PAGCOR: No plans to revive e-sabong

MANILA - Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the government has no plans to revive online sabong (cockfighting) operations. "I want to make this clear, and ulitin ko po ito. Wala pong marching orders ang Pangulo, Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, sa pagre-reopen ng e-sabong. (I want to make this clear, and I will repeat it. The President, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, has no marching orders for the reopening of e-sabong)," Tengco told reporters in an interview on Tuesday. "There is no such thing. People have been going around, definitely, e-sabong is not on the horizon or not in the mind of the President at this very moment," he said. In May 2022, former President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the suspension of online cockfighting operations. President Marcos also issued Executive Order 9 in December 2022, directing the continued suspension of e-sabong operations nationwide. Under the EO, live-streaming or broadcasting of live cockfights outside cockpi ts or cockfighting arenas or premises where cockfights are being held will be suspended. EO 9 also suspends online/remote, or off-cockpit wagering/betting on live cockfighting matches and/or activities streamed or broadcast live, regardless of the location of the betting platform. The order also tasked the PAGCOR to coordinate with local government units, other concerned government agencies and private entities on the implementation of the order. "There is an EO, suspending operations, so we will have to follow and await the instructions of the President. PAGCOR has not spent time studying the revival of e-sabong," Tengco said. Source: Philippines News agency