VILLANUEVA URGES VIGILANCE VS ONLINE LOVE SCAMS

SENATOR Joel Villanueva urged the public to stay vigilant against the rise of online love scams, while also calling on tech experts and scammers alike to redirect their skills toward more positive and productive purposes.

The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) reported eight cases of online love scams as of January 2025 and 72 cases last year.

“We are celebrating love today, yet some people continue to prey on others under the guise of romance. This is both shameful and disheartening,” Villanueva said.

“Technology should be used to improve our lives, not make us suffer. Let’s put AI to good use!” he added.

Known for his strong stance against Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), Villanueva raised concerns over the growing links between these scam operations and POGOs.

“This is exactly what we’ve been warning about from the beginning. These operations are evolving, but they still originate from the same sources,” he said.

Villanueva is calling on the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Division to intensify efforts against love scammers and to focus on educating the public on how to spot scams.

“Education is key. We urge the PNP to double down on its efforts to help the public identify and avoid scams,” Villanueva said.

As chair of the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Human Resources Development, Villanueva has also been vocal on responsible technological development and the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in today’s workforce.

In line with this, he filed Senate Resolution 990 last year to assess the readiness of the Philippine labor market to adapt to the growing presence of Artificial Intelligence.