Senate Probe Exposes Online Grooming Network Behind Tacloban School Shooting

In a recent ANC 24/7 report, the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality uncovered an alleged adult groomer operating under the Facebook profile name Sedykh Ryazanov who messaged one of the Tacloban shooters after the June 22 attack at San Jose National High School in Barangay San Jose, Tacloban City, Leyte.

Senate Probe Exposes Online Grooming Network Behind Tacloban School Shooting

Manila, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros, held its July 1 hearing and identified an alleged adult groomer who contacted the 15-year-old shooter through Facebook after the June 22 attack that left three students dead at San Jose National High School.

Senate Probe Identifies Alleged Adult Groomer

Senator Risa Hontiveros presented evidence during the July 1 hearing that the Facebook account Sedykh Ryazanov sent a direct message to the 15-year-old shooter stating, "Na-edit na kita boy sa TikTok. Make sure na-delete mo ang Discord, Reddit, Telegram para walang evidence mahanap."

The profiles of the 14-year-old shooter known as Nash, the account Sedykh Ryazanov, and another account linked to the 15-year-old shooter Rod were active on Meta platforms before deactivation, and Senate investigators confirmed real individuals operated these accounts rather than automated bots.

Meta head of public policy lawyer Gio Tiongson attended the hearing and received the committee's request for full account data on the three profiles connected to the San Jose National High School incident in Tacloban City, Leyte.

The findings matter for families across Leyte because they show how online contacts can reach students inside public high schools under DepEd jurisdiction without immediate detection by parents or barangay officials.

The '764' Connection: Online Extremism Reaches Philippine Classrooms

The Senate probe linked the Tacloban shooting to the online extremist group 764, which forms part of the Nihilistic Violent Extremism network already designated a national security threat by the FBI and a terrorist organization by the Canadian government.

Group 764 recruits vulnerable minors through online games including Roblox, Minecraft, and GoreBox using a documented seven-layer process that begins with befriending and moves through isolation, grooming, and coercion toward violence.

One of the Tacloban shooters posted a photo wearing a KMFDM shirt, an item used within Nihilistic Violent Extremism circles to reference Columbine shooters, while alleged group members left comments praising the 15-year-old on his Facebook page after the June 22 attack.

These connections affect students in Tacloban and other Visayas cities because they reveal how foreign extremist networks can target children who feel isolated in their local barangays and schools.

How the Grooming Network Operates

The seven-layer recruitment process used by 764 includes pushing victims to create graphic pornography, harm family pets, engage in self-harm, or die by suicide, according to evidence presented at the July 1 Senate hearing.

Materials shared within the network cover sextortion tactics, instructions for making weapons and explosives, and other dangerous activities that Senate investigators say reached at least one student at San Jose National High School in Barangay San Jose.

Senator Hontiveros stated that these are leads sent to the National Bureau of Investigation for verification and that a wider network may exist that must be stopped before more children in Philippine communities are harmed.

The risk extends to families of overseas Filipino workers whose children often spend extra hours online without direct parental supervision in provinces such as Leyte.

The June 22 Attack: What Happened

At approximately 9:20 AM on June 22, the 14-year-old student Nash and the 15-year-old student Rod opened fire inside San Jose National High School in Barangay San Jose, Tacloban City, Leyte, using a .38 caliber revolver and a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

The 15-year-old shooter entered a police officer's house unlawfully and forcibly damaged a locker to obtain one of the firearms used in the attack that killed three students and wounded 20 others, with 15 suffering direct injuries.

The 15-year-old now faces three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder, and multiple counts of serious physical injuries, while the 14-year-old remains under Department of Social Welfare and Development care and is exempt from criminal liability under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act.

The incident directly impacted the daily routines of students, teachers, and jeepney drivers serving the San Jose area, forcing temporary class suspensions and increased Philippine National Police presence at public schools in Tacloban City.

Victims and Their Families

Chris Lorenz Fabian, a 15-year-old Grade 10 Boy Scout, was killed while trying to block the door during the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School, leaving his family in Tacloban City to cope with the loss of a community volunteer.

Joyancee Separa, also 15 and in Grade 10, and Ayessa Nicole Dazo, 14 and in Grade 9, were the other students killed, with their families now navigating funeral arrangements and long-term support needs in Barangay San Jose.

Twenty other students suffered wounds, and the 15 directly injured students require ongoing medical care that strains local health resources in Leyte province.

These losses hit close-knit barangay communities where bayanihan traditions normally support grieving families, yet the sudden violence from within the school has left many parents questioning safety measures at DepEd facilities.

What To Watch For

Senator Hontiveros emphasized that proper regulation of online platforms is needed so children receive adequate guidance and protection, without calling for a blanket ban on video games.

She noted that when children do not feel respect and belonging in real life, harmful online communities can fill those gaps, a pattern Senate investigators traced to the Tacloban shooters through their deactivated accounts.

Parents and barangay officials in Tacloban and other cities should monitor sudden changes in children's online behavior and report any contact from unknown accounts to the Philippine National Police or the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The committee will continue receiving updates from the National Bureau of Investigation on the Sedykh Ryazanov account and any additional links to the 764 network operating inside Philippine schools.

By Bella Reyes, Staff Writer