#Philippine Jobs Online

[xcruitech]

Find Your Dream Work from Home Job in Philippines 2024 - Xcruit

Explore your perfect work from home job in the Philippines in 2024 through Xcruit. With a plethora of remote opportunities and seamless navigation, Xcruit simplifies the job search process. Whether you seek flexibility or a new career path, Xcruit helps you discover fulfilling roles that align with your skills and aspirations.

[virtualassistantphilippines]

Virtual Assistant Philippines is a business that provides the best Filipino virtual assistant services to businesses all over the world. With an expansive pool of qualified and experienced Filipino candidates, you will have no trouble finding the perfect Virtual Assistant for your business needs. Hiring a Filipino Virtual Assistant is an excellent way to save money while still getting quality work done. Visit: https://virtualassistantphilippines.ph/

[yulirene]

I'm not particularly fond of posting or sharing my problems since I almost end up oversharing, and I'd find myself feeling both humiliated and embarrassed. I get emotional, something that I honestly hate to acknowledge.

I'm 18, graduating senior high in about 3 1/2 months. I came from a great school, to which people usually say. I, also, regard it as such; quality education, a somehow good environment, and being surrounded by great students and amazing teachers. Perhaps an environment that smart people, or rather, the above average people would love. It's not something to hate.

Although, I will have to admit that I indeed hated the idea of being there, but perhaps meeting my friends lessened that hatred. My main reason for hating is because I got in against my own will despite passing the exam in a fair square manner. Anyways, the teachers also somehow made my days worthwhile despite the constant failures I face there. Struggles, challenges, exhaustion, stress, low scores; Sometimes, I even feel like I'm just average, and perhaps that I'm the least smartest, so I lowered my expectations by a lot. To say that I started to lose my confidence and began de-appreciating myself, I came to a point where I would much rather just survive and not get kicked out of the school. Just make sure not to fail. Submit your requirements. And live. A constant cycle. But I had my friends. And I have a dream. Although I don't have a school in mind, I do have a plan on what I want to do.

I want to study chemistry, then study forensics and become a scientist who could assist in investigations. Childish? Yes, it seems like it. After all, as a child, I loved reading detective books, Sherlock Homes, Agatha Christie, and Hardy Boys, name a few more local books. I loved investigation despite how it may seem horrifying it is in real life. I may hate horror movies, but my heart always ached for finding out the truth in things. Perhaps, if somebody died right now, I would wonder "why?", "how?", and "what happened?" Connecting the threads of it seemed to be something that always caught my attention.

Unfortunately, that dream can't be achieved. Being a forensic scientist is almost unachievable. Perhaps I'm not the best in studying, I procrastinate a lot, but when it comes to my interest in forensics and crimes, I always make sure to put my whole attention to every detail. Much more attention than the one I give in studying.

My parents always remind me to maintain my grades, and of course, I always do my best to do so. Because I have dreams I want to achieve. But, whenever discussions about colleges or universities pop up, I would much rather not attend such a topic. I hate how my mom would always mention the costs it would take to put in the school that I'm aiming for. I'm grateful that she wants to support me, but sometimes, I get the impression that she thinks I want her to support me, as in the type where I wouldn't help her. As if she was expecting that she pays for everything. "I can always get a part-time job." I wanted to say that, but I know she wouldn't want that. Perhaps it was because of pride that she could try to support me financially or that she just wants me to focus solely on my studies. I love her. I love her, really, but I hate how she always talks about financial things regarding college. She ones told me to just study nearby. The farthest I could possibly go is in Cebu so that it'd be cheaper. I get it, but what is the point of putting in such an outstanding school, with scholarship, and just put me in some state college?? The closer I am to home, the better. I understand that, and truly, I would love the idea. But I hate it. I hate it. There's not many opportunities here. One line I will always say to end these college or university topics is that,

"You put me in a prestigious high school, one that I didn't even want to go to. And now that I actually ended up liking it and want to plan my life out, you'd put me in a state college? Here? Just nearby? Where there's less to little to no opportunities?" And that would somehow end it.

I want to get a part-time job as early as now. But living in the Philippines isn't making it easy when there's limited job offers or side hustles available for people around 16 or 17. I'm 18, but it's still a challenge to find a job where you'd earn a lot.

