MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an end to e-sabong operations following the recommendation of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, citing its social cost to Filipinos.
According to Duterte, an order stopping e-sabong operations will come out by Tuesday.
“The recommendation of Sec. Año is to do away with e-sabong,” Duterte said in his Talk to the People taped on Monday and aired on Tuesday.
“It’s his recommendation and I agree with it, e-sabong will end by tonight, bukas, lalabas ito bukas [tomorrow, the order will come out tomorrow],” he added.
Before this, Duterte disclosed having asked Año to conduct a survey through the Department of the Interior and Local Government to find out the social impact of online sabong.
“So ginawa ni Sec. Año ang trabaho niya, he reported and validated yung naririnig ko. Yung amin naman sana, buwis lang ang hinahabol namin dito, sinabi ko na sa inyo P640 million is P640 million but may naririnig na ako, loud and very clear to me that it was working against our values,” Duterte went on.
(So Sec. Año did his job, he reported and validated what I’m hearing. What we were concerned about is the revenue. P640 million is P640 million but I am hearing things, loud and very clear to me and that it was working against our values.)
READ: Atong Ang’s e-sabong firm earns P3B gross income per month, senators learn
“And yung impact sa pamilya pati sa tao e ang labas, di na natutulog yung mga sabungero” he added.
(The impact to the family, to the people, it turns out cockfight players don’t even sleep.)
Duterte ordered the conduct of the survey after he initially rejected the call of senators to suspend e-sabong until the disappearance of over 30 cockfight enthusiasts is resolved.
He had cited then the potential revenue loss if e-sabong operations are suspended.
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