GRADE 9 SOUTH COTABATO SCHOOL SHOOTER WAS INTO ‘DEEP DARK WEB;’ LEFT NOTES – REMULLA

DEPARTMENT of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla said the 14-year-old Grade 9 student who went on a shooting spree inside the Banga National High School in Banga, South Cotabato on Friday (Sept. 18) was found to have visited the “deep dark web.”

The Friday shooting resulted in the death of the young shooter and two fellow students and injured eight others.

“He was into deep dark web which influenced him. According to his phone, he left several notes detailing his depression at tuloy-tuloy ito,” Remulla said. 

“It was discovered in April 2026. Parents tried to handle the situation ngunit nagkulang,” the DILG chief said while adding they have no information that the shooter had been “bullied.”’

The suspect shot himself to death after shooting his schoolmates, a male and a female.

The shooting occurred inside the Banga National High School in Bgy. Benites in Banga, South Cotabato.

Remulla said two policemen who were posted outside the school immediately responded after hearing gunfires and secured the area before assisting the victims.

An investigation showed that the gun used in the attack belonged to the shooter’s father who is  assigned at the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 12 as a disaster risk mitigation officer.

He said that the DepEd employee is a registered owner of three firearms although he failed to properly secure his weapons.

“Hindi secured enough. Kinuha ng bata ang baril,” Remulla said.

Remulla said probers are examining the personal effects of the shooter.

“Notes, cellular phone, other gadgets that we can subject to forensic investigation. But record shows he’s into heavy activities with the social media as well as internet activities showing violent activities,” the DILG chief said.

Remulla advised parents anew to check on what their children are looking up on social media, and what websites they visit.

“Tingnan ninyo. It is not a privacy issue. Anak n’yo ‘yan… Nalulublob sila sa malalalim at madidilim na websites,” he said.

The DILG chief renewed his call for Congress to enact a law that will limit the use of social media among Filipino children just like what have done in Australia.

Prior to the Banga National High Schoo shooting, a junior high school student at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University shot and killed a schoolmate before  killing himself on August 18.

The shooter at the Ateneo de Zamboanga campus used the guns of his father, a local Bureau of Customs official.

On June 22, two students went on a shooting spree inside the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City killing three schoolmates and injuring 20 others before they were arrested by the authorities.

One of the suspects in the Tacloban school shooting used the service firearm of his aunt-a policewoman.