EXPLAINER: Where did the TBS gang come from?

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Philippine authorities are now gathering intelligence and hunting down members of a community-based criminal gang True Brown Style (TBS) across the country.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla recently said that the group is entrenched in all local government units in Metro Manila as well as in 78 provinces.

Remulla said the group traces its roots to the United States and eventually expanded into communities in the Philippines.

TBS originated in California 35 years ago and reached the Philippines about 25 years ago as a small group before developing into what authorities now describe as a criminal syndicate.

In June 2025, TBS was among 13 street gangs that the Valenzuela City government declared persona non grata due to their involvement in curfew violations, illegal drugs, fights, and hazing.

Remulla said some TBS members aged 18 to 20 groom children as young as 14 or 15 and involve them in criminal activities, including the alleged robbery of convenience stores as part of initiation rites.

The authorities' campaign against TBS comes as the government intensifies efforts following community-based criminal groups and the recruitment of minors, as well as fatal school shootings. — RSJ, GMA News