PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. on Tuesday vowed to intensify efforts to identify operators of electronic sabong or e-sabong.Acorda said the police aim to take down online platforms and mobile applications being used for e-sabong operations."The PNP's Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) continues its cyber patrolling operations to identify the various websites and pages being used in these illegal activities," he said.The PNP chief said the ACG uses a two-pronged approach in fighting e-sabong — the identification and subsequent taking down by the Department of Information Technology (DICT) of online sites being used in the illegal operations and the identification of the locations where the illegal games are being held to arrest violators."Remember that bets are also done online, so the challenge is for us to prove this in court. This is what the law requires, and we will find ways to satisfy this requirement to warrant the prosecution of all violators caught engaging in these illegal activities," Acorda said.He said the operators of this illegal activity have gone underground and are using private farms and arenas in secluded areas as venues for their cockfighting games."Both the physical component or the venues where the illegal games are held, and how the bets are done, are part of the challenges we face," Acorda said.From January to June this year, the PNP launched 50,000 anti-gambling operations nationwide, leading to the arrest of 41,000 people.
