E-sabong revival in place of POGOs opposed

The country needs revenue from legitimate revenue-generating industries or businesses and not from the revival of online cockfighting or “e-sabong,” an enterprise described as “far worse” than the banned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation or POGO.

“We have just defeated an enemy with the POGO ban, and now some are considering resurrecting e-sabong, which is far worse because it directly targets our kababayans from all walks of life,” Senator Joel Villanueva said Sunday.

“While we badly need revenues, the choice should not be between the devil and the deep blue sea. We want our revenues coming from legitimate, legal, and sustainable sources,” he added.

Earlier, House Deputy Speaker Jay-jay Suarez urged the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to study the possibility of regulating e-sabong as a way to make up for the foregone revenues due to the recent ban on POGOs.

According to Villanueva, even during the height of their operations, POGOs did not prove to be a viable solution to the government’s revenue needs, as collections accounted for only a small portion of taxes.

Similarly, prior to the e-sabong ban in May 2022, he noted that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) reminded operators to pay their tax obligations after a Senate inquiry found them earning billions from online “talpak.”

The BIR and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation also failed to withhold the 20-percent tax from the winnings of online sabong operators since virtual cockfighting began in 2020.

In a Senate hearing in February 2024, Pagcor admitted that e-sabong continues despite the prohibition. It was also found during the hearing that 789 e-sabong operations are still active, defying the ban.

Villanueva called on law enforcement agencies, including the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, to apply the same rigorous measures against e-sabong as they have with POGOs to prevent its resurgence.

“Similar to POGOs, e-sabong has brought social costs — worse, it destroys Filipino families, plunges individuals into severe debt, and even forces some to commit theft and crimes to fund their gambling habits,” Villanueva said, stressing the plight of some 30 cockfighting enthusiasts (sabungeros), some of whom hailed from Bulacan, who remain missing to this day.

“We cannot simply turn a blind eye to the suffering of our people who have become victims of the pitfalls of gambling. Money should not be our only consideration; the welfare of our people must come first,” he said.

Villanueva earlier filed Senate Bill 1281, seeking to prohibit all forms of online gambling in the country.