Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday, July 2, said it is studying the possibility of applying anti-terrorism laws to nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) groups, following reports that one such network may have groomed the Tacloban school shooters.
During a Wednesday, July 1, hearing on rising school violence, Senator Risa Hontiveros shared investigators’ findings that an NVE group named “764” could have influenced the two Tacloban suspects. The younger suspect, Nash, interacted with social media users supposedly linked to 764.
The US Department of Justice considered 764 a terrorist network and a national security threat, while Canada and New Zealand designated them as a terrorist group.
The DOJ said the country does not have a legal framework to address NVE groups.
“Yung terrorism, pag aralan natin kung maaaring masakop ‘don itong NVE lalo na kung magkaroon ng mass casualty event. Kasi nga yung mga ibang bansa na pinagdadaanan din itong problema na ‘to, ginagamit nila ang terrorism framework nila upang mag-imbestiga at panagutin ang mga perpetrators behind this,” Justice undersecretary Nicholas Ty said at a press conference on Thursday, July 2.
[Translation: We will study if NVE groups fall under terrorism, especially if they are involved in a mass casualty event. Other countries who are dealing with these problems use their terrorism framework to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable.]
Ty pointed out that it was a sensitive topic because children and teens may be labeled as terrorists. NVE groups such as 764 are known to target and indoctrinate vulnerable youths through online gaming and social media platforms.
“Pag-aaralan namin kung paano natin paano makakatulong ang ATC [Anti-Terrorism Council] upang i-address itong problema ng NVE,” Ty said. The DOJ is a member of the ATC.
[Translation: We will study how the ATC can help address the problem of NVE.]
Meanwhile, Ty said the DOJ would help Congress if it were to draft legislation on NVE.
