Online ‘sabong’ needs IATF nod—Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is calling on proponents of online cockfighting (sabong) to secure first the approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases before they could organize and hold the improvised version of the popular Filipino betting game.

According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, the IATF has yet to lift the ban on cockfighting even as the majority of the country has already transitioned to more relaxed community quarantines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kinakailangang ipagbigay-alam po iyan sa IATF. Ang naalala ko po sa IATF, diniskas na po ang sabong, hindi pa po pinapayagan,” Roque said in a televised Palace press briefing.

(It should be reported to the IATF. What I remember from the IATF guidelines is that cockfighting has not been allowed yet.)

“Ang naging posisyon po ng DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government), kung hindi ako nagkakamali, at base rin po sa minutes ay sabi nila kung walang audience at MGCQ (modified general community quarantne), baka pupuwede. Pero kinakailangan muna pong aprubahan iyan ng IATF. So iyong mga proponents po ng walang audience na sabong online, sumulat po kayo sa IATF,” he added.

(The position of DILG, if I am not mistaken, and also based on the minutes of the IATF meeting, they say if there is no audience and the area is under MGCQ, it may be possible. But the IATF must first approve that. So those proponents of no audience, online cockfighting, please write to the IATF.) [ac]