A farmer from Echague, Isabela, who used to benefit from online cockfighting or eSabong, is still struggling with lost income as he was severely affected by the prohibition.
In an interview, Jay-ar Dagman said his animal feeds business had experienced drastic cuts in his meager income due to the eSabong ban.
“Bumaba po at mahina po ‘yung demand ng mais . Walang kumukuha saamin,” Dagman said.
“Mahirap kasi mahal ‘yung mga bilihin tulad ng mga abono na ginagamit namin para lumaki ‘yung mga mais namin. Bumababa ‘yung demand nila,” he added.
The farmer was also concerned over their animal feeds as prices were expected to drive down since the demand continued to shrink.
“Pababa ‘yung presyo ng mais gawa ng kakaunti ‘yung demand ng mais. ‘Yung mga kakain sana e, nakukulangan,” he said. “Para maibenta na agad at mahabol namin ‘yung presyo kasi bababa pa ‘yan.”
In May 2022, Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the termination of eSabong operations nationwide.
At its peak, the eSabong industry reportedly generated P650 million per month in revenue for the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
At least P1.37 billion was collected from the seven licensed eSabong operators from January to March 2022. However, with eSabong out, PAGCOR projected a revenue loss of up to P5 billion for this year.
Dagman feared that they may experience prolonged revenue loss because of the suspension of eSabong operations.
“Kung magpapatuloy ito kawawa kami, dapa tsana mas marami ‘yung katulad ng baboy para tumaas naman presyo ng mais namin,” he stressed.
“Last year po kasi marami ‘yung mga kumakain na baboy at manok, e ngayon kaunti nalang pinapakain, mga baboy nalang,” he furthered.
The ban on eSabong may have impacted the livelihood of about 3.2 million Filipinos that come from the various businesses built around the gamefowl industry.