CEBU CITY -- More than 30 individuals were arrested when agents of the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI 7) raided a cockpit that allegedly ran an online cockfighting or e-sabong in Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.
On the strength of a search warrant issued by Judge Grace Veloso-Fernandez of Regional Trial Court Branch 19 in Cebu City, the NBI agents raided the Amenic N’ Calajoan Cockpit at around 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Sept. 20, the NBI Region 7 said among those arrested were the two alleged operators of the cockpit and 37 workers.
The NBI 7 identified the alleged operators of the e-sabong as Carlos Uy Gothong and Sergio Santos Lu.
Gothong was the operator of the cockpit, while Lu owned the cockpit, said the NBI 7.
Various equipment worth around P2 million that were supposedly used to stream the fights were also seized during the operation.
The arrested workers included cameramen, WiFi maintenance crew, IT maintenance personnel, VIP room in-charge and bet encoders.
The cockpit’s operation of e-sabong was not permitted by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the NBI 7 said.
It was last May when then President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the suspension of online cockfighting operations in the country.
Charges for alleged violation of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and Presidential Decree 449 or the Cockfighting Law of 1974 have been filed against the arrested persons.
Bail for the arrested employees was set at P36,000 each. Bail for the e-sabong operators was set around P100,000 each, the NBI 7 said.