President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Friday that the government would convene all interested stakeholders for a “conclave” to develop a comprehensive policy on online gambling, especially on the socio-economic impact.

During the “Kapihan with the Media” at Bengaluru, India, President Marcos said the government would consult the Church, educators, parents, the police, and addiction experts, among other stakeholders, for the policy formulation.

“Internally, we are calling it a ‘conclave’ to put all of the interested parties. CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ members have) been very vocal on their position, so they must be heard,” President Marcos said.

The President underscored the need to carefully examine policy options, saying an outright ban on online gambling is not always the immediate solution.

President Marcos pointed out that when “e-sabong” was banned, online cockfight gambling operations merely went underground.

“So, let’s use that as an example. Successful ba ‘yung pag-ban natin sa e-sabong? Kung hindi, bakit hindi naging successful? Yun ang mga kailangan natin pag-aralan,” the Chief Executive said.

“I don’t want to influence anyone’s opinion here until we hear from the group who will be examining the question. But in my opinion, a ban will not take care of the problem. We have to be a little bit more measured in our response,” the President stressed. | PND