Banga school shooting suspect's recruiter identified, pursued -- Jonvic Remulla

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Authorities are pursuing a person suspected of influencing the minor involved in the fatal Sept. 18 school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Tuesday.

In a statement, Remulla said the suspected recruiter is in the Philippines and that authorities have already identified his location.

“[Nasa] Pilipinas [yung] recruiters. Nahuli na namin yung isa. We’re chasing him right now,” Remulla said.

(The recruiters are in the Philippines. We’ve caught one. We’re chasing him right now.)

According to Remulla, the suspect allegedly preyed on the student's insecurities and encouraged violence by making the student believe that committing such an act would bring recognition.

“They prey upon their insecurities, telling them that they will be glorified if they do something like this… It’s a very insidious way of inciting that kind of hate,” Remulla said.

Earlier, Remulla said investigators had linked the junior high school student's actions to exposure to the deep web, where he said violent acts were being glorified.

Following school shooting incidents in Tacloban, Zamboanga and Cotabato, Remulla said authorities were taking online threats involving school violence seriously.

Four students had previously been apprehended over Facebook posts related to threats, according to Remulla.

The Philippine government is considering a broader response to school violence, including possible measures to limit minors' access to social media and websites, similar to measures adopted in Australia, Remulla said.

He also called on parents to closely monitor their children and watch for signs that they may be getting involved in online communities that promote violence.— MCG, GMA News