Article (Archive)
STORIES about new grim or embarrassing incidents connected to "e-sabong," online gambling on cockfighting, have become almost a daily part of the news and a source of confusion and concern for government and law enforcement officials, the public at large, and even the cockfighting industry. As the government has demonstrated that it is both unwilling and unable to regulate it effectively, an outright ban on the practice, even if only temporary, is the only sensible solution.
Cockfighting has deep cultural roots in the Philippines, and the pastime can be traced back about 3,000 years; it can be found everywhere throughout the country, though Negros Occidental province considers itself the country's cockfighting capital due to the large number of breeders and players concentrated there.
Critics of the sport condemn it as animal cruelty, and it is impossible to argue that it is not, but just as with bullfighting in Hispanic countries, the cultural and economic significance of it has thus far deflected attempts to do away with cockfighting entirely. According to industry advocates, the game fowl sector provides livelihood for about 1 million people across the Philippines, including breeders, professional trainers, operators of cockfighting venues, and an extensive feed and supply industry. Cockfighting is said to be the second biggest industry of Negros Occidental, after sugar farming and production.
Like many industries, cockfighting was hit hard by Covid-19. Health restrictions imposed a total ban on conventional, in-person cockfighting events for two years, and even now in areas where restrictions have been eased, the remaining limitations have prevented the industry from returning to its pre-pandemic level of activity. This has resulted in the rapid development of "e-sabong," which allows players to view and gamble on cockfights without the risk of attending the matches in person.
According to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), which is supposed to be regulating e-sabong, the new industry has been a great success, earning an average of P640 million (about $12.5 million) monthly since January of this year. However, the launch of e-sabong has led to a nightmare of unintended consequences, the costs of which very much exceed the economic benefits.
The shocking story of the presumed kidnapping of more than 30 "sabungeros" and an apparent epidemic of gambling addiction and associated criminal activity among officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have caused alarm, but so far little in the way of concrete solutions.
This can be attributed to the reckless way in which the government authorized e-sabong enterprises, and its confusion in dealing with controversies that quickly followed. In contrast to other, better managed forms of gambling, Pagcor approved the guidelines for e-sabong without any public hearings or consultations. Pagcor's approval of new e-sabong outlets also seems to be completely unaware of potential problems these may cause. For example, in spite of the PNP leadership's struggle to restore discipline among its personnel who have been caught up in the e-sabong craze, we have observed the opening of a new e-sabong outlet just a short distance from PNP's Camp Crame headquarters, directly across the street from a condominium complex that is home to several hundred PNP personnel.
Malacañang has not exactly helped to restore order, either. At the prodding of Senate allies like Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, President Duterte reportedly was set to order a suspension of e-sabong permits in line with a Senate resolution calling for it at the beginning of last month. Just days after that news, however, the Palace issued a memo pointedly declining to issue the suspension, and instead directing Pagcor and the PNP to investigate the case of the missing sabungeros and other violations.
Perhaps ironically, the biggest advocacy for a blanket suspension or even a total ban on e-sabong comes from the game fowl industry itself. Last month, the Ako Breeder party-list — a party representing breeders and cockfighting workers — described e-sabong as a "threat" to the traditional industry, and called for stricter government regulation of the industry.
We believe this is the most sensible point of view. The problems caused by e-sabong are too great to allow it to continue, at least not before clear laws and regulations are created to permit it to operate safely.
STORIES about new grim or embarrassing incidents connected to "e-sabong," online gambling on cockfighting, have become almost a daily part of the news and a source of confusion and concern for government and law enforcement officials, the public at large, and even the cockfighting industry. As the government has demonstrated that it is both unwilling and unable to regulate it effectively, an outright ban on the practice, even if only temporary, is the only sensible solution.
Cockfighting has deep cultural roots in the Philippines, and the pastime can be traced back about 3,000 years; it can be found everywhere throughout the country, though Negros Occidental province considers itself the country's cockfighting capital due to the large number of breeders and players concentrated there.
Critics of the sport condemn it as animal cruelty, and it is impossible to argue that it is not, but just as with bullfighting in Hispanic countries, the cultural and economic significance of it has thus far deflected attempts to do away with cockfighting entirely. According to industry advocates, the game fowl sector provides livelihood for about 1 million people across the Philippines, including breeders, professional trainers, operators of cockfighting venues, and an extensive feed and supply industry. Cockfighting is said to be the second biggest industry of Negros Occidental, after sugar farming and production.
Like many industries, cockfighting was hit hard by Covid-19. Health restrictions imposed a total ban on conventional, in-person cockfighting events for two years, and even now in areas where restrictions have been eased, the remaining limitations have prevented the industry from returning to its pre-pandemic level of activity. This has resulted in the rapid development of "e-sabong," which allows players to view and gamble on cockfights without the risk of attending the matches in person.
According to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), which is supposed to be regulating e-sabong, the new industry has been a great success, earning an average of P640 million (about $12.5 million) monthly since January of this year. However, the launch of e-sabong has led to a nightmare of unintended consequences, the costs of which very much exceed the economic benefits.
The shocking story of the presumed kidnapping of more than 30 "sabungeros" and an apparent epidemic of gambling addiction and associated criminal activity among officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have caused alarm, but so far little in the way of concrete solutions.
This can be attributed to the reckless way in which the government authorized e-sabong enterprises, and its confusion in dealing with controversies that quickly followed. In contrast to other, better managed forms of gambling, Pagcor approved the guidelines for e-sabong without any public hearings or consultations. Pagcor's approval of new e-sabong outlets also seems to be completely unaware of potential problems these may cause. For example, in spite of the PNP leadership's struggle to restore discipline among its personnel who have been caught up in the e-sabong craze, we have observed the opening of a new e-sabong outlet just a short distance from PNP's Camp Crame headquarters, directly across the street from a condominium complex that is home to several hundred PNP personnel.
Malacañang has not exactly helped to restore order, either. At the prodding of Senate allies like Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, President Duterte reportedly was set to order a suspension of e-sabong permits in line with a Senate resolution calling for it at the beginning of last month. Just days after that news, however, the Palace issued a memo pointedly declining to issue the suspension, and instead directing Pagcor and the PNP to investigate the case of the missing sabungeros and other violations.
Perhaps ironically, the biggest advocacy for a blanket suspension or even a total ban on e-sabong comes from the game fowl industry itself. Last month, the Ako Breeder party-list — a party representing breeders and cockfighting workers — described e-sabong as a "threat" to the traditional industry, and called for stricter government regulation of the industry.
We believe this is the most sensible point of view. The problems caused by e-sabong are too great to allow it to continue, at least not before clear laws and regulations are created to permit it to operate safely.
