Permits of e-sabong outfits void ab initio, says Tolentino (Sabong News)
Author
Butch Fernandez
Date
FEBRUARY 28 2022
THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. should consider not just suspending the licenses of all eight accredited E-sabong (electronic betting system for cockfights) outfits, amid the mysterious disappearance of 31 cockfight workers. The licenses issued by Pagcor could be deemed void ab initio, since the operators did not have a congressional franchise for their business.
Senator Francis Tolentino pointed this out at the weekend, days after the Senate’s Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee opened hearings into the case of the missing sabungeros, one of the biggest such cases facing the National Police.
At Thursday’s first hearing chaired by Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, senators agreed to send Pagcor a resolution seeking suspension of all eight e-sabong licenses until a “satisfactory” solution to the apparent abductions is found.
In a radio interview, Tolentino said that likewise, local governments cannot give permits to E-sabong without a congressional franchise.
He pointed out that e-sabong must first get a different permit from Congress as it is “not like public utilities—like electricity and water—that render public service.”
Tolentino, a lawyer, asserted that “an online sabong permit granted by Pagcor is void ab initio,” or not valid from the beginning, because the franchise to operate must come from Congress.
He advised Pagcor to “stop e-sabong” and revoke any permit that may have been granted, signaling he expects the DOJ to affirm this until this is sorted out. “Why rush the franchise bill?” Tolentino wanted to know, suggesting that “if e-sabong is allowed, there should be restrictions.”
In the February 24 hearing, Tolentino said they will also ask popular payments platforms like GCash to remove e-sabong from transactions allowed on its platform.
At the hearing called by the committee led by Senator de la Rosa, senators took turns grilling resource persons from the PNP and Pagcor as parents of the missing men and one woman pleaded for the return of their loved ones, who were seized in several incidents since early January.
De la Rosa, a former PNP chief before his election to the Senate, said police probers are likely looking at a syndicated case, saying it is “impossible that 31 are missing and only one did it.”
He and Sen. Panfilo Lacson, himself a former PNP chief, questioned at length current PNP head Gen. Dionardo Carlos, who led investigators from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in updating senators on what has happened to the multi-province probe, one of the biggest the police has done in years. The abductions were reported in Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas and Laguna.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III moved for the investigating committee to issue a Resolution asking the state gaming agency to suspend all seven e-sabong licenses issued by Pagcor “until we find a satisfactory solution to this case.”
In turn, De la Rosa also moved for the “suspension of e-sabong until the case is cleared,” noting that Pagcor has “no objection to suspend” as proposed by the lawmakers.
