By Dhel Nazario
Senator Risa Hontiveros has raised alarm over what she described as a dangerous recruitment network that may have influenced minors involved in the June 22 Tacloban City school shooting.
During Senate hearings, Hontiveros presented evidence pointing to suspected adult groomers operating under online aliases such as “Sedykh Ryazanov” and “Date Larping.”
These accounts, she said, may have recruited minors—including one of the suspects known as “Nash”—and even posted instructions to delete digital traces after the attack.
Investigators believe these profiles are part of a wider web of accounts expressing support for school shootings and violent acts.
Hontiveros further linked the incident to the extremist network “764,” a group originating in Texas and allegedly founded by then-15-year-old Bradley Cadenhead.
According to U.S. authorities, including the FBI, the group has coerced minors into sexual exploitation, harming pets, self-harm, and even suicide.
Canada has already designated “764” as a terrorist organization, while U.S. agencies have warned parents about its activities.
The senator explained that networks like “764” prey on vulnerable youth by first offering them a sense of belonging, then gradually pushing them toward nihilistic violent extremism (NVE).
Online games such as Roblox, Minecraft, and GoreBox have reportedly been used as recruitment platforms, where members circulate materials on sextortion, weapon-making, and violent acts.
“This means there are real people behind these profiles,” Hontiveros said, stressing that the Tacloban shooting may be part of a broader pattern of online radicalization.
Her office has submitted the findings to the NBI for validation, urging authorities to determine whether a larger recruitment network is operating before more children fall victim.
