DILG gathering info on 'TBS gang': We will get them

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Members of the community-based criminal gang True Brown Style (TBS) have established a presence in all local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila and in 78 provinces, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Wednesday.

Remulla described cases involving TBS as extremely alarming that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered authorities to dismantle the organization.

“Nagko-command conference kaming lahat ng pulis ngayon. Gina-gather na namin ang intel kung sino ang mga miyembro nito, and we will get them,” he said.

(We had a command conference. We are gathering intelligence on who the members are, and we will get them.)

TBS originated in California, United States and reached the Philippines about 25 years ago as a small group before developing into a criminal syndicate, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.

“They are in every LGU in Metro Manila. Of the 83 provinces, I think nasa 78 na sila. ‘Yung iba malaki, ‘yung iba maliit. Mostly sa mga urban centers sila nagko-concentrate,” Remulla said.

(They are in every LGU in Metro Manila. Of the 83 provinces, I think they are in 78. Some are big, some are small. They are mostly concentrated in urban centers.)

DILG said the group is composed largely of members in their late teens and early 20s and also recruits children as young as 14 to 15 years old and grooms them for criminal activities.

Remulla said initiation rites for new members may include robbing convenience stores at gunpoint.

“At 16 years old, tinuturuan na silang magnakaw,” he said.

(At 16 years old, they are already being taught to steal.)

Communities and families are advised to remain vigilant against criminal groups that prey on minors and threaten peace and order. —VAL, GMA News