PNP vows to intensify crackdown vs illegal online sabong operations


Police Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, director of the Philippine National Police's Directorate for Operations, has issued a memorandum to all police commanders to intensify the operations against illegal online sabong (cockfighting).

De Leon issued the order after the he Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said that online sabong sites are still running illegally, despite President Duterte's order.

"The operation of e-sabong was suspended by our Commander-in-Chief, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, effective May 3, 2022. Therefore, we should not permit guerrilla-style activities of e-sabong by unscrupulous individuals and groups," said De Leon in a statement.

Atty. Jose Tria, vice president of PAGCOR's E-Gaming Licensing and Regulation, stated that they monitored the following online sabong websites: pinassabong.live; pclive1.com; sabong-express.net; phbetting.live; goperya.com; phbet44.bet; phbet.bet; phbetr.bet.

De Leon stated that they are coordinating with PAGCOR to find other E-sabong websites illegally operated.

He said that the Anti-Cybercrime Group of the PNP is actively looking for online operators and making sure they can't get around the President's order to suspend their operations.

De Leon, however, said that they prioritize the crackdown among the PNP personnel, saying this is the instruction of PNP Officer-In-Charge Police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao, Jr.

"We will prioritize those in our ranks. We will start with PNP in order to have moral ascendancy in our campaign against e-sabong," said De Leon.

"We are also appealing to the e-sabong operators to immediately suspend their illegal operations; otherwise, you will face serious problems in the future when E-sabong operations resume," he added.