Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday voiced her “strong opposition” to online gambling, warning that it could destroy families and derail the future of young Filipinos.

“I am against online gambling,” she said in Filipino. “So, I do not support any kind of online betting because parents are unable to control their children’s access to the internet.”

She made the remarks during the “Free Duterte Now” rally in The Hague, Netherlands, where supporters of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, gathered in response to the International Criminal Court’s drug war trial.

Despite a strongman image and a moralistic tone on illegal drugs, then-President Duterte allowed the proliferation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), Chinese-run online casinos catering mainly to foreign gamblers, many of which were tied to money laundering, kidnapping, and other crimes.

Duterte also allowed the brief but controversial rise of online sabong (cockfighting), which was later shut down only after public outcry over addiction, suicides, and disappearances allegedly linked to the virtual bloodsport.

For a time, online sabong generated billions in monthly revenue and was backed by politically connected operators like businessman Atong Ang. Dozens of cockfighting enthusiasts, linked to game-fixing, have disappeared and are feared dead.

“It has become extremely easy to gamble online, which makes it easier to take money from people,” the Vice President said. “Once someone becomes addicted to online gambling, their families start to suffer because they fall into debt.”

Duterte said she favors “regulated gambling” in physical venues where access can be limited, but not on platforms where anyone, especially minors, can freely open an account.

Stark contrast

“But when you put it online, where we can no longer control who opens an account to gamble, I do not support that because it destroys families and damages the future of the youth,” she added.

Her statement, however, stands in stark contrast to the stance taken by her father during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.

Critics have pointed to this inconsistency, noting that the elder Duterte’s administration not only tolerated but encouraged online gambling under the guise of economic stimulus and revenue generation, despite warnings from law enforcement and religious groups about its social costs.

Meanwhile, lawmakers in both the Senate and House of Representatives have remained divided on the issue. Some are pushing for a total ban on online gambling, while others are advocating for stricter regulation instead of outright prohibition.

Presently, the government is searching for the sabungeros, whose disappearances have largely remained unsolved. In one twist, one Julie Patidongan, alias Totoy, had confessed to being among a group of people allegedly hired by Ang to kill and dispose of some of the victims.

He pointed at Ang, former actress Gretchen Barretto, and several police officers, including retired general Jonnel Estomo, as among those allegedly behind the disappearance of the cockfight habitués.

His revelation has led investigators to Taal Lake, where bones and other suspected human remains were recovered. These findings are still being processed for forensic confirmation.

Despite her vocal stance on moral and family issues like online gambling, the Vice President is currently facing an impeachment trial in the Senate, stemming from alleged misuse of confidential funds and a threat to have the President, the First Lady and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed.

Her father, former President Duterte, is under trial by the International Criminal Court over accusations of crimes against humanity related to the thousands of deaths that occurred during his administration’s anti-drug campaign.