MANILA: Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Wednesday thumbed down the proposal to revive e-sabong (online cockfighting) to replace foregone revenues due to the total ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

‘Hindi ko po alam kung magkano ang revenue impact nun pero (I don’t know much its revenue impact is but) it’s definitely not included here. So, I don’t think it’s necessary for next year,’ Pangandaman said during the Kapihan in Manila Bay.

Citing the study by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Pangandaman said the national government would lose just PHP7 billion in revenues following the total closure of POGOs in the country.

Pangandaman said government efficiency and tax collection could make up for the projected revenue loss.

She added that the government is making progress to attain its goal of lowering the budget deficit to 3.7 percent by the end of the Marcos administration’s term in 2028.

‘We are consistently on track with
that. Pababa po ng pababa ang ating deficit (Our deficit is going down). Meaning, tumataas ang revenues, lumalaki ang ekonomiya (the revenues increase and the economy grows),’ Pangandaman said.

Pangandaman also stressed that the overall health of the Philippine economy is ‘good.’

Former president Rodrigo Duterte in May 2022 ordered the immediate termination of e-sabong operations due to its ‘social impact’ on Filipinos.

The total ban on e-sabong came in the wake of the still unresolved disappearance of some e-sabong aficionados in the country.

Around 789 e-sabong operations are still active despite the ban, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. bared during a Senate hearing last February.

Source: Philippines News agency