Online cockfighting operations or e-sabong (PNA file photo)
MANILA – A workers' party-list group on Wednesday rejected the proposal to revive online cockfighting operations or e-sabong as a substitute for the now-banned Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
In a statement, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) cited the "grave" social costs and "severe" personal consequences of 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.
To generate additional revenue for the government, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) earlier proposed to revive e-sabong operations during a hearing at the House of Representatives.
Instead of e-sabong revival to cushion revenue losses and labor displacement from the total POGO ban, the TUCP suggested the creation of new, permanent, and decent jobs with living wages, starting with the proposed legislated wage hike of PHP150.
"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 reviving online sabong operations to replace foregone revenues due to the total ban on POGOs.
Citing the study by the Department of Finance and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Pangandaman said the national government would lose just PHP7 billion in revenues after the total closure of POGOs in the country.
Pangandaman said government efficiency and tax collection could compensate for the projected revenue loss.
She added that the government is making progress in attaining its goal of reducing the budget deficit to 3.7 percent by the end of the Marcos administration’s term in 2028.
Pangandaman also noted that the overall health of the Philippine economy is “good.”
Former president Rodrigo Duterte in May 2022 ordered the immediate termination of e-sabong operations due to its “social impact” on Filipinos.
The total ban on e-sabong came after the still unresolved disappearance of some e-sabong aficionados in the country.
About 789 e-sabong operations are still active despite the ban, the PAGCOR bared during a Senate hearing in February. (PNA)
