Facebook failed to close e-sabong accounts – DILG

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has called out social media giant Meta for its alleged inaction on taking down illegal e-sabong accounts on its Facebook platform.

DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya said Facebook’s inaction is tantamount to tolerating illegal activities and could be a violation of the country’s laws.

The DILG said it has submitted to Meta a list of Facebook pages, groups, accounts and sites that promote illegal online cockfight.

Malaya expressed dismay as Meta apparently ignored the request of authorities, adding the DILG has not received a reply from the tech company.

He said with Meta’s continued inaction, Facebook could be seen as an accessory to and venue for illegal activities.

“It is not only a violation of Philippine laws, but also a breach of Facebook’s own community standards,” Malaya said.

The DILG said Facebook must comply with Philippine laws and policies.

“We are making this final appeal to Meta to immediately take down Facebook pages promoting e-sabong,” Malaya said.

He said the DILG would consult its legal officers about Facebook’s inaction on shutting down e-sabong accounts.

Meta said it has taken down e-sabong pages, hours after Malaya called out the company for supposedly failing to act on the DILG’s request.

“We have removed these pages and groups. We don’t allow facilitating, organizing and promoting criminal or harmful activities targeted at animals on our platforms,” Meta said in a statement.

The company did not release the list of e-sabong accounts that were removed from its platform.

Seven illegal websites have been taken down since President Duterte imposed the ban on online cockfight.

The DILG said 12 websites and eight Facebook pages are still operational.

Malaya said they have also coordinated with the Department of Information and Communications Technology for the closure of e-sabong websites.