I want to choose my own college and enjoy my life the way I'd want it. Being in this high school, where I am now, gave me the idea that I should always search for bigger opportunities and not be limited to what is only around you. And I will do that.

[carlocarrasco]

Imposition of withholding tax on online sellers could happen before December 2023

Those of you who have been engaging with online selling, you better brace yourselves as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) hopes to begin imposing a creditable withholding tax before December 2023, according to a BusinessWorld news report. Specifically, this move applies on partner-merchants of online platforms. To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the BusinessWorld…

[goteamphilippines]

Remote and Work From Home Jobs in Cebu: Staff Accountant - GoTeam

We’re hiring!

We are looking for a Staff Accountant who can work with one of our Australian clients and manage their accounts payable, receivable tasks, and billing reconciliations.

Earn up to 35K monthly and enjoy plenty of benefits while working remotely (work-from-home) during the day shift.

Check out the link and kickstart your application with GoTeam!

[izicodes]

Hi, Hello! It’s me, Izzy and I am back from a very long break!

For those who don’t know who I am and just saw my post, I’m Isabelle but Izzy for short (and even shorter, Izi)! I run a Codeblr blog which I post about anything coding! I try to strictly only talk about coding, programming and computer science, but frankly, I ramble on about something else eventually! Hope you’re doing well!

Now, I know I said I wouldn't come back, but that was because I suddenly became stuck on what to post about and wanted to give myself a break and figure out how to do things on my blog and my online presence in general!

So, in summary, I am back from my break very inspired and eager to help more people get into programming / get better at programming! I will go on to talk about exactly what I have been doing during my break later on in this post, but wanted to say thank you to everyone who messaged me throughout the months and saw how I was! Very thought and extra blessings from God to you, please!

Working at my new-but-not-so-new job!

Yes! So, obviously, as a 21st Century girlie, I am working! Still at the music company that I started back in January! Now that I am 8 months into the job, I feel now I am fully immersed in the job and the projects and not feeling like an outsider! I went on multiple out-the-office events with the whole company and it was nice! Some I couldn’t attend because of religious reasons, but I still had fun! I got to meet a lot more girlies at my office that I don’t usually talk to (because I’m still the only girl in the frontend engineering team but there is a backend girlie but we don’t work close together so… distance)! Cheatingly, I am always ticking the box of “code every day”! However, work has made me do more UI/UX designing + frontend programming websites which I love! Always wanted to be both and not just one or the other! We are allowed to have 2 job titles, remember? (But make sure the salary is in accordance, of course, ~)

Learning new technologies! (for fun, obviously)

By “for fun” I mean personal reasons, the technologies I learnt on a whim were not for work but because I needed to learn them for personal projects I wanted to learn! I stress again; it’s more fun to learn something because you want to and not because you have to! So, I have been learning how to create desktop applications using ElectronJS and ReactJS (React has become my best friend!). Me now compared to me when I started my break is 10x smarter I feel like! My brain has definitely expanded somewhere…!

Latest project?!

Inspired by study productivity apps and wanting to track my Korean language progress, I am making a desktop application called ‘eStudySpace’! It would be my own personal app, but I want to see if I can actually pull something like this off! Right now I have not coded anything because I want to work on the design aspect first (which is smarter and a time saver in the future), so I have been on Figma for the last 2 weeks coming up with designs!

(It looks bad, I know this is like idea no.3287368 ugh...)

Miscs

I have been learning Korean for 4 months now. 

I have plans to move to a South-Eastern country, The Philippines? Singapore? Unsure!

I do have plans to switch to a new career but that’s more like 5 years into the future! But right now, I’m happy where I am at!

[bengiyo]

Marahuyo Project Eps 3 & 4 Stray Thoughts

Last time, we met King, our out queer activist, whose family moved him to Marahuyo after he was expelled from his high school for making out with his friend and then knocking down the dean. Here, on an island with only 12 hours of electricity a day, King finds himself with little queer community and so decides to build it himself. He bonded with Venice, a trans girl in his class, to build an LGBTQIA+ organization in their school. Unfortunately, he must get the approval of the student council president and then the board. King believes the president is his enemy, but it’s clear these two are vibing. We’re also detecting queers all over the place, particularly Lorena and Lili. I’m having a blast to finally be back in the Philippines and to have a show not in the bubble.

