CEBU CITY – Police arrested a 23-year-old online cockfighting or e-sabong worker in San Fernando town, southern Cebu on Monday, Jan. 9.
The suspect, Donn Caezar Aquino, was arrested during a cockpit raid in Barangay Bugho, a mountain village, said Brig. Gen. Jerry Bearis, chief of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7).
The raid was conducted past 7 a.m. by the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 7, Regional Intelligence Division 7, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 7, Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, and San Fernando Police Station.
Police said Caballero, a resident of Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City, was with seven co-workers but they eluded arrest after sensing the arriving law enforcers.
Caballero told police that their online cockfighting operation starts at 5 a.m. and ends at dawn the following day.
The cockpit streams at least 200 cockfights a day, the suspect added.
Among the items seized during the raid were electronic devices used to stream the cockfights.
Bearis has ordered an investigation to identify the persons behind the e-sabong operations.
He said the operation was in response to the directive of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. to stop e-sabong operations.
E-sabong in the country was suspended during the administration of President Duterte.
“We will intensify our campaign against e-sabong and we can do better in our campaign with the help of the community,” said Bearis.