New CBCP president Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, DD, bishop of the diocese of Caloocan. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — The new president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has denounced the proliferation of online cockfighting or “e-sabong,”(online cockfighting) saying its legalization is “one of the most disastrous things” committed by the government.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of the Diocese of Caloocan said the legalization of e-sabong is also contrary to the government’s goal of saving young people from addiction.
“This government says it cares about the future of young people and wants to save them from addiction. Anyone who associates addiction only with drugs has not really understood the nature of addiction as a mental health issue,” David, also an outspoken critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
David said that while real sabong (cockfighting) is “addictive enough,” online sabong is “much worse” because of its accessibility.
“The traditional sabong is at least available only for the kind of players who would go physically to a cockfighting arena, which is a very limited space, and usually for adults only,” David said.
“This e-sabong, which, by the way, was unanimously granted a franchise by Congress, is online. Meaning, it can be accessed by anyone — yes, even by kids who have gotten quite used to online activities due to the pandemic,” he added.
The House of Representatives recently legalized e-sabong through House Bill No. 10199, which gave a 25-year franchise to Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc, now allowed to broadcast live cockfighting activities and derbies through online and other similar means.
Similar applications, however, are still pending before the Senate committee on public services.
“In the context of the pandemic that has locked down the elderly, the vulnerable, and the children for too long, the legalization of e-sabong has been one of the most disastrous things ever allowed by the government,” said David.
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