Episode 3: Sidapa At Bulan

I’m getting really sad for Ino. I grew up in a city, and so as I started to figure out myself I was able to go online and express that. All he can do is write his letters to the cosmos and the gods and leave them on a rotting boat.

I am so happy for Venice that she has a friend. She’s clearly resurging out of her shell.

OOF, this eye contact scene.

Wow, Lili is smart enough to make sure they’re actually alone in the bathroom before having a serious conversation.

That’s right, Lorena, you take the time to figure out what queerness means to you.

Omg are we faking distress now??

CPR could actually break his ribs, so this is probably a terrible idea.

I’m glad they didn’t touch lips like this.

Okay, that tongue in cheek moment was something else. Holy shit.

I’m a fan of the plan to write letters back to Ino!

I bet it was Ino who vandalized the mural. This mermaid thing is too specific to the people of Marahuyo.

Marco, STFU. This is not about you! Lorena is standing up for her friend! FFS!

I always feel so much for people like Lorie in the community. Lorie never intended to come out, but she did to protect someone else in her community with a show of solidarity. I also came out because I didn’t want to hurt a woman I admired and respected a lot.

Archie and Venice were definitely close before. He knows way too much about her, and is constantly trying to protect her.

I do love how plain the politics of this show are. Drawing the comparison of people wanting to defend Ino’s family and reputation with the lack of defense for King and his friends is a strong note. It’s especially potent because Ino seems to have serious angst about his family’s reputation.

I love the notes exchange. Ino is smart, and definitely suspects that he’s actually writing to King. This is such a great way for him to work up his courage and comfort.

Episode 4: Santelmo

Wow. Cutting his hair while King was asleep is so, so violent.

King, please do not embarrass yourself IN A BARBERSHOP!

The barber may have done a good job with the haircut, but I’m still mad about his mom cutting his hair.

King is correct. Ino is way more attractive when he’s experiencing joy or amusement.

I love Venice. She came over to call out King on his bullshit and then immediately started teasing.

It’s 2024! We all verse now!

Okay, Lorie, that’s so difficult. I had wondered about her reactions whenever her dad came up in discussion.

Oh no. Does Venice know who died by the beach in the Santelmo story?

Oh ho, we’re sitting on a log on the beach and talking about love. I really love the way Adrian turns to the camera as King.

I actually love that King as a character is jaded about love. He’s not building an organization because he’s looking to smash or for love. He’s building it because he believes in community for people like him.

That being said, he’s so ridiculous about Ino.

COUPLE KEY CHAINS ALREADY??

Do we have any fans from the Philippines watching on Tumblr? I’d like some additional linguistic context about the ‘mermaid’ term. Getting the sense that Ino’s dad left for a queer relationship.

King’s shirt looks even gayer during this splashing scene.

They let these boys ride the bike themselves at night? Brave choices from this production team.

Wow, an even gayer crop top.

This grief scene was devastating.

Archie, dude, you’re killing me. You lost one trans friend. Why shove the other away like this?

Yeah, the mom basically just told Ino, “Don’t be gay.”

Um, I’m really fucking nervous about someone approaching the boat with a fucking torch.

I am absolutely in love with this show. I love that for all the posturing that there’s no queerness on Marahuyo, we now know of multiple characters who are either queer or closely related to queer people. It’s been so long since we’ve seen a show where the characters have expressed their feelings for each other in roundabout ways but won’t say it openly, and that not feel like shit. Everyone who’s seen them together can see what’s happening. I’m so nervous for Ino. I love that King is being patient with him without diminishing himself or his goals. I’m going to be thinking about Lorie abandoning the safety of heteronormativity and the closet to stand beside other queers, and also about Venice having to constantly defend hers and Christina’s names to their former best friend.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

(CNN) — Jack Latham was on a mission to photograph farms in Vietnam — not the country’s sprawling plantations or rice terraces but its “click farms.”

Last year, the British photographer spent a month in the capital Hanoi documenting some of the shadowy enterprises that help clients artificially boost online traffic and social media engagement in the hope of manipulating algorithms and user perceptions.

The resulting images, which feature in his new book “Beggar’s Honey,” provide rare insight into the workshops that hire low-paid workers to cultivate likes, comments and shares for businesses and individuals globally.

