Facebook Owner Meta Set to Open Philippine Office Amid Online Safety Push
META – The company behind Facebook and Instagram, Meta is set to strengthen its presence in the country amid growing concerns over online threats and violent content.
Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is set to establish an office in the Philippines as part of efforts to improve coordination with government authorities in addressing harmful online content.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said Meta made the commitment following a meeting between Philippine officials and the company’s regional executives at its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore last week.
According to Matibag, Meta also agreed to share relevant information and data with Philippine authorities to help address nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), which officials have identified as a possible factor in the school shootings reported in Tacloban City in June and Zamboanga City in August.
“Meta would respond to what we’re requesting to address the problem of NVE, so they would provide information and share data,” Matibag told reporters.
He said the establishment of a local office would make it easier for authorities to communicate directly with Meta when urgent requests are made to remove dangerous or harmful posts.
“As we speak now, we are sharing data based on what’s coming from our monitoring about possible threats similar to what happened in Tacloban and Zamboanga. So, we have resolved that Meta should have an office here to communicate with them about all the posts that we ask them to take down immediately,” he added.
Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center executive director Aboy Paraiso previously disclosed that Meta removed a livestreamed video of the Zamboanga school shooting within seven to nine minutes after it was reported. Government officials said it took them about five minutes to flag the material because their system had not immediately detected it.
Matibag also called on Meta to help authorities deal with accounts allegedly involved in spreading fake news and making “slanderous” posts.
“The message here is this: those who are making mischief cannot hide behind Meta and Facebook anymore,” Matibag said. “We will closely monitor those accounts.”
Privacy safeguards remain a priority
Despite plans to strengthen cooperation, officials emphasized that protecting users’ personal information remains a key consideration. Paraiso said Meta would not be given direct access to the personal data stored in the government’s National ID database.
“We are not giving Meta access to the information contained in our database. The purpose is simply to verify, while the personal data remain with the government,” Paraiso said in a statement.
Under the proposed system, an API would allow Meta to ask the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) whether a specific identification or reference number corresponds with its records. The agency would only confirm a match rather than disclose the individual’s information.
“We want stronger accountability online, but we also want to make sure that privacy is fully protected,” Paraiso said.
Government expands child online safety efforts
The government is also pursuing discussions with other online platforms to improve protections for children. Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda said officials plan to engage Discord executives as part of a broader platform-by-platform strategy.
“We are taking a platform-by-platform approach. Roblox is one step. We are also looking at other platforms where children and young people spend their time online,” Aguda said in a statement.
Potential measures include tighter direct-message restrictions, explicit-content filters, friend-request controls, parental monitoring features, and server-level safety settings designed to limit unwanted contact and exposure to inappropriate material.
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