- The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has handled 74 cases linked to nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) and rescued 42 minors in connection with these cases, as told to a Senate hearing on Thursday, August 20.
- Of the 42 minors rescued, 30 were aged 15 and younger, with many falling within the 12-to-15 age range, according to Police Colonel Richmond Tadina of the PNP-ACG.
- Leads for these cases come from schools and parents, as well as referrals connected to Meta and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
- The hearing also turned to the livestream of the Zamboanga shooting, which remained on Facebook for 14 minutes. The CICC gained visibility about five minutes into the incident and reported it to Meta, which subsequently took the video down, but Hontiveros questioned why another 9 minutes passed before removal.
- Paraiso said the problem was partly jurisdictional: the CICC does not have jurisdiction over social media, gaming, messaging, or streaming platforms whose parent companies are based abroad.
- Hontiveros raised the contagion effect – the possibility that violent material can be repeatedly shared, glorified, and used to influence potential copycats. Paraiso agreed that every second such a video remains available can create harm, particularly when violence is rewarded with virality and sharing.
The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has reported handling 74 cases linked to nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), rescuing 42 minors in the process. Of these, 30 were aged 15 and younger, with many in the 12-to-15 age range, according to Police Colonel Richmond Tadina.12
The leads for these cases have come from various sources, including schools, parents, and referrals from Meta and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Tadina emphasized that the ideology associated with NVE groups is largely foreign to the Philippines, citing examples such as racism and white supremacy.3456
NVE is characterized as a loose online subculture that glorifies violence for its own sake, rather than for traditional political or religious objectives. The Senate hearing also addressed the livestream of a shooting in Zamboanga, which remained on Facebook for 14 minutes before being removed. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) reported the livestream to Meta about five minutes into the incident, but questions arose regarding the 9-minute delay in removal.7
Senator Risa Hontiveros raised concerns about the contagion effect, where violent material can influence potential copycats. Paraiso acknowledged that every second such content remains available can cause harm, especially when violence is rewarded with virality and sharing.89
“Of the 42 rescued minors, 30 were aged 15 and younger, with many in the 12-to-15 range, according to Police Colonel Richmond Tadina. The CICC flagged the livestream to Meta about five minutes in, but Hontiveros questioned why another nine minutes passed before removal.”
Rappler