“When most people are on social media, they want nothing but attention — they’re begging for it,” Latham said in a phone interview, explaining his book’s title.

“With social media, our attention is a product for advertisers and marketers.”

In the 2000s, the growing popularity of social media sites — including Facebook and Twitter, now called X — created a new market for well-curated digital profiles, with companies and brands vying to maximize visibility and influence.

Though it is unclear when click farms began proliferating, tech experts warned about “virtual gang masters” operating them from low-income countries as early as 2007.

In the following decades, click farms exploded in number — particularly in Asia, where they can be found across India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and beyond.

Regulations have often failed to keep pace: While some countries, like China, have attempted to crack down on operations (the China Advertising Association banned the use of click farms for commercial gain in 2020), they continue to flourish around the continent, especially in places where low labor and electricity costs make it affordable to power hundreds of devices simultaneously.

‘Like Silicon Valley startups’

Latham’s project took him to five click farms in Vietnam.

(The click farmers he hoped to photograph in Hong Kong “got cold feet,” he said, and pandemic-related travel restrictions dashed his plans to document the practice in mainland China).

On the outskirts of Hanoi, Latham visited workshops operating from residential properties and hotels.

Some had a traditional setup with hundreds of manually operated phones, while others used a newer, compact method called “box farming” — a phrase used by the click farmers Latham visited — where several phones, without screens and batteries, are wired together and linked to a computer interface.

Latham said one of the click farms he visited was a family-run business, though the others appeared more like a tech companies.

Most workers were in their 20s and 30s, he added.

“They all looked like Silicon Valley startups,” he said. “There was a tremendous amount of hardware … whole walls of phones.”

Some of Latham’s photos depict — albeit anonymously — workers tasked with harvesting clicks.

In one image, a man is seen stationed amid a sea of gadgets in what appears to be a lonely and monotonous task.

“It only takes one person to control large amounts of phones,” Latham said. “One person can very quickly (do the work of) 10,000. It’s both solitary and crowded.”

At the farms Lathan visited, individuals were usually in charge of a particular social media platforms.

For instance, one “farmer” would be responsible for mass posting and commenting on Facebook accounts, or setting up YouTube platforms where they post and watch videos on loop.

The photographer added that TikTok is now the most popular platform at the click farms he visited.

The click farmers Latham spoke to mostly advertised their services online for less than one cent per click, view or interaction.

And despite the fraudulent nature of their tasks, they seemed to treat it like just another job, the photographer said.

‘There was an understanding they were just providing a service,” he added. “There wasn’t a shadiness. What they’re offering is shortcuts.”

Deceptive perception

Across its 134 pages, “Beggar’s Honey” includes a collection of abstract photographs — some seductive, others contemplative — depicting videos that appeared on Latham’s TikTok feed.

He included them in the book to represent the kind of content he saw being boosted by click farms.

But many of his photos focus on the hardware used to manipulate social media —webs of wires, phones and computers.

“A lot of my work is about conspiracies,” Latham said. ” Trying to ‘document the machines used to spread disinformation’ is the tagline of the project. The bigger picture is often the thing we don’t see.”

Click farms around the world are also used to amplify political messages and spread disinformation during elections.

In 2016, Cambodia’s then-prime minister Hun Sen was accused of buying Facebook friends and likes, which according to the BBC he denied, while shadowy operations in North Macedonia were found to have spread pro-Donald Trump posts and articles during that year’s US presidential election.

While researching, Latham said he found that algorithms — a topic of his previous book, “Latent Bloom” — often recommended videos that he said got increasingly “extreme” with each click.

“If you only digest a diet of that, it’s a matter of time you become diabetically conspiratorial,” he said.

“The spreading of disinformation is the worst thing. It happens in your pocket, not newspapers, and it’s terrifying that it’s tailored to your kind of neurosis.”

Hoping to raise awareness of the phenomenon and its dangers, Latham is planning to exhibit his own home version of a click farm — a small box with several phones attached to a computer interface — at the 2024 Images Vevey Festival in Switzerland.

He bought the gadget in Vietnam for the equivalent of about $1,000 and has occasionally experimented with it on his social media accounts.

On Instagram, Latham’s photos usually attract anywhere from a few dozen to couple hundred likes.

