Al Jazeera and GMA News document Filipino borrower harassment by online lending apps

Summary

Al Jazeera published a long-form investigation reporting that the SEC has issued licenses for 140 digital lending companies in the Philippines and that fewer than 40 platforms have had their licenses revoked for unfair debt-collection practices. The article documents borrower accounts of deception, threats, and contact-list weaponization. GMA News separately reported that the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) received 599 harassment reports against online lending platforms since January 2026 and launched a 'Fast Cash: Mag-Ingat sa Scam' campaign with hotline 1326.