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DILG: 7 illegal e-sabong websites shut down, admins under probe


The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday seven illegal websites of e-sabong operations have been taken down.

In a statement, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group is conducting an investigation to identify the administrators of the illegal websites.

“These criminals thrive on the anonymity of the internet and they are taking advantage of this, but the PNP together with our colleagues from the National Bureau of Investigation will not rest until they have been unmasked,” he said.

So far, the PNP monitored 12 websites and eight social media platforms that are still operating e-sabong activities despite the ban imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Malaya said the DILG is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) to shut down these websites.

Also, he added that the department has requested Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to immediately delete or suspend the pages in their platform conducting e-sabong activities.

Considering that bettors and operators use GCash and similar platforms as mode of payment, Malaya said the DILG will ask the assistance of Globe to prevent the platform from being utilized for illegal purposes.

Following the reports on 34 sabungeros who had gone missing, Duterte earlier approved the recommendation of the DILG to stop e-sabong.

Duterte’s decision came after a survey conducted by the DILG in cities and provinces regarding e-sabong operations, which is being blamed for the deterioration of moral values among many Filipinos. —LBG, GMA News

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