But when he deployed his personal click farm to announce his latest book, the post generated more than 6,600 likes.

The photographer wants people to realize that there’s more to what they see on social media — and that metrics aren’t a measurement of authenticity.

“When people are better equipped with knowledge of how things work, they can make more informed decisions,” he said.

“Beggar’s Honey,” co-published by Here Press and Images Vevey, is available now.

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Some fave multichapter with angst and fluff?

We recently listed some favorite longer fics here.

Check out Lynne's list of recommended fics here.

Some of my favorite longshots - often with more than one part as well. These weren't mentioned in previous list drawn up above as they are all before 2020. ~Jen

The Symphony Verse by Shandyalls

Blaine has spent most of his life feeling like the only thing people notice about him is that he stutters. He’s working hard to overcome his (mostly self created) roadblocks when he meets Kurt in an online class the summer after his freshman year of college.

~~~~~

Love Song by andiheardeverything

A hate crime leaves Blaine damaged and Kurt refuses to let it bring them down.

~~~~~

100 days by @borogroves

Kurt and Blaine have been best friends (and nothing more) since the age of six. Now 22-year-old college graduates, they take a roadtrip around the USA, visiting every state in 100 days. Fifty states. Two boys. One love story.

~~~~~

The Empty Nest series by @coffeegleek

Burt Hummel was an empty nester who discovered a teenager sleeping under his porch. Kurt was just trying to survive in a world that was against everything he was. This is their story.

~~~~~

Westerville Abbey by @hkvoyage

Blaine is the second son of the earl of Westerville, and is considered the spare heir. After his 18th birthday, he attends the London Season to fulfill his duty of finding a wife. He soon realizes he is more attracted to the new footman. Kurt, who has just arrived at Westerville Abbey to work alongside his father, becomes equally as smitten with the earl’s youngest son. Will Blaine and Kurt be able to overcome their class differences in 1910s England? Will their forbidden love survive WW1? A Downton Abbey inspired historical Klaine AU.

and Life in the Big Apple by @hkvoyage

Sequel to Westerville Abbey. Kurt and Blaine are reunited, but their happily ever after comes with a whole new set of challenges: relationship hiccups, jealousy, sabotage, war memories, and family troubles. Yet with love and perseverance, they can make it through. A Klaine historical AU set in the 1920s.

~~~~

Gilded Cage by @canarian

In the winter of 1895, Blaine Anderson, the son of a wealthy doctor, and Kurt Hummel, the son of a middle class mechanic, cross paths at a luxury hotel in the quiet seaside town of St. Augustine, Florida. With everyone and everything working to keep them apart, can they find a way to be together?

~~~~~

Sweet DREAMers by @perryavenue

Blaine Anderson is a business major at Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Blaine came to the United States from the Philippines on a tourist visa with his mom when he was three years old and since then, has lived in Woodside, Queens with his mom and cousin Marco. As a gay, undocumented student, he has the questionable good fortune to belong to two marginalized populations. One day, while at his part-time job at a book store, Blaine meets Kurt Hummel, a theatre major from Ohio attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and begins a tentative friendship. Before it has the chance to bloom into more, Blaine’s immigration status is revealed, creating issues for both of them.

[beardedmrbean]

A seaside hotel and former bank offices on the Isle of Man have been used by scammers conning victims in China out of millions of dollars, a BBC World Service investigation has found.

The dining room and lounge at the Seaview Hotel in Douglas were packed with dozens of Chinese workers, we have been told, on computers hooked up to fast broadband. A specialist wok hob had also been delivered to the hotel’s kitchen.

The deception, which happened between January 2022 and January 2023 according to Chinese court documents, used a method known as "pig-butchering". It is so-called because the process of “fattening the pig” - gaining the victim’s trust - is vital to its success.

The BBC spent nearly a year establishing how the investment scam was carried out from the island, which is a British Crown dependency with an independent government.

We also uncovered other details, such as how bosses had big ambitions to build a state-of-the-art office complex overlooking the Irish Sea.

As well as obtaining court papers, we have accessed leaked documents and spoken to company insiders.

One former member of staff, Jordan [not his real name], told us he had no idea of the murky world he was entering when he arrived on the Isle of Man. He says he was relieved to have found what he thought was a stable administrative job.

