Spox: No documents transmitted yet to Palace, PAGCOR
MANILA (UPDATED) - President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to suspend licenses or permits of online sabong despite a resolution passed by a Senate panel, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
In a televised briefing, Cabinet Secretary and acting Malacañang Spokesperson Karlos Nograles said this should undergo procedure, such as the screening of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
"First of all procedurally, kailangan pa po natin, kailangan ng Senate resolution to be sent to PAGCOR, then PAGCOR to advise the Office of the President with regard to that," said Nograles.
Nograles also pointed out that no Senate resolution on the matter has reached either the Office of the President or PAGCOR so far.
"So wala pa po tayong abiso. These are all reports that we read in the newspapers. These are reports that we heard, but there is no official document that has been transmitted either to the Office of the President or to Malacañang or to PAGCOR or to whatever," he added.
"Wala pa pong Senate resolution, so it’s all—there is no paper to show or point to anything. So, ganoon po ang status ngayon."
This comes a day after Senate President Vicente Sotto III was quoted in reports that Duterte was in favor of suspending e-sabong permits.
The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs held hearings to look into the cases of 31 people who allegedly went missing in relation to online cockfighting.
Sotto said the licenses of the aforementioned firms should be suspended "until we find an acceptable conclusion to what is happening."
The national police said one of the potential motives behind the disappearances was the possible fixing of matches, where cockfighters would make their animals lose on purpose while placing bets on their opponents.
Video from PTV