Authorities in the Philippines announced Tuesday that they are temporarily blocking an online gaming app after discovering that one of two teenage suspects in a deadly school shooting was a frequent user of it. The move is intended to help officials determine whether the app had any influence on the attack.
The shooting took place Monday at San Jose National High School in the central city of Tacloban, where two students — ages 14 and 15, each armed with a handgun — opened fire on their classmates. Three students were killed and 20 others were injured in the attack.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center announced the decision to block the app known as Gorebox, citing an active police investigation that revealed one of the suspects was a heavy user of the platform. Officials said the temporary block would allow them to evaluate “whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects.”
The block took effect Tuesday, according to a statement from Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso of the cybercrime center.
“We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident,” Paraiso said, though he did not indicate how long the restriction would remain in place.
Gorebox, which launched in 2023, has been described in marketing materials as “a physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction,” according to the cybercrime center.
Paraiso did not address what steps might follow if a government review concludes that the app encourages violent behavior among players.
“Beyond this temporary ban, we are reinforcing our monitoring efforts to identify online spaces that may pose risks to young users and to ensure that appropriate interventions are made immediately,” Paraiso said. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of Filipino children exposed to the internet.”
While gun-related crimes are common in the Philippines — in part because of the widespread presence of unlicensed firearms — school shootings remain relatively uncommon in the country.
Regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said the suspects told investigators they carried out the attack in retaliation for being bullied at school. However, Capoy and other police officials noted that a full investigation ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will examine all possibilities, including the potential influence of online groups that encourage rebellion and violent behavior among young people.
One of the suspects obtained a 9 mm pistol from an aunt who works as a police officer and is now under investigation. The other suspect had a .38 caliber revolver that came from a security agency employee. Police said the two were able to bring the weapons onto school grounds because security measures at the campus were insufficient for its 1,600 students.
Video footage of the shooting that was shared online captured students hiding beneath desks inside a locked classroom, crying and screaming as gunshots rang out nearby. Some of the students could be heard calling out for their mothers.
All of the victims — both those killed and those wounded — were students, police confirmed. Investigators recovered at least 40 shell casings from the scene.
Due to their ages, both suspects were expected to be transferred to government welfare officials following the investigation. Under a Philippine law enacted in 2006, the 14-year-old cannot face criminal prosecution. The law sets the minimum age of criminal liability at 15, and only when authorities determine the suspect fully understood the nature of the crime and its consequences.