He did notice, however, that his new employer seemed quite secretive - for example, he and his colleagues were forbidden from taking photos at company social events. What he says he didn’t realise was that many of his Chinese colleagues were actually scam artists.

In late 2021, nearly 100 people had been transferred to the Isle of Man to work for a company which Chinese court documents refer to as "MIC". They had come from the Philippines where they had worked for another scamming firm. The BBC has discovered that MIC stands for Manx Internet Commerce.

On the Isle of Man, MIC was part of a group of associated companies - all with the same owner.

An online casino, run by King Gaming Ltd, was the most prominent. In mainland China, gambling is illegal. Setting up halfway around the world meant the group's founders could target Chinese customers, but also take advantage of the Isle of Man’s low gambling taxes.

A few months after being based at the Seaview Hotel in Douglas, the MIC workers were moved to former bank offices on the east side of town.

And this is where Jordan says he would hear sporadic cheering from his new colleagues - who worked in groups of four. He now believes they were celebrating moments when they had successfully scammed another victim, some 5,000 miles away.

Six people who worked for MIC in Douglas have now been convicted - upon their return home to China - of carrying out investment scams against Chinese citizens.

The cases, heard in late 2023, detail the illicit money stream. Victims were lured by the defendants and their accomplices from bases on the Isle of Man and in the Philippines, according to the Chinese court papers.

They say the defendants would work in teams to pull Chinese investors into chat groups on QQ - a popular Chinese instant messaging service similar to WhatsApp. One scammer would play the role of an investment "teacher", and others would pretend to be fellow investors.

The BBC has seen evidence - including in the court papers - that many of those who arrived in Douglas from the Philippines were engaged in the scams. All used the same computer equipment, depended on QQ for their work and, with the exception of a few managers, all held the same job title.

The fake investors would build an atmosphere of hype and excitement around the money-making skills of the "teacher", who would then tell the victim to put money into a particular investment platform, the Chinese court found.

Dazzled by the hype, the victim would comply, only for their funds to be syphoned off by the scammers, who actually controlled these platforms and could manipulate them from behind the scenes.

The Chinese court said it was difficult to verify the victims' total losses - but it said 38.87m renminbi (£4.17m/$5.3m) had been taken from at least 12 victims.

Relying on evidence including the defendants’ own confessions, as well as travel and financial records and chat logs, the court found the six defendants guilty.

This was not only a profitable but also a sophisticated scam, say the court documents, requiring front line teams to deploy the "pig-butchering" techniques with persuasiveness and skill.

The BBC has discovered the identity of the companies' sole beneficiary. His name was hidden behind layers of administrative paperwork.

MIC and its affiliate companies were all held by a trust set up by an individual named "Bill Morgan" who, documents show, was also known as Liang Lingfei. Employees called him "Boss Liang", says Jordan.

The Chinese court papers refer to a man called Liang Lingfei being the co-founder of MIC on the Isle of Man - which it described as "a fairly stable criminal organisation established in order to carry out scam activities". Mr Liang was not one of those prosecuted or represented at the hearings.

The court stated that Mr Liang was also co-founder of the scamming organisation in the Philippines. The BBC has seen evidence that many MIC employees worked there before being transferred to the Isle of Man.

Our investigation has also found that Mr Liang obtained an Isle of Man investment visa and attended multiple company events on the island. His wife also owns a home in the town of Ballasalla, near the island’s airport.

The group of companies on the Isle of Man was ambitious, having signed a planning agreement late last year for a glitzy "parkland campus" headquarters on the site of a former naval training base. A spokesperson for the developers described it as the "largest single private investment in the Isle of Man".

Architects’ images show office buildings set on a hill above the seafront in Douglas. Inside would have been penthouse apartments, a spa, multiple bars and a karaoke lounge.

The campus was to be used by MIC staff and those working for MIC's "affiliate" companies, including those involved in online gambling, planning documents state.

Conservative estimates put the global annual revenues of the "pig-butchering" industry at more than $60bn (£46.5bn).

"This is the first such case we've seen of one of these [pig-butchering] scam operations setting up in a Western country," says Masood Karimipour, South East Asia representative at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Trying to stop the scams is like a "game of whack-a-mole", he says, and it is a battle that "organised crime is currently winning" as criminals engage in what he calls "jurisdiction shopping" where they perceive there to be legal loopholes and little oversight.

