Manila, Philippines — In a major step to curb illegal online gambling, Facebook, owned by Meta, has taken down the pages of four Filipino influencers allegedly involved in promoting unauthorized online gambling.
The action follows a formal request from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and was pushed forward by digital advocacy group Digital Pinoys, which initially flagged the accounts.
Among the 20 high-profile names submitted, four of the accounts were impacted by the takedown. They are Sachzna Laparan (9.7 million followers), Boy Tapang (5.5 million followers) actor Mark Anthony Fernandez( 240,000 followers), and Kuya Lex TV (100,000 followers).
“This move proves we’re serious, and more will follow,” said Ronald Gustilo, national campaigner of Digital Pinoys, proving that the group and the government were serious about cracking down online gambling violations.
“These influencers act as if they’re untouchable,” he added, stressing that promoting illegal gambling is not just unethical but a clear violation of Philippine law.
Consequently, the pages were part of a broader list submitted to the CICC earlier this month, and this initial batch was prioritized for swift action.
Gustilo also added that the group is working closely with authorities to ensure that more violators are held accountable in the coming weeks.
“This is just the beginning of a broader crackdown,” Gustilo emphasized.
Meanwhile, Facebook has yet to issue a formal statement on the action.