Senatorial candidate Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar urged the government, through its law enforcement agencies, to ensure that "guerrilla operations" of online sabong will not be given the chance to operate following the decision of President Duterte to totally suspend its entire operations.
At the same time, Eleazar said both the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation should focus on resolving the cases of missing 34 cockfighting players (sabungeros).
"The government should vigilant against online sabong that will continue their operations despite prohibition from the national government," said Eleazar.
"And now that the operation of online sabong was already suspended, authorities should focus more on solving the cases of 34 missing sabungeros," he added.
Eleazar said the family and relatives of the missing sabungeros have been suffering enough and should be at least be given a clear explanation as to the fate of their missing relatives.
The former PNP chief said PAGCOR should also determine where to generate revenues following Duterte’s order to halt online sabong operations.
He also reminded the public about the ill effects of gambling, not just in one’s life and family, but in society as well.
Online sabong is being blamed for the addiction of various Filipinos which led some of them to be buried in millions of debt. In one case, a mother in Metro Manila sold her child to sustain her addiction to the game.
Even policemen are not also spared as a handful of them were caught engaging in robbery cases to finance online sabong.