The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor party-list group, released a statement rejecting the proposal to revive online cockfighting operations or e-sabong as a substitute for the recently banned Philippines offshore gaming operators or POGOs.
The statement comes after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said that it is studying to revive e-sabong which could generate over PHP 6 billion in revenues a year.
In the statement, TUCP cited the “grave social costs and severe personal consequences” that will be caused by e-sabong primarily for the poor working class, including crippling debt, criminal activity, and loss of lives.
“The TUCP places its trust in the leadership of Department of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto to ensure that the government pursues sustainable and ethical ways and means to generate revenue – that do not come at the expense of human rights or lives shattered by the cancerous POGO and E-Sabong operations in the past,” the group said.
Instead of reviving e-sabong, TUCP suggests the creation of new, permanent, and decent jobs with living wages, starting with the proposed legislated wage hike of PHP 150.
“The TUCP feels this is the true path to uplifting the sorry state of Filipino working families, enabling them to break free from the allure of gambling that, while seemingly appealing, ultimately compromises our values, endangering families, and the nation as a whole,” it said.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has also expressed opposition to lifting the ban on online sabong operations to replace the foregone revenues due to the total ban on POGOs. Pangandangan cited the study by the Department of Finance and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), stating that the national government would lose just PHP 7 billion in revenues after the total closure of POGOS in the Philippines.
Pangandangan added that government efficiency and tax collection could compensate for the projected revenue loss. According to her, the government is making progress in reaching its goal of reducing the budget deficit to 3.7% by the end of the Marcos administration’s term in 2028.
Pangandangan also noted that the “overall health of the Philippine economy is good.”
