President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said he is stopping the operations of e-sabong because of its social cost to Filipinos, particularly after the Interior department made a recommendation to do so.

In his weekly Talk to the People program aired on Tuesday, President Duterte said an order stopping e-sabong operations will be issued today (Tuesday).

According to the President, he instructed Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to conduct a survey on the social impact of e-sabong on the Filipino people.

The survey conducted by Secretary Año validated the reports he has been hearing before—that it was working against Filipino values, and it is also impacting on families, the chief executive said.

“Eh ang labas na hindi na natutulog ‘yung mga sabungero 24 hours. That was the first objection that I’ve heard from somebody,” he said.

“And the recommendation of Secretary Año is to do away with e-sabong and he cited the validation report of – coming from all sources. So it’s his recommendation and I agree with it and it is good. So e-sabong will end by tonight o bukas.”

The President has initially expressed reluctance to stop e-sabong operations considering its potential to generate income for the government, especially as the country recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Online sabong also became controversial because of the disappearance of several cockfighting enthusiasts that prompted a congressional inquiry. PND