The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) has issued a 24-hour directive for Reddit and Discord to establish local representation, stepping up state oversight after three school shootings in recent months were linked to harmful online activity.
In letters dated September 21, the CICC ordered the platforms to name a resident agent or local representative immediately upon receipt. The move is meant to open clear lines of communication and make platforms answerable to Philippine laws, not to police the internet on the government’s behalf.
“We are not asking platforms to police the internet for the government but to be reachable, accountable, and responsive when activities on their platforms put Filipino children and communities at risk. When an online threat spills over into the real world, there has to be clear channel for authorities to act,” said CICC Executive Director Renato Paraiso.
The action follows the September 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato—the third such incident since June in Tacloban City and August at Ateneo de Zamboanga University. Investigations flag rising concerns: violent extremist ideologies, child exploitation, and grooming that have moved beyond isolated online interactions to fuel physical harm.
Beyond naming local representatives, CICC requires Reddit and Discord to submit written details on existing safety setups plus concrete plans to strengthen safeguards, speed up response times, and roll out reliable age-verification systems.
The government also proposes a shared framework targeting networks involved in online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), child sexual abuse materials (CSAEM), and nihilistic violence extremism (NVE).
The CICC has called on the Department of Foreign Affairs to convene talks with Meta, Reddit, Discord and other platforms. Earlier this month, officials met with Meta and Roblox to form a technical working group focused on faster content removal and tighter age checks.
Non-compliance could lead to restricted operations or blocked access in the Philippines, the CICC warned.
