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Pisonet businesses in the Philippines are struggling due to market saturation, rising electricity costs, and cheap, accessible mobile data. The industry now faces intensified regulatory threats following a fatal school shooting in Tacloban City, where local government units are moving to ban or heavily restrict these computer-rental shops for the youth's safety.
The Event: On June 22, 2026, two underage students (ages 14 and 15) opened fire in a classroom at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, resulting in three student deaths and 20 injuries.
The Online Connection: Senate investigations and cybersecurity experts revealed that the minors were allegedly influenced and manipulated by an extremist online network known as "764".
Game Ban: Authorities discovered that one of the suspects frequently played Gorebox, a chaotic physics-based sandbox game. Consequently, the Philippine government temporarily banned and blocked the game from local app stores.
LGU Crackdowns: Following the violence in Tacloban, local government units (LGUs) such as Dagupan have started shutting down or completely banning pisonet shops, citing the need to protect the youth from online exposure and violent media.
Moral Panic: Because pisonets are primary venues for students to play unsupervised online games, the Tacloban tragedy sparked a broader moral panic, leading many LGUs to target these machines.
General Business Struggles: Even without local bans, the business model is largely unprofitable for many. The widespread availability of cheap smartphones and affordable mobile data—coupled with the proliferation of home Wi-Fi—has drastically cut into the core demographic of pisonet shops.
Operational Costs: Owners frequently struggle with thin profit margins caused by high electricity rates, outdated manual timers that lead to time leakage, and rising maintenance costs for computer hardware.
The Event: On June 22, 2026, two underage students (ages 14 and 15) opened fire in a classroom at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, resulting in three student deaths and 20 injuries.
The Online Connection: Senate investigations and cybersecurity experts revealed that the minors were allegedly influenced and manipulated by an extremist online network known as "764".
Game Ban: Authorities discovered that one of the suspects frequently played Gorebox, a chaotic physics-based sandbox game. Consequently, the Philippine government temporarily banned and blocked the game from local app stores.
LGU Crackdowns: Following the violence in Tacloban, local government units (LGUs) such as Dagupan have started shutting down or completely banning pisonet shops, citing the need to protect the youth from online exposure and violent media.
Moral Panic: Because pisonets are primary venues for students to play unsupervised online games, the Tacloban tragedy sparked a broader moral panic, leading many LGUs to target these machines.
General Business Struggles: Even without local bans, the business model is largely unprofitable for many. The widespread availability of cheap smartphones and affordable mobile data—coupled with the proliferation of home Wi-Fi—has drastically cut into the core demographic of pisonet shops.
Operational Costs: Owners frequently struggle with thin profit margins caused by high electricity rates, outdated manual timers that lead to time leakage, and rising maintenance costs for computer hardware.