Any ambitions the group of companies may have had on the Isle of Man - legitimate or otherwise - appear to have come to an end.

In April, police raided the former bank offices. They also targeted an address next to the island's Courts of Justice building - using a ladder to enter through a first-floor window in the early hours of the morning.

In a statement released shortly afterwards, police said the raids had been in connection with a wider fraud and money laundering investigation in relation to King Gaming Ltd IOM. Seven people had been arrested and released on bail, they added.

Since then, a further three people are known to have been arrested.

Receivers were appointed earlier this month for companies in the group - including MIC and King Gaming Ltd IOM - at the request of the Isle of Man's attorney general.

The island's gambling regulator has stripped MIC's gambling affiliate companies of their licences.

The parkland campus site was cleared of trees and signage went up - but the redevelopment is now on hold indefinitely.

The BBC has made repeated attempts, via several methods of communication, to contact the companies involved - as well as Bill Morgan/Liang Langfei and company directors - but has received no replies.

We have also attempted to contact the Seaview Hotel, but have received no response, though there is no suggestion that anyone there was aware of any illegal activities taking place on the premises.

[artbyeritza]

Butterfly Pity (Pea Tea)

Mitski’s on repeat in my wired headset again

And I try not to feel sorry for myself, not to cry.

I try to stand my ground, to stand on business,

It’s never enough.

I’m back in that office job again,

Now my old friends, my new friends,

My international friends and fellow Filipinos

Must think what a clown I am.

It’s the same circus, same as Yulo’s,

The difference is he won two gold medals

And has a supportive girl and the girl’s family.

I’m stuck in a cycle with my family.

Time is a circle, as the world spins on its axis.

I begin again, the same day,

Tolerating and hating everything and everyone,

For the past 26 years.

The funny thing is, I thought I could treat my friends

As a replacement for my family –

A break from the scorching summers and hell that they bring

But it opened up

Abuse, recklessness,

Dumbness, idiot,

Idiot, idiot, idiot

Idiot, idiot, idiot

Idiot, idiot, idiot

Idiot, idiot, idiot

Idiot, idiot, idiot

I am a fucking idiot

For thinking that friends can fill the void,

Much less how relationships started

And ended.

In my waking hours and grimdark dreams,

No one ever loved me,

I was only tolerated.

The fat fuck from the Philippines,

Loser – tolerated.

They’re a no one, they are toxic.

My parents loved the dogs more than me.

A female dog is a bitch

And she is.

The dogs they took care of, the white one,

Would bite me when I tried to get close,

Get familiar.

So animals don’t like me, my parents, my sisters,

My family don’t like me,

I am not certain if my remaining friends

Secretly hate me

Or if I have potential partners at all.

Aside from my personal life,

My professional, oh,

I hate numbers, I hate Accounting.

My boss is a bitch,

Who would work us 6 days a week,

From 7 in the morning until 7 in the night.

She would excuse it as personally knowing us,

Or so she claimed and our residence was nearby.

She does not understand boundaries.

The only solace I have is I can steal a few Zs

From working hours, shit, fuck, and game

During working hours.

I don’t fuck anyone, I’m AroAce and Polyam,

Not a monster.

I let my SLOWLY messages

Stack up, let it add up.

Long messaging and waiting for messages

To arrive piss me the fuck off.

By the time something reaches to me,

The Homestuck magic of waiting for a friend’s response

Or mail is gone, it’s gone.

It’s motherfucking gone.

SLOWLY was an excuse for lazy messaging,

A random-izer.

It can be a dating app but for friends.

Every time I hear that dating apps have a friend feature

Or can be used to find friends,

I want to shoot myself.

I loved the randies from Boo and Her app

But for someone to be lazy

and obviously lazy,

To not write something coherent, complex and interesting

Dear mother of god, susmariosep!

Now, I know how it is when people get bored,

I get bored too.

I know uninterested when it writes, when it talks

Yet I’m not a plaything anymore.

My Germans, Americans, and Chinese write to me

And I’m not sure how to reply.

I watch my Russian friend online in the photo app,

I wonder if I will get our usual messaging

But it is a Sunday

And seemingly, same as the Americans I knew,

They are busy with family, work and maybe study.

