Sen. Erwin Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, warned BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan he could be cited for contempt if links to online gambling apps on e-wallets like GCash and Maya are not removed by Sunday, August 17.
At the panel’s inaugural hearing, the BSP said it had ordered e-wallet firms to cut gambling links within 48 hours from August 14.
Tulfo extended the deadline but insisted, “If I see a single link to gambling apps, I will cite you in contempt. The committee is serious—we have a problem, we have a crisis.”
He urged BSP, PAGCOR, and law enforcement to present concrete measures against online gambling’s social harms in upcoming hearings.
While agencies sought regulation to preserve revenues, Tulfo said the Senate leans toward a total ban, arguing “social ills outweigh the income benefits.”IMT
