DILG chief on TBS gang recruiting minors: ‘We will get them’

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla warned about the criminal group True Brown Style (TBS), recruiting minors through robbery initiations, assuring that authorities are gathering intelligence on its members and will “get them.”

“Now this has become too much. We are holding command conferences with all the police, and we are gathering intelligence on who their members are, and we will get them,” said Remulla in an ambush interview after a turnover ceremony in Pampanga on Wednesday.

“Now, as part of their recruitment, before you can join the group, you have to rob a convenience store at gunpoint,” Remulla said.

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Remulla said the government’s focus on TBS intensified after authorities observed that most crimes declined following the implementation of the Safer Cities program, while robbery cases increased.

“TBS started 35 years ago in California. It came to the Philippines 25 years ago, but it was small back then. Now, they have become radicalized,” said Remulla.

Remulla said the issue is a national problem, urging parents to monitor their children’s activities, including checking their phones, knowing who they communicate with and watching for anyone who may be influencing or shaping their minds. /das