FILE PHOTO: Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, chairman of Senate public order and dangerous drugs opens an inquiry into the rising number of missing cockfight players on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Senate PRIB file photo / Bibo Nueva España
MANILA, Philippines — “The ball is in their hands,” said Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who would no longer personally appeal the halt of e-sabong operations to President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Not again. Tapos na yun. Nagsabi na ako sa kanya…The ball is in their hands. Sila nang bahala doon,” Dela Rosa said in an ANC interview on Tuesday, referring to the executive department.
(Not again. It’s been done. I already told him…The ball is in their hands. They should now handle it.)
“Bahala na sila kung i-shoot nila yung bola for the victory of the Filipino people or i-dribble nila yung bola hanggang matapos itong 18th Congress,” he added.
(It’s their call if they will shoot the ball for the victory of the Filipino people or dribble it until the end of the 18th Congress.)
Dela Rosa, citing his conversation with Duterte, earlier said the President agrees with the call of senators to suspend e-sabong operations in the country until the disappearance of over 30 cockfight enthusiasts is resolved.
But in a Senate hearing led by Dela Rosa last Friday, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairperson Andrea Domingo said Duterte denied having agreed to suspend e-sabong operations, as per her conversation with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
Dela Rosa, meanwhile, questioned why Pagcor would not immediately act on the senators’ call.
“Ayaw pa talagang umaksyon ng Pagcor, so I don’t know if they’re using the President as a shield para hindi, para meron silang excuse para di nila i-stop yung e-sabong or whatever,” the senator told ANC.
(Pagcor won’t act on it. I don’t know if they’re using the President as a shield so they have an excuse not to suspend e-sabong.)
“Basta the Senate has done its duty before the Filipino people na nakita namin yung evil na nasa likuran nitong e-sabong kaya kami nagsasabi nang ganon, yung aming stand against e-sabong pero bahala na sila. Sila naman nag-control ng industriyang ito. We cannot impose our will upon them,” he added.
(But the Senate has done its duty before the Filipino people and we’ve seen the evils behind e-sabong that’s why we have this call, this stand against e-sabong. But they are the one with control over this industry. We cannot impose our will upon them.)
During Friday’s hearing, Domingo explained that while Pagcor would like to address the issues arising from the e-sabong industry, it could not suspend its operations without a “clear and legal basis,” citing legal implications and a “serious loss of revenue.”
Dela Rosa, however, stressed the need to at least “reduce addiction” to e-sabong.
“Around 350 cockfights a day, 24/7 ito nangyayari, you can just imagine, ang bilis mong malulong sa sugal na ‘yan. Nakaupo sa loob ng kwarto mo, pindot ka lang nang pindot dun sa cellphone mo,” he went on.
(Around 350 cockfights a day, this happens 24/7, you can just imagine how fast one can get addicted to this game. You can access it in your own bedroom with a cellphone.)
“Nalibing ka na sa financial problems, dahil nga continuous e, walang hinto…The more you desire to recover your losses, the more kang nalulong,” he added.
(You will be buried in financial problems because this is continuous, it’s non-stop…The more you desire to recover your losses, the you will get addicted.)
He also raised concerns over the reach and scope of e-sabong patrons.
“It goes beyond our territorial jurisdiction. Kahit nasa [Even if they’re in] Dubai, nasa [in] Saudi Arabia yung [our] OFW (overseas Filipino workers), pwede siyang mag-esabong, ang hirap talaga [they can access e-sabong so it’s hard],” he added.
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