3 caught operating e-sabong website

MANILA, Philippines — Three people accused of operating a website showing e-sabong games were arrested in Tondo, Manila on Monday.

Melvin Isip, 25, the alleged maintainer of the website, was arrested together with cashier Mark Jorge Reyes, 27, and game attendant Archie Balmes, 26, by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at a house along Magsaysay street in Barangay 112 at around 2:30 p.m.

Police officers under the supervision of CIDG director Maj. Gen. Eliseo Cruz conducted an entrapment operation in response to reports the suspects were running online cockfighting matches.

They are the first arrested for violating President Duterte’s directive banning online cockfighting games, according to CIDG National Capital Region field unit chief Col. Randy Glenn Silvio.

Silvio said Isip was a master agent of an authorized e-sabong website in 2019.

As a master agent, Isip has under his account several gold agents who recruit more players as end users of the website.

Probers said an information technology operator serves as an expert in hacking or cloning the live cockfight on the website and will restream the live telecast on Isip’s website as if they were live videos of the games.

Seized from the suspects were five sets of computer desktops, two cell phones, three local area network routers and the marked money.

“Once they copy the live cockfight and restream (it) on their website, they can now manipulate the total bets by adding more bets to affect the percentage to the winning bets,” Silvio said.

The CIDG is preparing charges against the suspects for illegal gambling and violation of Republic 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.