Meta Cracks Down on Filipino Influencers Promoting Gambling

As a result of an official request issued by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), social media platform Facebook has taken down 20 pages belonging to Filipino influencers accused of promoting illegal online gambling.

“We’re Serious, and More Will Follow”

The removal of the accounts was confirmed by Digital Pinoys, the digital advocates network focusing on digital rights and fintech that flagged the influencers’ pages and urged authorities to act.

Among those affected are some of the country’s biggest online personalities, including 27-year-old Sachzna Laparan, who has 9.7 million followers, 25-year-old Boy Tapang (Ronie Suan), with 5.5 million, actor Mark Anthony Fernandez, who has 242,000 followers, and Kuya Lex TV, who has around 100,000 followers.

Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo considers the action a strong warning to influencers who think they can escape national gambling laws without suffering the consequences.

“These influencers act as if they’re untouchable,” Gustilo said. “This move proves we’re serious, and more will follow.”

Meta, which owns Facebook, is yet to issue an official statement on the matter. Still, the removals align with ongoing efforts to curb illegal gambling and other unlawful activity on social media platforms.

Gustilo made clear this was only the beginning, as both Digital Pinoys and the CICC have additional flagged accounts ready to be subject to a thorough review.

In a separate statement, Gustilo expressed appreciation for Facebook’s swift response to their complaint.

“We thank Meta for swiftly acting on our joint request with CICC to take down the pages of influencers blatantly promoting illegal online gambling. We hope the remaining pages flagged in our initial report will be removed in the coming days,” he said.

He also stressed the leadership of Assistant Secretary Aboy Paraiso at the CICC, praising the agency’s fast and fearless action against violators.

“Congratulations to the entire CICC team,” Gustilo added.

“They Gambled With the Law”

The influencers, he said, were given ample time to correct their actions but chose not to do so.

“They had more than enough time to comply. They gambled with the law, and now they’re facing the consequences,” he said.

Both the CICC and Digital Pinoys stressed that the campaign against illegal gambling content is far from over, and more names will likely be removed from Facebook in the coming weeks.

During a press statement earlier in the month, the CICC took the opportunity to speak about “increasingly aggressive” unregulated gaming sites targeting Filipinos via “influencers, digital wallets, and algorithm-driven advertising to lure in players, including minors.”

CICC Deputy Executive Director Renato Paraiso also emphasized the problem posed by these operators who can easily manipulate and trick unsuspecting citizens. 
Last October, in a similar move, India went after influencers promoting illegal gambling in a new attempt to crack down on the black market.