Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda. Photo from Pampanga PIO Facebook page
MABALACAT CITY—Ahead of Malacañang’s official order shutting down online “sabong” (cockfighting) or “e-sabong” in the country, Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda issued an executive order halting the game in the province where his father is the lone operator.
Only Belvedere Vista Corp.’s Sabong Express, which is registered under the name of the governor’s father, Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, has been operating in the province, with hundreds of betting stations in the two component cities and 19 towns of Pampanga and in the highly urbanized Angeles City.
In an executive order issued on Wednesday, Governor Pineda directed all e-sabong operators, without naming Belvedere, “to shut down all gaming websites and cease all gaming operations to include all auxiliary operations and off-cockpit betting stations effective immediately.”
Pineda said he used as a basis President Duterte’s directive to stop online cockfighting, as recommended by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who cited the game’s social costs.
The governor also cited the May 4 notice issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to all e-sabong operators about Malacañang’s order to shut down all gaming websites and cease all operations.
He directed all local chief executives of component cities, municipalities and barangays, as well as the local police and other law enforcement, to ensure the implementation of his order.
According to Pineda, those who refuse to heed his order would be charged under the Revised Penal Code.
The older Pineda, who had repeatedly denied his links to the illegal numbers game “jueteng,” was not available for comment as he has been known to refuse media interviews.
The governor has repeatedly asserted that Pagcor must stop e-sabong if the state gaming firm could not regulate it.
It was not immediately known if he had personally discussed with his father the order to shut down the operation of e-sabong in the province.
Ill effects
Some Pampanga residents welcomed Pineda’s order, saying e-sabong had not only caused bankruptcy among players, but also grave problems for many families.
Others said that the game should have been stopped a long time ago and not just a few days before the elections.
Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) warned that violators of the President’s directive halting the operations of e-sabong would face arrest and be charged in court.
In a television interview on Wednesday, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said players affected by the closure of e-sabong operations could shift to traditional cockfighting.
Based on DILG estimates, there are at least 5 million e-sabong players in the country.
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