PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday, March 29, 2022, that his primary reason for not ordering the stoppage of electronic cockfight betting (e-sabong) operations is money.
“Ako baka nagdududa kayo bakit hindi ko hininto. Hindi ko ho hininto kasi kailangan ng pera sa e-sabong ng gobyerno,” he said during his Talk to the People Address.
(You might have questioned why I am not stopping the e-sabong operations. It’s because the government needs money.)
“I’ll make it public now: it’s P640 million a month. And in a year’s time, it’s billion plus. Saan tayo maghanap ng pera ng ganoon na kadali na siguro? (Where can we get that much money?)” he added.
Earlier, the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs issued a resolution urging Duterte to order the suspension of e-sabong operations until the cases of 34 missing cockfight betting enthusiasts (sabungeros) are resolved.
Instead of heeding the lawmakers’ call, the Malacañang ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an in-depth investigation on the matter and submit to them and the Department of Health (DOH) their investigation report within 30 days.
Lawmakers earlier expressed disappointment over Duterte’s decision.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III blamed Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairperson Andrea Domingo, who expressed apprehension in the suspension of e-sabong operations, noting that it may incur billions worth of lost revenue for the government, ahead of Duterte’s decision.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has filed charges against eight individuals over the disappearance of six sabungeros who were last seen at the Manila Arena on January 13.
The CIDG is also preparing the filing of criminal charges against five policemen tagged in the abduction of an e-sabong master agent in Laguna in August 2021. (SunStar Philippines)