Philippine president orders shutdown of Chinese-run online gambling industry employing thousands

Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an immediate ban on the mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations in the country. He accused them of venturing into crimes, including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and murder. Marcos also said in his state-of-the-nation address Monday that the Philippines would work to strengthen its defensive capability by forging security alliances to counter threats to its territorial interests in the South China Sea, adding that his country would only settle disputes through diplomacy. Online gambling outfits in the Philippines employ tens of thousand of Chinese and Southeast Asian nationals, but the government has been cracking down and suspects many were illegally recruited to work in dismal conditions.