FIRING LINE: When no lives matter

FIRING LINE: When no lives matter

By Robert B. Roque Jr. | July 7, 2026

As schools and law enforcement move on from the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban, efforts are underway to tighten campus security and rebuild trust for our children.

It’s good to see counseling being offered and school protocols reviewed, with communities stepping in to help. But beyond these immediate responses, there’s a harder truth we need to face.

A Senate investigation into the attack — carried out by two minors — has pointed to a possible adult “groomer” who allegedly told one of them to erase his digital trail. Authorities are still verifying this, but the Philippine National Police (PNP) has already flagged a possible link to “764,” a network considered a national security threat abroad and labeled a terrorist group in countries like Canada and New Zealand.

What’s alarming is how these groups operate. According to the investigation, platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, and GoreBox may have been used as entry points. GoreBox has since been restricted locally while authorities look into its role.

Research shows a familiar pattern: children meet someone in a game, then get pulled into private messaging apps like Discord or Telegram. From there, they’re slowly isolated and exposed to disturbing content, eventually being pushed to prove loyalty through harmful or violent acts.

And this isn’t just about one group. There’s a wider network — communities like No Lives Matter and others — that thrive on the same idea: violence as a way to belong. Their targets are often isolated kids who spend most of their time online.

That’s the most chilling part. When no lives matter, every child becomes expendable — first as a victim, then as a tool.

Yes, governments are starting to respond. The PNP has committed to stronger cyber patrols and coordination with other countries. Thank you, Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., because this is a necessary first step. But let’s be honest: these decentralized, encrypted networks can easily stay a step ahead if there’s no consistent global effort.

Which brings us back to something much closer to home.

No amount of cyber policing can replace a parent’s attention. These children weren’t taken off the streets — they were groomed right under our noses, on devices we provided, through platforms we barely check.

Leaving a child alone for hours on online games isn’t always harmless. It can be an open door to people with bad intentions. Calling it “trust” doesn’t change that risk.

It’s like raising a python in your hands — feeding it, getting used to it — until one day it turns on you.

Vigilance starts at home. At the end of the day, preventing violence in children isn’t just about policy or policing. It’s about something simpler, but harder to sustain: being present as parents.

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