Online sabong franchise is already dead in the 18th Congress, according to senators.
E-SABONG — At least 4 senators believe the passage of the bill seeking to grant a franchise to an online sabong company is already dead in the 18th Congress, citing a lack of material time to tackle the measure.
“Franchise is dead,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said in a text message shared to reporters on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.
Senator Grace Poe, who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services which handles the bill, said that there’s no time to deliberate on the measure.
Apart from that, many oppose the granting of franchise for the operations of online sabong.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who led the Senate probe into the missing sabungeros involved in online sabong activities, said that the latest decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to stop e-sabong operations will also affect the passage of the franchise measure.
“Lack of material time to act on the franchise bill plus the President’s stoppage order would mean demise of the e-sabong industry unless the next administration would decide to resurrect it,” said Dela Rosa.
The President has approved the recommendation of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to stop online sabong or online cockfighting operations, which is being blamed for the deterioration of moral values among many Filipinos.
Both houses of Congress are currently on break in order to give way to the 2022 elections campaign and will resume sessions on May 23 or after the national and local elections.
Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, for his part, said that online sabong franchise bills shouldn’t be fast-tracked as it needs further deliberations, specifically on its effects on society.
“Pagdating sa e-sabong franchise bill(s), dapat hindi ito madaliin. Dapat pag-usapan [nang] mabuti kung ano ba talaga ang mga epekto ng legalization ng mga iba’t-ibang uri ng sugal tulad ng e-sabong,” Pimentel said. “Wag madaliin. Mas mabuti siguro ipa-desisyon na ito sa bagong papasok na Kongreso.“
READ ALSO: President Duterte OKs End To E-Sabong Operations
In an earlier statement, Senator Poe said that the issue of missing sabungeros should be resolved first before the franchise of Lucky 8 Star Quest could be tackled in her panel.
Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., a company owned by gaming tycoon Charlie “Atong” Ang, is one of the online sabong licensees being questioned over the disappearance of cockfight enthusiasts.
Last September 2021, the House of Representatives approved on 3rd and final reading the bill granting Atong Ang’s Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc. a franchise to operate anywhere in the country offsite betting activities on duly-licensed cockfighting, derbies, and similar activities through online or other modern means.
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