By Katrina Gracia Consebido
An official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) expressed disappointment on Wednesday, June 1, over the lack of Facebook’s response to the agency’s appeal to shut down group pages involved in illegal e-sabong operations.
According to DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, they have already sent a letter last week, requesting the suspension of particular pages and accounts which direct players to illegal websites to bet.
“Unfortunately, hanggang sa ngayong araw na ito at kahapon nga po ay pinuntahan ko pa iyong mga Facebook pages na iyon, ay hindi pa rin po natatanggal” Malaya said in the Laging Handa briefing.
“We are disappointed dahil kung sila ay mag-shut down ng ibang pages [ay] mabilis, but in this case, it’s as if they are tolerating illegal activity in the Philippines. Para pong lumalabas na sila ay accessory to an illegal activity because Facebook is a venue for illegal activity, ito nga pong illegal e-sabong,” he added.
Malaya said they are already coordinating with their lawyers for legal actions and next steps against the illegal activity and the alleged negligence of Facebook regarding the matter.
“Well, pag-uusapan po iyan ng aming mga abogado ‘no. Ayaw ko naman pong magsalita ng patapos ngayon dahil kahapon nga po humingi na rin tayo ng tulong sa ibang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno na mayroong kaugnayan sa Facebook din,” he said. – ag
