MANILA, Philippines — The Germany-based online game developer of GoreBox, F2 Games, said that the Senate hearing, which it had declined to participate in, was “separate” from Philippine authorities’ investigation into its alleged influence in the fatal Tacloban City school shooting.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros earlier bared that F2 Games founder Felix Filip had informed the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality that he would not be attending their July 1 hearing in person or virtually.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer on Friday, Felip explained, “As a developer based in Germany, I respectfully declined the invitation to appear at the Senate hearing. That is separate from the investigation itself, which I intend to cooperate with.”
READ: GoreBox declines Senate invite on Tacloban shooting probe
“I want the facts of this established as much as anyone does, and I want to help the Philippine authorities in every way I lawfully can,” he noted.
“I’ve been in contact with them, and I’d only ask that the investigation be allowed to run its course,” he added.
“Out of respect for the families, I won’t speculate about its causes while it’s ongoing,” he stressed.
Felip did not specify which government agency he is in contact with.
According to the Philippine National Police, the two suspects, aged 14 and 15, in the fatal Tacloban City school shooting had allegedly been influenced by GoreBox in carrying out the attack.
Their assault left three students dead and 20 others injured.
This development prompted the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center to temporarily ban GoreBox in the Philippines.
In response, Felip previously told the Inquirer that he would cooperate with the Philippine government’s investigation.
But he maintained that GoreBox had been designed for adult audiences and programmed to remind users that it was not meant to condone violence. /apl