A lawmaker has called on the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to explain how it plans to handle 30,000 cybercrime cases in 2027 despite its staffing vacancies and a proposed reduction in funding for its core program.
Manila representative Rolando Valeriano on Wednesday, Aug. 13, called on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to go after and close illegal online gambling and betting operators, citing their violations of the National Internal Revenue Code as grounds for prosecution for tax evasion.
Legislators from both chambers of Congress have expressed deep frustration over what they describe as the government’s and e-wallet providers’ weak and half-hearted efforts to curb the proliferation of online gambling advertisements.