The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Thursday Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to intensify its crackdown on financial scams and the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) to better protect Filipino users.
The agreement followed a meeting between DICT officials and Meta executives, including Meta Indonesia and Philippines public policy head Berni Moestafa and Meta Philippines public policy head Gio Tingson.
The discussion was prompted by a presidential directive to clean up the internet and recent Senate hearings on digital safety.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, committed to stronger platform enforcement to detect and remove content exploiting children. On financial scams, the company agreed to deepen coordination with the government to curb fraudulent investment schemes, phishing and digital deception. It also pledged reinforced action against deepfakes and manipulated content used to mislead the public or damage reputations.
“In effect, Meta/Facebook is now taking clearer steps to limit harmful activities across its platforms, a strong signal that when government and the private sector act together, real and concrete progress can be achieved toward a safer, more accountable digital space,” the DICT said.
The department said the commitment reflects a broader call from the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and the Senate to build a secure and trustworthy digital ecosystem.
Parallel to these government efforts, Globe Telecom Inc. is increasing its own measures for child online protection. Globe chief sustainability and corporate communications officer Yoly Crisanto said safety in the digital space requires action on all fronts.
“We protect our customers through advanced filtering, real-time threat blocking, and easy-to-use reporting tools like the Globe StopSpam portal. But true protection also means education, giving every Filipino, especially the youth, the knowledge and confidence to stay safe and speak up online,” Crisanto said.
Globe reported that its Digital Thumbprint Program reached over 16,560 students and educators in 2025 with workshops on digital citizenship and privacy. Since 2016, the program has engaged nearly 2 million students nationwide.
The telecommunications company also strengthened its digital defenses in 2025 by blocking 967 million scam and spam messages.
Globe blocked 272,746 SIMs through its reporting portal and took down 17,384 malicious domains, of which 8,704 were illegal gambling sites.
To combat child exploitation, Globe blocked 3,096 domains linked to child pornography, supported by a P155.8 million ($2.7 million) investment in content-filtering technologies. The company also supports the MAKABATA 1383 helpline operated by the Council for the Welfare of Children to improve the reporting of online abuse.
