The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) strongly opposed the move to revive online cockfighting operations, known as e-sabong, as a substitute for the now-banned POGO operations.
The TUCP issued the statement after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said it is studying to revive the e-sabong which could generate over P6 billion in revenues a year.
The country’s largest labor, the TUCP, has warned of the grave social costs that will be caused by E-Sabong, underscoring the severe personal consequences associated with gambling.
“Like other forms of online gambling, many of our kababayan—primarily from the poor working class—fall into crippling debt, criminal activity, with some losing their lives, such as in case of the 30 e-sabungeros who remain missing to this day,” the TUCP said.
The TUCP has urged Department of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto to ensure that the government pursues sustainable and ethical ways and means to generate revenue—that do not come at the expense of human rights or lives shattered by the cancerous POGO and e-sabong operations in the past.
