Duterte Wants E-Sabong Placed Under Pagcor

The multibillion-peso e-sabong or online cockfighting operations should be placed under supervision of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) as all state-sanctioned gaming activities are under its jurisdiction, President Duterte said on Sunday, May 1.

“Iyong e-sabong sabi ko sa kanila it must be under PAGCOR. Lahat ng sugal dito sa Pilipinas PAGCOR kasi may control,” he said, adding it would be easier for everyone if there’s only one office to call if any controversy happens.

“Ako isang opisina lang tawagan ko kung mayroon ba ito o wala at anong nangyari dito. So I can have an answer without going to different offices to ask if we have the money or if the money is not there, what happened,” Duterte said.

Suspecting that at least 30 cockfight aficionados or “sabungero” who have been missing since last year might have been killed and their remains burned, Duterte also said he may decide today, May 2, whether or not e-sabong should continue.

Addressing the issue on Labor Day, Duterte said he had tasked the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to study e-sabong operations in the country, noting “social problems” attached to it and the disturbing disappearance of dozens of patrons and associates of the game.?

“I tasked him (Interior Secretary Eduardo Año) to make a serious study of e-sabong. The recommendation is on my table now. Once I reach my office, I will read it,” he said. “Maybe by Monday, we will know if we will continue it or not.”?

Senators who conducted a congressional probe into the unexplained disappearances at cockfighting arenas had urged Duterte to suspend the operations of e-sabong.?However, he decided against it because of the P640 million in revenues e-sabong operations generate every month and blamed the disappearances of “evil men.”

On Sunday, as he inspected the country’s first Overseas Filipino Workers Hospital in the City of San Fernando in Pampanga as part of his Labor Day activities, Duterte acknowledged the “social problem” posed by e-sabong.

“There is apparently a social problem involving the operations of e-sabong. So we have a problem there and we want to, well, be fair to everybody. But then again, we must study seriously or take into consideration the social issues,” he said.

The President mentioned reports of children placing bets and people selling properties to continue playing the game.

“I don’t know if this is true so I told Secretary Año: ‘Study it, conduct a survey because you have a far-reaching power in the provinces... even in cities... You can gather feedback,’” he said.

“By Monday, we would know, tonight, I will read it (DILG recommendation) all over again. I would like to see its dimension,” he added.

As for the people associated with e-sabong who have gone missing, Duterte asked in Filipino: “Where are the missing persons? They have not been found. What is my suspicion? Their bodies have been burned.”

Last March, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea issued a memorandum ordering the police and the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the disappearances of e-sabong players.

He has also directed PAGCOR to investigate if there are violations of e-sabong licences. Some police officers have been linked to the disappearance of the cockfight enthusiasts and are now being investigated.

In March, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said its legal opinion recognizing the authority of PAGCOR to regulate e-sabong was is based on the latter’s charter.

If lawmakers believe that a ”clear and unequivocal congressional authority is needed for the licensing of e-sabong, then Congress should act expeditiously,” DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra said.

“The legal opinion of the DOJ on the regulation of e-sabong was based on its interpretation of the PAGCOR Charter, which is an act of the legislature. On the other hand, the OSG (Office of Solicitor General) opinion was apparently based on the inadequacy of gaming authority on the part of LGUs (local government units), considering the online nature of e-sabong operations,” Guevarra told reporters via text message.

“From a policy viewpoint, the regulation of e-sabong, whether through congressional franchises or by authority of executive agencies, is far better than e-sabong being totally unregulated,” he added.

Sen. Francis Tolentino said the DOJ and OSG could have gone beyond their authority in empowering PAGCOR to issue online cockfight franchises which, he said, is not specified in the agency’s charter.

LGU regulates live cockfighting in arenas while PAGCOR has authority over e-sabong, which involves online/remote or off-site wagering/betting on live cockfighting matches, events, and activities streamed or broadcasted live from cockpit arena licensed or authorized by the LGU.

PAGCOR’s E-Sabong Licensing Department develops the regulatory framework, processes applications, and issues licenses for operations, among others.