The Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, chaired by Senator Erwin Tulfo, ordered a show-cause order against Meta–Facebook Philippines after its executives skipped Tuesday’s (Sept. 16) hearing on online gambling.
Facebook representative Genixon David earlier wrote the panel that their experts could not attend and instead requested a private meeting with Tulfo.
The senator rejected the proposal, stressing the need for Meta’s public participation as more online betting sites shift from e-wallets to social media platforms.
“Why are they dictating this committee, kung kelan sila attend? Kung kailangan i-subpoena sila, i-subpoena ‘yung country representative nila. That’s not an excuse na in their own time,” said Tulfo, noting that illegal gambling links are spreading through Facebook and other Meta apps.
Senator Risa Hontiveros supported the move, filing the motion for a show-cause order.
Tulfo stressed the urgency of the probe, citing that around 65% of Filipinos are engaged in online gambling.
“This is a national problem. Hindi po ito problem lang sa Metro Manila. Imagine, there’s like 65% of Filipinos who are hooked in online gambling and that’s what we’re trying to find a solution right now,” he added.
During the hearing, Digital Pinoys campaigner Ronald Gustilo revealed that illegal gambling sites continue to circulate via Facebook groups and messaging apps like Telegram and Signal.IMT
