‘’Kung ako ang presidente, matagal ko nang pinahinto yan (If i were the president, I would have stopped it long ago).’’
This was the statement of Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa following Malacañang's silence on the resolution of 34 senators requesting President Duterfe to suspend the operations of the multi-billion peso online cockfighting ("e-sabong") gambling operations.
For a time, Dela Rosa campaigned for the presidency as the standard-bearer of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP-Laban) party, Cusi wing. He later withdrew.
Dela Rosa, chairman of the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee, conducted on Friday, March 5 a hybrid public hearing on the still unsolved disappearance of 34 persons reportedly kidnapped after attending cockfights in Manila, Laguna, and Batangas since last year.
Charlie ‘’Atong’’ Ang, owner of Lucky 8 Star Quest company, told the Dela Rosa committee yesterday that his online firm grosses P1 billion to P2 billion a day and that he amasses P800 million to P900 million in profits a month from online gambling after deducting his operational expenses.
Several of the missing persons had attended the cockpits managed by Ang’s company.
Dela Rosa earlier said the President replied "Sige’’ (Go ahead) to his query when they met in Davao city on the senators’ resolution seeking the suspension of e-sabong operations.
The online gambling has allegedly caused the disappearance of the 34 persons, sent bettors deep into debt, triggered suicides, and prompted even some policemen to commit crimes.
In the committee hearing, Dela Rosa crossed swords with Andrea Domingo, head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) when the latter told him that she has not received word from Malacañang to suspend Pagcor’s licensees to the e-sabong operators.
Asked whether he has plans to bring the matter to the courts, Dela Rosa said he would first consult his colleagues in the Senate ‘’kung ano ang gusto nila mangyari (what they what to happen)".
Quizzed whether or not he was disappointed with the turn of events, Dela Rosa replied: ‘’Talaga, paano ba ako di ma-disappoint para naman sa kabutihan ng kababayan natin, di naman yan personal (Yes, how could you not be disappointed when it is for the good of our countrymen, it's nothing personal)."
On whether or not he would attempt to talk to the President on the issue, he said: ‘’Hindi na siguro pabayaan na lang natin sila kung ano gagawin nila sa aming resolution (I don’t think so. We’ll just let them do what they want with the resolution).’’
Dela Rosa said it took him one to two hours to get his colleagues to sign the resolution, attesting to their resolve to have online cockfighting temporarily stopped.
He stressed that three are no personal motives behind their actions.
’’In fact, by doing so naghahanap din kami ng kalaban. ang license holder ng e-sabong nagagalit sa amin, pero ito ay para sa bayan, kung ayaw nila wala tayo magawa (we are spoiling for a fight with the e-sabong license holders who will get angry with us but this is for the country. If they refuse, we cannot do anything).’’