House Deputy Speaker and CIBAC Partlist Rep. Bro. Eddie Villanueva has called on the electorate to join the protest against the proliferation of legal online gambling, particularly e-sabong or online cockfighting, by not voting candidates who favor their continued operations.
Villanueva issued the call in a privilege speech on Tuesday, Nov. 16, as the House of Representatives is set to grant a legislative franchise to an online cockfighting firm.
Previous to this, former Speaker and Taguig Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano issued a strong appeal to the House leadership to put on hold plenary action on House Bill 10199 which then sought to grant Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc. a 25-year legislative franchise to operate offsite betting stations and internet cockfight games.
Cayetano’s appeal fell on deaf ears as the chamber passed HB 10199 on third and final reading on September 20.
There were 28 principal authors of the bill, among them are Deputy Speakers DV Savellano and Conrado Estrella; former Deputy Speaker Luis Villafuerte; Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano, Asst. Minority Leaders Stella Luz Quimbo and France Castro and Reps. Joey Sarte Salceda and Sharon Garin, chairpersons of the House Committees on Ways and Means and on Economic Affairs, respectively.
Another e-sabong bill has been endorsed by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises headed by Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez.
Authored by Deputy Speaker and Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves, HB 10204 proposes the grant of a legislative franchise to the Visayas Cockers Club to operate online-cockfighting and betting and other similar modern ways of internet gambling.
Villanueva said online gambling, particularly e-sabong, will be a vital issue CIBAC and the coalition of Christian churches in the country will look into in terms of platforms presented by presidentiables and other candidates.
The evangelist-turned-lawmaker urged his supporters and followers not to elect candidates who support the operation of e-sabong in the country.
“If the government wants to generate more revenues, I think the more appropriate way is to do serious housekeeping and plugging of loopholes in its revenue-generation functions,” Villanuevasaid.
“Addressing the problems of smuggling and tax evasion, for example, will surely beef up government resources. I fear that legitimizing e-sabong for the reason of raising public funds is just a front and a lame excuse for accommodating the greed of its operators – at the expense of siphoning hard-earned money of the Filipino people,” he explained.
The Philippine Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has been promoting the operation of online gambling such as sabong that it has even urged Filipinos to patronize only those that PAGCOR has licensed.