DILG: 58 TBS members nabbed in 2025

MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-eight True Brown Style (TBS) gang members were among the 200 individuals arrested during the Sept. 21, 2025 protests in Manila, which were marred by violence.

“We looked at our investigations; out of the 200 we arrested last Sept. 21 in Mendiola, 58 were members of True Brown Style. So we see their propensity for violence,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters on Tuesday.

Remulla earlier said the government was going after members of the group, which had originated in California, United States, before expanding to the Philippines and turning into what he described as a criminal syndicate.

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READ: Remulla to TBS gang: Dialogue possible, but crime must stop

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He said that TBS recruits children as young as 14 to 15 years old and requires them to rob stores as part of initiation rites.

According to Remulla, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is actively monitoring social media threats and pursuing community-based gangs online.

“So this campaign will go on; it will not stop. We will work with the Department of Education; we will work with the communities to make sure that the path forward is a safer environment for our children,” he said. —With a report from Sheridan Delfino