President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated he will not suspend the operation of online cockfights, also called e-sabong, despite the reported disappearance of more than 30 “sabungeros” (cockfighting aficionados).
The President said such disappearances were “not the fault of the management of cockfighting arenas but of “evil men doing something wrong.”
In a speech at the inauguration of the new Leyte provincial Capitol in Palo, Leyte, Duterte said cockfighting has been a source of revenue for the government.
“E-sabong gives the government P644 million a month. In one year, it gives the government billions,” Duterte said.
“Now, the cockfighting enthusiasts who disappeared actually sabotaged the cockfights. They will either maim the game fowls or soak them, then the next day enter it into a fight, it will shiver, chickens also get flu. That’s the reason behind their disappearance,” he said.
The President said temporarily closing down the businesses of operators without any violations would be unfair.
He said the disappearances were not the fault of the management who are doing it fairly, adding that it was the fault of the “evil men doing something wrong and they end up fighting (among themselves).
“Let the police solve the problem,” the Chief Executive said.
According to him, the culture among cockfighting enthusiasts and syndicates is different. “They just discovered what each other was doing. The problem is they killed everyone. Thirty-eight? Thirty-six? Because they’re involved in betting. They did it in different provinces so that it wouldn’t seem obvious, but they placed their bets on favorites and underdogs, depending on their agreement.”