Sen. Francis Tolentino has lauded the decision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to remove all e-sabong operators from the list of merchants currently listed on existing e-wallet applications.
“I thank the leadership of the Bangko Sentral for this immediate action and for upholding Filipino values and traditions. E-sabong has somehow led to the deterioration of Filipino values and traditions especially during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Tolentino.
Tolentino noted that unlike the traditional cockfighting which has cultural significance and dates back during the pre-colonial period, the e-sabong business has led to various “deleterious effects” in the society.
During one of the Senate hearings conducted last April, Tolentino got furious and took a swipe at the leadership of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) for allowing the operation of online sabong to continue even during traditional religious holidays like Good Friday — a “gross violation” of Christian faith according to the senator.
Earlier this month, Tolentino asked the BSP issue a circular to all concerned electronic money issuers (EMIs) to remove any and all e-sabong features from their platforms, whether on their mobile application interface or otherwise, amid a parallel probe conducted by the Senate in connection with the alleged mysterious disappearances of more than three dozen cockfighting aficionados participating in virtual cockfighting tournaments.
