President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an immediate ban on widespread and mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations in the Philippines accusing them of venturing into crimes, including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and murder. Marcos also said in his state-of-the-nation address that the Philippines would press efforts to strengthen its defensive capability by forging security alliances with friendly countries to counter threats to its territorial interests in the South China Sea, adding that his country would only settle disputes through diplomacy. Marcos’ decision to ban the online gambling outfits — that employ tens of thousand of Chinese and Southeast Asian nationals — came amid an ongoing government crackdown backed by Beijing.
