Senator Joel Villanueva opposed a proposal to revive online cockfighting, calling it far worse than Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
Villanueva, who introduced a bill in September of 2022 aimed at completely banning online gambling, argued that the social costs of gambling far exceed any potential revenue it could generate.
“While we desperately need revenues, the choice shouldn’t be a matter of picking between the lesser of two evils. We want our income to come from legitimate, legal, and sustainable sources,” he stated.
Villanueva highlighted that while POGOs, which have been linked to human trafficking, torture, and scam operations, primarily target foreign nationals, e-sabong is “even more troubling because it directly affects our fellow Filipinos from all walks of life.”
Although e-sabong has been banned since May 2022, Villanueva pointed out that as of February, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). reported nearly 800 e-sabong operators were still conducting online cockfights. He also criticized the government for failing to collect taxes from these operators and from the winners of e-sabong.
“Like POGOs, e-sabong has inflicted significant social harm. Worse, it tears apart Filipino families, plunges individuals into crippling debt, and even drives some to commit theft and other crimes to sustain their gambling addictions,” Villanueva said. He emphasized the tragic cases of around 30 missing cockfighting enthusiasts (sabungeros), including some from Bulacan, who remain unaccounted for.
In pushing for a complete ban on online gambling, Villanueva, who chairs the Senate labor committee, argued in his bill that the government should adopt a policy to “eliminate and prohibit all forms of online gambling activities as it devalues the dignity of an individual’s work by encouraging reckless and risky spending in the hope of instant monetary gain, leading many Filipinos into severe financial distress.”
The House Committee on Games and Amusement has already approved a bill to ban e-sabong operations, with committee members urging the Philippine National Police to enforce President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2022 executive order suspending all e-sabong activities.
They called on police to raid cockpits and arenas hosting e-sabong events and seize the equipment used to broadcast the matches.
