Cayetano pushes passage of Anti-Online Gambling Act amidst resurgence of e-sabong

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday called for the swift passage of the Anti-Online Gambling Act amidst persistent reports of e-sabong operations continuing in the country despite being suspended by the President.

This as the Committee on Games and Amusement revealed in a Senate hearing on January 25, 2024 that e-sabong continues to thrive and has evolved into smaller, more clandestine operations.

In 2022, during the height of disappearances of cockfighters and other issues linked to e-sabong, Cayetano swiftly filed Senate Bill No. 63, aimed at prohibiting all forms of online gambling and penalizing online wagering or betting.

"The pull of gambling, especially over the internet, makes it more alluring for our kababayan who cannot help but engage in such activities desperately hoping to immediately win large sums of money," the independent senator said.

"Online gambling platforms such as e-sabong have demonstrated how it can destroy the moral fiber of our nation," he added.

Then-President Rodrigo Duterte had terminated the operations of e-sabong in May 2022, citing its "social impact" on the people. This followed persistent calls from Cayetano about the evils of the game, which he had opposed both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

Duterte's policy against e-sabong was continued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who ordered its continued suspension in December 2022.

Despite these measures, police have had their hands full arresting hundreds of individuals engaged in clandestine e-sabong nationwide.

Cayetano's bill proposes imposing maximum penalties, including imprisonment and fines for violators. It mandates, for instance, the dismissal of public employee offenders from service, permanent disqualification from holding public office, and prohibits them from voting or participating in elections.

The independent senator emphasized that prohibiting such activities nationwide -- as his home City of Taguig has done -- is key to progress.

"Wala pong sugal sa Taguig. Ipinagbawal po namin ang casino pagdating ni [Mayor] Lani. May gusto ring magtayo ng sabungan at nag-donate pa ng lupa. N'ung hindi po namin pinayagan, doon po umusbong ang Fort Bonifacio kung saan ngayon ay central business district na siya ng ating bansa," he said.

Maintaining his firm stance against e-sabong and all forms of gambling, Cayetano stressed that preventing the erosion of Filipino values and ensuring a brighter future for next generations are "a moral obligation" for everyone.

"It is our duty as God-fearing people to raise future generations in a morally upright environment, and to protect them from the evils and dangers that come with gambling, greed, and all the other vices that go along with it," he said.

Cayetano, itinutulak ang pagpasa ng Anti-Online Gambling Act sa gitna ng pagbabalik ng e-sabong

Nanawagan si Senator Alan Peter Cayetano nitong Huwebes para sa mabilis na pagpasa ng Anti-Online Gambling Act sa gitna ng mga ulat ng patuloy na operasyon ng e-sabong sa bansa sa kabila ng pagsuspinde nito ng Pangulo.

Ito ay matapos isiwalat ng Committee on Games and Amusement sa isang pagdinig sa Senado noong January 25, 2024 na ang operasyon ng e-sabong ay nagpapatuloy nang palihim.

Noong 2022, sa kasagsagan ng pagkawala ng ilang mga sabungero at iba pang isyu na nauugnay sa e-sabong, mabilis na inihain ni Cayetano ang Senate Bill No. 63 na naglalayong ipagbawal ang lahat ng uri ng online gambling at parusahan ang mga sino mang konektado rito.

"The pull of gambling, especially over the internet, makes it more alluring for our kababayan who cannot help but engage in such activities desperately hoping to immediately win large sums of money," wika ng independent senador.

"Online gambling platforms such as e-sabong have demonstrated how it can destroy the moral fiber of our nation," dagdag niya.

Ipinatigil ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang operasyon ng e-sabong noong May 2022 dahil sa "social impact" nito sa mga tao. Kasunod ito ng mga paulit-ulit na panawagan ni Cayetano tungkol sa mga masamang epekto nito.

Ang patakaran ni Duterte laban sa e-sabong ay ipinagpatuloy ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., na nag-utos ng patuloy na pagsuspinde nito noong December 2022.

Sa kabila ng mga hakbang na ito, patuloy pa rin ang kapulisan sa pag-aresto sa daan-daang indibidwal na sangkot sa lihim na operasyon ng e-sabong sa buong bansa.

Layunin ng panukalang batas ni Cayetano na magpataw ng maximum penalties, kabilang ang pagkakulong at multa para sa mga lalabag. Ipinag-uutos nito, halimbawa, ang pagtanggal sa serbisyo ng mga public office offenders, permanenteng diskwalipikasyon sa paghawak ng public office, at pagbawalan na bumoto o makilahok sa mga halalan.

Binigyang-diin ng independent senator na ang pagbabawal sa mga ganitong aktibidad sa buong bansa -- gaya ng ginawa ng Lungsod ng Taguig -- ay susi sa pag-unlad.

"Wala pong sugal sa Taguig. Ipinagbawal po namin ang casino pagdating ni [Mayor] Lani. May gusto ring magtayo ng sabungan at nag-donate pa ng lupa. N'ung hindi po namin pinayagan, doon po umusbong ang Fort Bonifacio kung saan ngayon ay central business district na siya ng ating bansa," wika niya.

Iginiit din ni Cayetano na "moral obligation" ng lahat ang pagpigil sa pagsira ng Filipino values at pagtiyak ng mas magandang kinabukasan para sa mga susunod na henerasyon.

"It is our duty as God-fearing people to raise future generations in a morally upright environment, and to protect them from the evils and dangers that come with gambling, greed, and all the other vices that go along with it," wika niya.