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Telecommunications

Daily intelligence on the Telecommunications beat

Sunday, November 8, 2026

Issue #133

Angara Seeks Age Checks as School Shootings Rise

Education Secretary Sonny Angara asks technology and social media companies to tighten age verification and remove violent content after three fatal school shootings in three months, while the Ombudsman calls for stronger platform regulation and a House bill to bar under-17s from social media draws scrutiny.

By the MMI Telecommunications Desk

Angara Seeks Age Checks as School Shootings Rise

Three fatal school shootings in three months have pushed the Philippine government toward the country's social media platforms. On Saturday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara urged technology and social media companies to strengthen age-verification measures and remove online content that promotes violence, framing the request around what officials describe as the growing threat of online radicalization among young learners. The shootings he cited were at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City in June, Ateneo de Zamboanga University in August, and Banga National High School in South Cotabato in September. School shootings have historically been rare in the Philippines, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed government agencies to strengthen school security and look for ways to prevent similar incidents.

The same day, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla used a radio program to press a related argument, calling social media platforms conduits for disinformation and saying companies such as Meta, Facebook's parent, act as "gatekeepers" that should filter false content. Remulla said any effort "may begin with the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), but eventually, it will also involve Facebook," and he floated a Philippine counterpart to the United States' anti-racketeering law. Neither official announced a specific measure, deadline, or enforcement action.

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