E-sabong remains suspended

Gamefowls can cackle in glee.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order that mandated the continued suspension of e-sabong or online cockfighting operations nationwide, Malacañang announced on Thursday.

Mr. Marcos' Executive Order 9 cited the urgent need to "direct relevant agencies to pursue (an) aggressive crackdown against illegal e-sabong operations, in accordance with the law."

Issued on 28 December, EO 9 kept suspended the live-streaming or broadcasting of live cockfights outside cockpits or cockfighting arenas.

Also suspended are the off-cockpit placing of bets on online or remote cockfighting matches broadcast live, regardless of the location of the betting platforms.

However, the President's order does not cover the operations of traditional cockfights authorized or licensed under existing laws.

The State "has the paramount obligation to protect public health and morals and promote public safety and general welfare," part of the President's order read.

Mr. Marcos tasked the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to coordinate with local government units, the police, and other concerned government agencies and private entities on the implementation of the EO.

Online cockfighting has earned a bad reputation over the disappearance of nearly three dozen e-sabong personalities, mostly bettors.

It was then-President Rodrigo Duterte who ordered a halt to e-sabong on 3 May 2022 following the disappearances of the e-sabong aficionados.