THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is pushing for a total ban on Roblox in the country, Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Thursday, August 20, 2026.
“Yes, we are pushing for the total ban of Roblox. Ang Roblox lang kasi ang very particular na meron siyang link sa dark web sa tabi niya,” Remulla said in an interview with reporters in Zamboanga.
Remulla made the remark following the shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University on Tuesday, August 18, which resulted in the deaths of two students, including the gunman.
He earlier expressed strong belief that the minor suspect was influenced and radicalized by Roblox because of the manner in which he carried out the shooting.
The perpetrator livestreamed the shooting incident before killing himself.
“(We checked) ang social media apps niya, wala siyang conversation out of the ordinary. (We checked) chat groups niya, wala talaga. It is all in his head, that’s why we believe that it is influenced by the games,” said Remulla.
“In fact, kung titingnan niyo ‘yung nangyari sa shooting, itsura niya video game. Nung una ko nakita, akala ko video game kasi talagang pinakita niya ‘yung firearms na usable, ipinakita niya ‘yung first-person perspective, so it really shows the undue influence ng video games,” he added.
Remulla said that based on the investigation, the minor suspect acted alone.
“The police report will come out in due time, but the facts remain that, as far as we can determine, (the minor suspect) acted alone in the sense that he planned, executed, and willfully did everything on his own. There was no conspiracy behind it. There was no active group that planned it with him. There was no family influence that made him do the unthinkable,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)