Duterte justifies not suspending e-sabong

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday justified his decision not to suspend e-sabong, or online cockfighting, operations, saying it is legal and the government earns millions from it monthly.

“‘That’s because e-sabong is legal. When we allow gambling, it’s legal. So you should ask: What has e-sabong done that there’s are killings, whether you like it or not,” Duterte said, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino, in his weekly taped “Talk to the People” briefing.

“You might suspect me of something because I did not stop it. I did not stop it because the government needs the money from e-sabong,” he said.

According to him, the government earns as much as P640 million a month from e-sabong.

“Where will we find that kind of money easily?” he said.

He said the Malacañang should no longer be reminded about e-sabong operations since it would be the Bureau of Internal Revenue that would go after the unpaid taxes.

The Senate earlier transmitted to Malacañang and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) its resolution calling for the suspension of e-sabong.

The resolution was brought about by the disappearance of at least 31 cockfighters.

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