MANILA, Philippines — The government should continue investigating reports of dozens of people engaged in cockfights going missing, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said as operations of "e-sabong" face suspension.
Twenty-three senators, including Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, have urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to suspend "e-sabong" licenses while the cases of people going missing remain unresolved.
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"The disappearance of the sabungeros — which allegedly involved game-fixing, the participation of armed men, the supposed lack of CCTV footage, and the circulation of fake photos — must be investigated," Hontiveros said.
"If there are criminal elements behind this, they must be brought to justice immediately," she also said, adding a Senate probe could help with making sure the missing people are found and that there are policies to prevent repeats of the disappearances.
President Rodrigo Duterte has already indicated support for calls to suspend "e-sabong" operations, according to Dela Rosa.
Industry data shows that the e-sabong or the remote wagering of bets in live cockfights is a P50 billion industry in the Philippines. The industry is said to employ 385,000 employees, with many working as farm workers and cockpit staff.
"Per my short conversation with the president at the wedding of his grandson in Davao City yesterday, I got the impression that he supports the senate resolution urging PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) to suspend the license to operate of e-Sabong operators," Dela Rosa said in a statement shared with reporters late Monday.
PAGCOR is in charge of regulating e-sabong industry, while local government units regulate live cockfighting events.
Seven firms holding e-sabong licenses stand to be affected by the Senate's suspension. They include:
- Belvedere Vista Corp.
- Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc.;
- Visayas Cockers Club, Inc.;
- Jade Entertainment and Gaming Technologies, Inc.;
- Newin Cockers Alliance Gaming Corp.;
- Philippine Cockfighting International Inc.; and
- Golden Buzzer, Inc.
"By Friday, they are all suspended—the seven licensed [companies]," Sotto said in Filipino in a separate statement on Tuesday.
Quoting Dela Rosa, Sotto said Duterte is "allowing the suspension of the e-sabong [industry]."
During a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs last week, Sotto proposed a suspension "until there is an acceptable conclusion to what happened to the missing personalities involved in the online cockfighting events."
'Abductions seem to be well-planned'
Senators called for the suspension of "e-sabong" licenses after observing that the abductions "were well-planned" and probably done by trained and organized groups.
Senators also found that law enforcement agencies had a difficult time in investigating the disappearances because of a lack of leads, including CCTV footage.
"There was consensus among members of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs that the operation of e-sabong” should be momentarily halted pending investigation," the resolution read.
The earliest reported disappearance of four individuals happened on April 28, 2021. Meanwhile, the latest one, where six people were allegedly abducted, took place on January 13, 2022.