Authorities are investigating the gaming and messaging history of the student involved in the Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
They want to find out if information from these two can help explain why the incident happened, said Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Jun Veneracion’s report on “24 Oras.”
"We are checking his complete gaming history, his chat history, so we cannot come up with a complete answer on what…the complete forensic analysis on why this happened," Remulla said.
Two people were killed in the attack – a Grade 10 student and the shooter.
Investigators are also investigating how the Grade 8 shooter managed to sneak the guns into campus.
Based on investigation, the shooter brought two guns – a standard pistol and the other fitted with a conversion that gave it the appearance of an assault rifle.
Investigators also recovered the shooter’s bag where an ammunition magazine was found. They believe it was where the shooter hid the firearms.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) relieved a port police official who owned one of the guns used in the shooting. He is said to be the father of the shooter.
"We'll review all the CCTV footage and the statements so that we can present what happened in this incident," said Police Lt. Col. Paul Andrew Cortez, the deputy director for operations in Zamboanga City.
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In a statement, Remulla expressed sadness over the incident.
“Once again, it involves students. Once again, it involves firearms. Once again, it has cost lives. If we must quarrel as a country about many things, let us not quarrel about this: the safety of our children is paramount to us all,” Remulla said.
Remulla raised concerns about the possible influence of violent video games on young people.
“The shooter, however young and troubled he may have been, is himself a victim of what I believe are video games inhabited by actors who induce terror, influencing young and fallible minds,” Remulla said.
“The students, security guards, and others who were injured have no sin except being at the wrong place at the wrong time,” he added.
The DILG chief also emphasized the importance of responsible gun ownership and proper firearm storage to prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
“We should also protect ourselves. Gun ownership is a privilege accorded to those who need to protect themselves. But that privilege carries with it not only the responsibility of ownership, but the responsibility of safekeeping. One cannot exist without the other,” Remulla said.
Remulla said authorities are set to pursue necessary reforms to strengthen public safety.
He also stressed that difficult decisions may be needed to prevent similar incidents and protect the public.
“We will take the necessary steps to ensure that this kind of tragedy can be prevented. If that hurts the sensibilities of a few, or of the many, then let your voices be heard. We will make the hard choices in order to protect the Filipino people,” he said.
