Church rejects e-sabong bill (Sabong News)
Author
Jomar Canlas
Date
NOVEMBER 15 2021
SEVERAL leaders of the Catholic Church expressed their disgust and opposition to the "e-sabong" bill even as Senator Grace Poe's Public Services Committee scheduled a hearing to tackle the measure this week.
Former Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao highlighted the fact that online gambling, in this case cockfighting, is "still gambling."
Valles said the enactment of the bill will promote the attitude that it is all right to use much needed money to gamble.
He said there are attempts to railroad the measure legalizing electronic sabong (cockfighting) or e-sabong, which has the potential to tear Filipino families apart.
Talibon Bishop Patrick Daniel Parcon, CBCP regional representative of Central-Eastern Visayas, and former CBCP secretary general Bishop Antonietto Cabahug said that "poverty should be solved with economic means, not gambling."
Former Agham party-List Rep. Angelo Palmones urged senators not to emulate their House of Representatives counterparts who "shamelessly welcomed the evils of gambling, instead of resisting it."
He cited Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc. which was granted a franchise to operate offsite betting activities on duly-licensed cockfighting, derbies and other similar activities through online or other modern means, anywhere in the Philippines.
Palmones noted that Lucky 8 is a company owned by Charlie "Atong" Ang.
Bishop Alberto Uy of the Diocese of Tagbilaran agreed with Palmones on the threat posed by e-sabong to Filipino families.
"Online sabong will wreck families, incite crimes and corrupt society. Reportedly, many young people and overseas workers are already addicted to it. You can just imagine how many families will be seriously disturbed by this form of gambling," Uy said.
Uy described e-sabong as worse than Sunday sabong, since betting could be done on a daily basis and would be open to all regardless of age.