E-sabong Suspension Rejected, Senator Expresses Disapproval

On Sunday, opposition senator Leila De Lima scrutinized President Rodrigo Duterte’s refusal to halt the operations of online cockfighting in the country. Despite being a major source of income for the government, De Lima noted that the social costs of these platforms far outweigh the benefits.

“There is no reason to allow e-sabong to continue to operate if it brings more harm than good. Hindi dapat ibinibida ng gobyerno yung malaking kita sa sugal. Sa halip, ang dapat ipinapaliwanag sa mga tao ay ang mga hindi magandang epekto ng sugal lalo na sa mga kabataan,” she asserted. “We can always recover economic losses by other means or sources, but the social costs and harm done to our youth’s psyche are irreversible.”

(“There is no reason to allow e-sabong to continue to operate if it brings more harm than good. The government should not be prioritizing the huge profits from gambling. Instead, what should be explained to people is its negative effects, especially to the youth. We can always recover economic losses by other means or sources, but the social costs and the harm that is done to our youth’s psyche are irreversible.”)

The Senate urged Malacañang and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to suspend e-sabong operations a few weeks back following the disappearance of at least 31 sabungeros. This was later rejected by the President, particularly because of the revenues that the popular game generates. PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo furthered that the agency was able to collect approximately ₱3.69 billion from the operations of eight e-sabong licensees from April to December 2021.

De Lima elaborated that the network of gambling lords and their influence over the country’s politics has only been reinforced with the legalization of gambling and e-sabong. Additionally, these activities may also be linked to various crimes such as prostitution, human trafficking, drugs, money laundering, and kidnapping.

“Let us not forget that corruption, which continues to be prevalent in the country and is considered as the most basic problem of Philippine society, is also rooted in jueteng as a form of gambling,” she argued. “Now, jueteng lords have started to diversify and invest in legal gambling. This has served to reinforce the conduct of illegal jueteng by a sheer monopoly of power over the gambling industry by jueteng lords.”

“It costs too much to police. It is not something that we should promote to our people as a way of life. Hindi kailanman matutumbasan ng ipinagmamalaking kita ng gobyerno ang masisirang kinabukasan, lalo na ng kabataan,” De Lima concluded. (“It costs too much to police. It is not something that we should promote to our people as a way of life. The government’s revenue can never match a ruined future, especially for the youth.”)

Sources: BusinessWorld, GMA News