MANILA– The FinTech Alliance Philippines has expressed its full support for the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s strengthened regulatory framework on the responsible use of digital financial services in relation to licensed online gaming platforms.

As the country’s largest organization of digital finance players composed of BSP-regulated financial technology companies and electronic money issuers, the Alliance reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the Philippine digital economy remains safe, ethical, and inclusive especially amid growing public concern around the societal risks of online gaming.
“The Alliance recognizes the growing concern from the public and other sectors over the impact of gaming. We are united in our commitment to be part of the solution by working closely with regulators, elevating safeguards, and protecting the welfare of Filipino consumers,” said Lito

Villanueva, Founding Chairman of the FinTech Alliance PH.”

Industry Action on Emerging Risks

The Alliance flagged urgent risks related to financial distress, addiction, and underage or unverified access to online gaming, as well as the proliferation of illegal and unregulated platforms. It emphasized the need for a balanced, collaborative regulatory approach that preserves innovation while shielding vulnerable sectors of society.

“We remain aligned with the BSP in ensuring that access to payment channels for online licensed gaming is strictly controlled, and that all FinTech Alliance members adopt robust due diligence measures,” Villanueva added.

Strengthened Controls and Coordinated Compliance.

In line with the BSP’s directive, FinTech Alliance PH members committed to the following actions:enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) for all merchant accounts classified under licensed online gaming; real-time detection, monitoring, and blacklisting of illegal and unregulated platforms; and full compliance with BSP-imposed restrictions and enforcement actions on violative payment channels.

The Alliance also encouraged evidence-based policymaking and data-driven interventions to ensure effectiveness and proportionality in regulation.

To reinforce regulatory measures, the Alliance vowed to intensify public education efforts, particularly targeting vulnerable consumers. Members will also adopt ethical marketing practices and promote awareness of gaming-related risks across digital and community platforms.

“Financial literacy and responsible use are essential pillars of inclusive digital finance. As an industry, we are committed to upholding these values,” Villanueva noted.

Above all, the Alliance underscored its unity in protecting consumer welfare and ensuring that the Philippine digital finance ecosystem remains safe, responsible, and inclusive. (PR)

In the newly convened 20th Congress, we are immediately confronted with two sharply contrasting legislative proposals. One seeks to disarm the State at the height of our gains against communist armed insurgency, and another seeks to fortify our democratic processes against infiltration.

On one hand, the Makabayan bloc is pushing to repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 through House Bill 1272. They claim it is being weaponized against activists, journalists, and dissenters. On the other, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa has filed a bill to amend the Partylist System Act to disqualify groups linked to violence and designated terrorist organizations from entering Congress.

But it is no coincidence that these two developments intersect. They expose a long-standing tension in our democracy in carefully straddling between genuine activism and armed insurgency, between representation and radicalization, between reform and subversion.

The Makabayan bloc wants the public to believe that the Anti-Terrorism Law undermines democracy. But what they fail to mention is that no one has been convicted under this law for merely protesting or speaking out. What the law actually does is equip the State with tools to respond to evolving terrorist threats—tools that come with built-in safeguards, court oversight, and constitutional compliance, as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

This law is not about silencing dissent. It’s about preventing bombings, assassinations, and the systematic recruitment of children and youth into armed violence. It is about protecting Lumad students from being turned into foot soldiers, and communities from being exploited as logistical corridors, and the country’s economic programs from being hijacked under the guise of “revolutionary taxation.”

Meanwhile, Sen. dela Rosa’s proposal reminds us why this debate matters. The partylist system was created to give voice to the voiceless. It was not enacted to give cover to those who refuse to denounce the atrocities of the CPP-NPA-NDF, or worse, quietly enable it. This is not theoretical. Long before the NTF-ELCAC was even created, former rebels had already testified how the so-called national democratic partylist organizations in Congress served as political shields for armed insurgency, giving the revolution a legal face while their comrades waged war in the mountains.

The NTF-ELCAC welcomes reforms that protect the integrity of our democratic institutions. But the truth is that democracy cannot defend itself when its legal pathways are commandeered by those who reject peaceful change in favor of armed revolution.

The Makabayan bloc and their allied organizations say the Anti-Terror Law instills fear. But what instills more fear, especially in communities who have become victims of the communist armed conflict, is a Congress that seems to be oblivious on the distinction between sectoral advocacy and subversive machinery.

The NTF-ELCAC stands by its mandate, which includes protecting our civic spaces and exposing those who abuse it. There is nothing democratic about tolerating duplicity in the name of representation. There is nothing oppressive about drawing the line between engagement and exploitation.

We have been here before. We know the cost of silence. Let us make sure we do not repeat the same mistake of allowing subversion to hide behind democratic protections until it is too late.

(Undersecretary Ernesto C Torres Jr., Executive Director NTF ELCAC/PR)