The pro-administration members of the House of Representatives in the Philippines stated that they were firmly against lifting the ban on online cockfighting or “e-sabong” to make up for income losses from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ban on Philippine overseas gaming operations or Pogos.
Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez, Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr., and Antipolo Representative Romeo Acop spoke to reporters, pointing out that the same issues that hounded Pogos, namely disappearances, abuses, and corruption, had also been noted in e-sabong and therefore it should remain prohibited.
In addition to earlier gambling laws, former president Rodrigo Duterte legalized online gaming in 2017 through Executive Order No. 13, which was purportedly meant to “strengthen the fight against illegal gambling.”
However, the order also allowed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to license online gaming establishments such as online cockfighting and Pogos.
In 2021, e-sabong operations resumed but Duterte banned it in May 2022 following the disappearance of 30 cockfighters believed to have accumulated debts due to e-sabong. Many of the missing cockfighters were from Abante’s district in Manila.
Abante stated, “It’s why [I think] any form of gambling promotes corruption. I disagree that it helps with economic development. Look at Malaysia and the [United Arab Emirates] which ban gambling, but they are rich nations.”
Fernandez echoed the statement saying, “If we replace e-sabong with Pogos, it’s the same banana. I think Filipinos can survive without either of them. Just let it be and one day we would be able to recoup our losses from the Pogo ban.”
Acop said, “Remember, when we were discussing Pogos, we were balancing economic versus social ills,” He added, “As far as I have observed on the ground, e-sabong has affected so many homes because many breadwinners have been incurring debts to the point that they are no longer able to provide for their families. It’s the same gambling addiction.”
While there are actually no proposals in Congress for the revival of e-sabong, OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino suggested that Pagcor legalize e-sabong to help recoup losses from the Pogo ban.
Magsino argued during the House committee on appropriations briefing for Pagcor’s proposed 2025 budget saying that e-sabong was “still happening everywhere, and there’s a lot of people that know it’s happening, so I think that it’s better to just make it legal rather than keep it illegal, and we’re not gaining anything from it.”
According to Pagcor Chair Alejandro Tengco, Pagcor generated PHP 6.2 billion worth of e-sabong revenues from April 2021 to April 2022 alone. Tengco said that the government would lose PHP 7 billion to 7.5 billion because of the Pogo ban but that still leaves more than PHP 70 billion.
Tengco said, “I brought up this concern with Congress and the Senate [definitely] because the loss seems such a waste, but then again, there are also social consequences.”
He added, “Now, in relation to your next question, are we studying [reviving e-sabong]? Well, we have studied it and have a few suggestions, and we believe we can enhance the structure or the guidelines. But until a law or an order [from the] President of the Philippines comes out, our hands are tied. Only if there is an enabling law allowing it to come back, then that’s the only time we can exercise our jurisdiction [over e-sabong].”
