Content warning: The following report contains references to a school shooting, including deaths and injuries.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros denied claims that she wanted to ban “GoreBox” in the country in connection with the Tacloban City school shooting.
The lawmaker, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, dismissed allegations that she wanted to ban the sandbox game after one of the minor suspects was found to be an “avid player” of it.
Authorities had discovered that the 14-year-old suspect in the San Jose National High School shooting played GoreBox, which is described as a “chaotic, physics-driven sandbox game where creativity meets unrestrained destruction.”
It allows players to experiment with various weapons and features graphic depictions of violence.
The game has been temporarily banned in the Philippines as a “precautionary measure,” with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) stating that it “cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed” to the shooting incident.
The CICC added that the move “will allow authorities to conduct a thorough assessment and determine whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects.”
As of Tuesday, June 30, the agency said “GoreBox” is the only video game that is temporarily banned in the country. It added that the game does not work in the Philippines, “even offline.”
Meanwhile, the developer of the game, Felix Filip, declined an invitation to attend the Senate hearing on the shooting, even through a teleconferencing platform.
However, he said that the game “is classified 18+ and is not intended for, or directed at, minors.”
Hontiveros expressed disappointment over Filip’s decision, saying that she “wanted to hear directly from him on many important matters.”
The senator also denied claims that she wants to ban GoreBox following the shooting.
“I never recommended, said, or even thought about banning any game, including this Gorebox,” Hontiveros said on Tuesday, June 30.
She also posted an interview in which she denied the claims.
“I never recommended, or said — even thought — about banning any game, including this ‘GoreBox.’ So ‘wag pong pangunahan nung mga nag-fake news. Dun po tayo sa totoo,” Hontiveros said.
“So, linawin ko, ha. Ang nag-ban niyan ay isang government agency natin. Ang totoo ay may mga batang napatay, may mga magulang na nauulila sa anak, may marami pang bata na nasugatan at malalim ang trauma,” she added.
The senator also cited the Department of Justice, which said it was exploring possibilities that the shooting may have stemmed from a pattern of nihilistic violent extremism (NVE).
“Wala pang rekomendasyon, ni findings, lumalabas sa Senate Committee on Women Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality because we are still to hold the hearing tomorrow,” Hontiveros said, referring to the July 1 hearing.
Hontiveros said that, in the hearing, she hopes to determine whether digital platforms have sufficient safety measures to protect children from inappropriate content.
“We will look again at whether all online platforms are doing enough to prevent young people from being exploited,” she said.
“If the internet is being used to victimize children, someone must be held accountable. We can’t just let Big Tech keep its eyes on the horizon while our families and schools are engulfed in tragedy,” the senator added.
On June 22, three students and about 20 people were injured by a shooting at San Jose National High School perpetrated by a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old.
Authorities said the suspects had an intended target but decided to open fire in the classrooms after learning that the supposed individual was not there.
The suspects are receiving immediate intervention from the Department of Social Welfare and Development at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for the Youth in Tanauan, Leyte.