MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Monday widespread, largely China-run online gaming businessThey accused him of committing crimes including financial fraud, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and murder.
His move to ban Chinese-run online gambling companies – there are more than 400 across the Philippines, estimated to employ tens of thousands of Chinese and Southeast Asians – comes amid a Beijing-backed crackdown.
This has resulted in the closure of several vast facilities where authorities suspect thousands of Chinese, Vietnamese and other nationalities, mainly from Southeast Asia, were illegally employed and forced to work in poor conditions.
Announcing the decision in his state of the nation address, President Marcos said the Philippines would forge security alliances with friendly nations and forge ahead with efforts to strengthen its defense. Threats to territorial interests He added that in the South China Sea, his country would only resolve disputes through diplomacy.
The Philippines has a complex relationship with China, including important trade ties and cooperation on crime prevention. There was a long-standing dispute In the South China Sea.
In a related development, Philippine senators have ordered the arrest of the mayor of a town in Tarlac province north of Manila after she failed to attend hearings investigating allegations against her, including her alleged ties to a large online gambling operation near city hall and allegations that she fraudulently concealed her Chinese nationality to run for office open only to Filipinos.
Mayor Alice Guo has denied any wrongdoing but has been suspended from office and had her assets frozen. Philippine senators say a massive online gambling industry has flourished largely due to corrupt regulators and bribes to local officials.
“Under the guise of legitimate organizations, they have ventured far beyond gambling into illegal areas such as financial fraud, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture and even murder,” Marcos said in his speech. “This gross abuse and disrespect for our legal system must stop.”
President Marcos drew loud applause in the House of Representatives when he ordered the Casino Authority to wind down operations at gambling establishments by the end of the year and urged labor officials to find alternative jobs for Filipino workers who will lose their jobs due to the closures.
President Marcos gave a vision for the year ahead and outlined efforts to address a range of issues, including rising food and electricity prices, poverty and low wages.
President Marcos said his administration’s “bloodless war” against dangerous drugs was never aimed at “extermination,” in an apparent criticism of his predecessor’s brutal anti-drug campaign that left thousands of mostly innocent suspects dead.
The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged crimes against humanity over widespread drug killings under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who denies authorizing extrajudicial killings.
Regarding the increasingly tense standoff between Manila and Beijing, President Marcos stressed that the Philippines will not make concessions and will rely solely on peaceful means to resolve any disputes.
“The West Philippine Sea is not just a figment of our imagination. It is ours,” Marcos said, using the Philippine name for the area of the South China Sea claimed by Manila.
“In the face of challenges to our territorial sovereignty, we will continue to assert our rights and interests in a fair and peaceful manner,” Marcos said. “Appropriate diplomatic channels and mechanisms within the rules-based international order remain the only acceptable means of resolving disputes.”
Recent clashes at Second Thomas Shoal and surrounding waters have raised fears of a larger conflict that could involve the United States, the Philippines’ longtime treaty ally.
In The worst conflictOn June 17, Chinese troops in motorboats repeatedly rammed and then boarded two Philippine navy vessels to prevent Filipino personnel from transferring food and other supplies, including firearms, to a shallow water shipping base, according to the Philippine government.
Chinese forces seized and damaged Philippine Navy vessels with machetes and makeshift spears, in a violent clash that left several Philippine Navy personnel injured in chaotic skirmishes.
The Philippine government announced on Sunday that it had reached an agreement with China in hopes of ending the standoff at Second Thomas Shoal. Neither side has made public the text of the agreement.
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Associated Press writer Joal Carpitan in Manila contributed to this report.
