The Philippine government temporarily banned a gaming application created by a German game developer after it was linked in Monday's school shooting incident in Tacloban City that left three students dead and 20 injured.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) temporarily banned the "Gorebox" after regional police director Brig. Gen. Jayson Capoy confirmed that one of the Grade 9 students involved in the shooting incident in San Jose National High School was an avid player of the online game.

“We are blocking Gorebox temporarily as a precautionary measure pending the investigation. Within the day, expect the app to be blocked,” CICC Undersecretary Aboy Paraiso said.

“We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident. Temporarily blocking the game will allow authorities to conduct a thorough assessment and whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects,” he added.

Col. Allan Rae Co said in a Palace briefing that based on initial investigation, one of the two shooters, alias Nash. was ''heavily influenced by online content.''

According to the CICC, Gorebox which is known for its graphic depictions of violence allows players to experiment with various weapons in the game.

In close collaboration with the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the CICC’s Threat Monitoring Center (TMC) has also intensified its surveillance of online activities, including those involving GoreBox and similar platforms.

“Among other applications, we will be conducting strict monitoring to gain greater visibility into online activities involving GoreBox,” said Paraiso.

“Our priority is the safety and well-being of Filipino children exposed to the internet. Beyond this temporary ban, we are reinforcing our monitoring efforts to identify online spaces that may pose risks to young users and to ensure that appropriate interventions are made immediately,” he added.

Amid the series of reported violent incidents at schools, the CICC reiterated its commitment to providing rapid incident response and urged the public to immediately report cases of cyberbullying and other online threats through Hotline 1326 or report@cicc.gov.ph.

Prior to the shooting incident in Tacloban City (June 22), two separate stabbing incidents were also reported in Cavite in less than a week (June 16 and June 19). Robina Asido/PHS