Or rather, it becomes obvious to my oblivious,

Moron self

That there is not one single person

Who will prefer to talk to me,

The way I speak to my poetry and art.

I pity…not myself, but everyone else.

I am healing, like a caterpillar encased in a cocoon

And about to hatch.

The hatch will be a thing of horror,

Violence to myself for a new life someday.

I’m on the third cup of “Ternate”,

Like the municipality of Cavite.

Third cup of my butterfly pea tea.

I watch the light blue sky turn into deep ocean blue,

A tea in my cup.

I swallowed it whole.

I know I’m the problem

And how mean and rude I am

But I also know I do these things

Because I was hurt deeply,

Left to lick my own wounds,

Tending, nursing myself.

[xcruitech]

Best Job Posting Website in the Philippines - Xcruit

Xcruit is widely recognized as one of the premier job posting website in the Philippines. Boasting a user-friendly platform and a vast array of job opportunities, Xcruit facilitates seamless connections between employers and job seekers. Its efficiency and effectiveness make it a preferred choice for both parties in the Philippine job market.

[tomorrowusa]

Slavery still exists and mainland Southeast Asia is a hotspot for it. But instead of agricultural forced labor, the victims end up in boiler rooms where they are compelled to assist their new masters with online scams. In effect, the victims also become victimizers.

The article above is largely concerned with Myanmar. But Cambodia also has a significant problem with this.

Hundreds of Taiwanese trafficked to Cambodia and held captive by telecom scam gangs

English speakers from Taiwan and Vietnam are in high demand by the slavers. But I've heard of people from the Philippines and Hong Kong being lured into slavery as well.

When looking into overseas job offers, it's essential to investigate the legitimacy of the employer from totally independent sources. Don't be naïve. When something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

[carlocarrasco]

BIR says that discounts for senior citizens and PWD for online purchases are mandatory

As far as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is concerned, senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) are entitled to discounts over the online purchases they made, according to a GMA Network news report. To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA Network news article. Some parts in boldface… The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Wednesday said the…

[goteamphilippines]

Remote and Work From Home Jobs in Cebu: Marketing Specialist - GoTeam

Heads up, Marketers! We've got a Work from Home opportunity right here! 📢

We are looking for a Marketing Specialist who has at least 4 years of marketing experience. SEO optimization and e-mail marketing experience are advantages.

Earn up to 55K monthly working from your home while on the night shift. A PC or laptop will also be provided plus you get to enjoy plenty of benefits including HMO coverage starting from Day 1!

Read the full job details on the link

[callieclmb]

[woman and she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [CALLIOPE “CALLIE” CALUMBA]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [VIVOREE ESCLITO]. You must be the [TWENTY-THREE] year old [STUDENT]. Word is you’re [PERSUASIVE] but can also be a bit [MERCURIAL] and your favorite song is [SUGARCOAT BY NATTY]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY TOWERS]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

tw for mentions of abuse in her bio.

basics

full name: calliope mae daug calumba age: 23 (born march 25, 2001) ethnicity: bisaya filipino gender & pronouns: cis woman, she/her sexuality: bisexual languages known: cebuano (bisaya), english, a little bit of tagalog

more

callie was born to a first-generation immigrant family from bohol, philippines. her family lived in a small town in virginia, usa. callie has always hated it. her parents were abusive. and the town was boring. callie feels more comfortable talking about the boring part, so that's what she tells other people, mostly. it was just a boring town. when she got an acceptance letter from aurora bay college, she jumped at the chance to move to aurora bay. she got offers from more "prestigious" universities too, but aurora bay seemed like a nice middle ground between a small virginia town and the big city. honestly, callie was kinda scared. she's happy to have found her home here over the past several years. currently doing her masters in data science. she also does pageants and sews most of her own dresses and gowns. she has a following online, but not enough to change her life (as much as she wants it to). at the moment, callie is still just a student who works odd jobs to get by. although she wants to become famous someday, she's finding it really easy to just sit back and enjoy life at aurora bay. though sometimes, her emotional issues get the best of her. callie is a huge gossip. very nosy and knows a bunch of stuff about random people. she doesn't consider it gossip, but "research." as for wanted plots, you know the drill: friends, enemies, frenemies, exes, flirtationships, fwb, cousins, schoolmates, etc.!