. The House has approved on second reading the Child Online Safety and Protection Act of 2026, which would cover AI-generated abuse material and criminalize grooming and sexual extortion. In the Senate, Sen. Risa Hontiveros has sponsored a separate, expanded anti-online sexual abuse bill.
What parents can do
NBI 7 urged parents to talk with their children and keep watch over their screen time and online activity. Conditioning toward violence, it said, builds slowly when a child is left alone with a screen and no guidance.
Reports of online child exploitation can be made to the NBI Cybercrime Division, through 911, or on the 1343 Actionline. / ABC, ANV