Senator Risa Hontiveros proposed that the operations of online sabong or e-sabong be inspected like the Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogo).
Hontiveros said that e-sabong might be more severe than the Pogo industry.
“The urgent matter is siguruhin ang buhay at kaligatasan nitong missing persons and strategically i-subject itong e-sabong sa parehong scrutiny na ginawa namin sa Pogo,” Hontiveros said in an ANC interview.
The lawmaker stressed that “not all forms of gambling are equal” and that like Pogo, e-sabong should not be continued in the Philippines due to its easy accessibility to minors.
“‘Yung akin ding major concern about it, kailangan i-resolve sa tingin ko to childproof e-sabong kasi nga dahil it is no longer required to be present at the scene of the game,” Hontiveros said.
She is concerned about some minors who might be accessing the e-sabong under the “pretense of being of legal age”.
A Senate committee recently conducted a hearing on the disappearance of at least 34 people who were allegedly connected in e-sabong operations. Ronald Espartinez