Senator Marcos urges gov't agencies to shield youth from violent online content

Senator Imee Marcos called on government agencies to step up efforts to protect the youth from online content that promote violence as the senator pushes for a whole-of-government response to the recent school shootings in Tacloban and Zamboanga City.

Marcos urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to enforce their respective mandates and prevent minors from being exposed to violent online content.

She likewise called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to strengthen its monitoring of the online sale of violent materials.

Marcos said government agencies must stop pointing fingers and instead work together to address the growing threat of school violence.

“Let us all do our part because this is not the first time and this will not be the last time that this will happen. We need to stop this as soon as possible,” Marcos said in Filipino.

Senate President Win Gatchalian also called for stronger measures to protect students following the deadly shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga, which claimed the lives of two students.

“Schools are not battlefields. They are places where children should feel safe enough to learn, make friends, and imagine their future,” Gatchalian said during Wednesday's plenary session.

Gatchalian called for stronger campus security, broader mental health interventions and tighter gun control measures, saying school violence should not be treated as an isolated concern.

“The safety of our youth is the responsibility of the government and society as a whole. We cannot wait for another life to be lost before we act. The time is now,” he said.

While he expressed support for the ongoing investigations by the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies, Gatchalian urged authorities to assess campus access controls, gun ownership regulations and young people's exposure to violent digital content.

He also called for immediate psychosocial support and counseling for students, teachers and school personnel affected by the Zamboanga shooting.