MANILA, Philippines — Thirteen members of the True Brown Style (TBS) group, which Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla identified as an alleged recruiter of children being groomed into criminal activities, have been arrested since 2024 for various crimes, including kidnapping and possession of illegal drugs.
Remulla earlier declared that the TBS has been operating in 78 of 83 provinces and in urban centers across the country, recruiting minors on orders of each chapter’s heads in the barangay and municipal level.
Remulla said the children would be taught, for instance, how to rob convenience stores.
Based on police records, 13 TBS members have been arrested since 2024 for 21 different crimes.
Seven of these arrests were made this year, four in 2025 and two in 2024.
Four of the suspects were allegedly involved in illegal firearms, three in illegal gambling, three in kidnapping or illegal detention and two in illegal drugs.
Others were arrested for hazing, human trafficking, cybercrime, child abuse, theft, homicide, grave coercion and resistance or disobedience to a person in authority.
Six suspects were nabbed by the Southern Police District, four by the Manila Police District, two by the Quezon City Police District and one by the Northern Police District.
It is unclear whether all the TBS gang members arrested are still under police custody.
NCRPO officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano has ordered all five police districts under his watch to beef up intelligence operations against the TBS.
“Our children should never be used as tools for criminal activities,” Abrahano said. “We will pursue those who exploit children and ensure that young people are protected from criminal influence.”
‘Duterte wannabe’
The militant group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) slammed Remulla for being a “Duterte wannabe” in going after the TBS group.
In likening Remulla to former president Rodrigo Duterte, SPARK condemned an “ill-fated stunt” by a government that refuses to resolve societal issues pushing the youth toward criminality.
“Remulla is replicating the Duterte playbook by branding TBS as ‘enemies’ that ought to be eliminated,” the group said in a statement yesterday. “This same kind of rhetoric was used during Duterte’s drug war to justify the flagrant disregard for human rights in exchange for social order and cohesion.”