President Rodrigo Duterte defended e-sabong on Thursday, claiming that the government requires the funds generated from online cockfighting.
Duterte claimed he had permitted e-sabong to continue because the epidemic has depleted other funds. He made the remark during the groundbreaking ceremony for the OFW Center in Daang Hari, Las Pias City.
“You know in e-sabong—baka magduda kayo, I don’t know anybody there—it is a transaction by PAGCOR [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation]. I have the ultimate word on it because it gives us P640 million a month,” Duterte said.
“Kailangan ko ang pera for those expenses na wala sa budget, hindi mo makuha sa budget, so you need money from the outside sources. Ngayon at the end of the year if I have the billions—at P640 million a month ‘yun ang maitulong ko agad [dahil ang] pandemic naubos ang contingency fund ko, pati yung intelligence fund, binigyan ko lang yung pulis, pati yung military. Ang sabi ko you just have to work on it,” he added.
(I need money for expenses that aren’t in the budget, [that] you can’t get in the budget, so you need money from outside sources; now, at the end of the year, if I have the billions—and P640 million a month is what I can help with as the pandemic depleted my contingency plan, and the intelligence fund I just gave the police and the military. I said you just have to work on it.)
Duterte says gov’t needs e-sabong money
Duterte also stated that if the negative impacts on the public are confirmed, e-sabong may be suspended.
“Saan ako maghanap ng P640 million a month, so I allowed it. Ang problema ganito. I have heard itong mga ito nagpupusta lahat, nagsasangla na para magpusta, ‘yun ang sabi ng taga-labas. If it is true, hihintuin ko ‘yan, masigurado ninyo. Before I go I will stop it kung totoo, but I have to sacrifice I said the billions that you would have earned kung nandyan ‘yan,” Duterte said.
(Where can I find P640 million a month, so I allowed it. The problem is this: I’ve heard that these bettors are already pawning things to bet. That’s what outsider sources said. If that’s true, I’ll stop it. You can be sure of that. Before I leave, I’ll stop it if that’s true. But I have to sacrifice. I said the billions you would have earned if it was operating.)
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