Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said on Thursday, March 31, that the fate of “e-sabong” or online cockfighting is in the hands of legislators.“We leave it to Congress to do what is necessary,” Guevarra said during the “Laging Handa” public briefing.He defended the move of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to regulate “e-sabong.”“Kung ang Kongreso ay tingin nila ay kailangan ng legislative franchise na hindi sufficient na PAGCOR lamang ang mag-i-impose ng rules and regulations then so be it (If Congress believes that a legislative franchise is needed and PAGCOR lacks the power to impose rules and regulations then so be it),” he said.He also pointed out: “If Congress also believes that ‘e-sabong’ should be outlawed at i-declare na labag sa batas ay nasa kanila rin iyon (it is also up to them to declare it as illegal),” he added. “Pero kung hindi sila gagalaw sa ngayon ay kakailanganin kumilos ng executive department (But if Congress won’t act, the executive department has to),” he stressed.He noted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) have already issued legal opinions sought by the PAGCOR and stated that it is within the jurisdiction of the PAGCOR to regulate “e-sabong.” “Yun naman ay nakasaad din doon sa kanilang charter although hindi naman na-mention yung ‘e-sabong’ dahil ngayon lang naman yang ‘e-sabong’ nauso e dati naman wala yan (It is specifically stated in the PAGCOR charter although it doesnot specifically mention ‘e-sabong’ which only recently came into being),” he explained.In the meantime, Guevarra said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is conducting its probe on the missing “sabungeros” or cockfight enthusiasts who also bet in “e-sabong.” He said the ongoing probe is in line with his directive and that issued by President Duterte.“At ang NBI naman ay may nakita na na mga witnesses dito. Kamakailan ay meron silang bagong witness na natagpuan na magbibigay ng napaka-useful na information kung ano ang nangyari dito sa mga nawawalang sabungero (The NBI has found witnesses. Recently, the NBI found a new witness who can give useful information on what happened to the missing ‘sabungeros’),” he added.Guevarra declined to give more details.
