Hontiveros flags alleged adult groomer linked to Tacloban shooting suspects
By Dhel Nazario
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday, July 1, identified what she described as a suspected adult groomer who may have recruited the two minors allegedly involved in the June 22 Tacloban City school shooting.
THE SUSPECTS in the Tacloban City shooting are under restrictive custody.
During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, Hontiveros presented social media accounts that she said were identified by independent investigators as being linked to one of the suspects, identified only by the alias "Nash."
According to the senator, one account named "Sedykh Ryazanov" posted a comment after the shooting that read: "Na edit na kita boy sa TikTok. Make sure na delete mo ang Discord, Reddit, Telegram para walang evidence mahanap (I edited you, boy. Make sure you delete your Discord, Reddit, and Telegram so there will be no evidence)."
Hontiveros said the account is suspected of belonging to an adult groomer who may have been involved in recruiting the minors.
She also said investigators found that the suspect's alleged Facebook account had only one friend—another profile believed to be a dummy account operated by the same individual under the name "Date Larping."
According to Hontiveros, several other accounts believed to be part of the same online network also posted comments expressing support for the attack.
The senator added that her office confirmed that the profiles identified as "Alias Nash," "Date Larping," and "Sedykh Ryazanov" had previously been active on Meta platforms but have since been deactivated.
"Meaning may totoong tao sa likod ng mga profile na ito (This means that there's real person behind these profiles)," Hontiveros said.
She also presented screenshots of other social media profiles that she said appeared to belong to minors who may be connected to the same network and who allegedly expressed interest in school shootings.
Hontiveros, however, stressed that the information presented during the hearing should not be treated as conclusive evidence.
"I want to be very clear: These are not yet final conclusions. Ang mga ito ay leads (These are just leads)," she said.
The senator said her office has submitted the complete information to the NBI for validation and further investigation, saying authorities should determine whether a wider recruitment network is operating before more children become victims.