The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan has passed an ordinance mandating the strict implementation of the Cockfighting Law of 1974, or Presidential Decree (PD) 449, Board Member Andrew Montelibano said on Wednesday, August 6.
Under the presidential decree, only traditional cockfighting and traditional types of betting are allowed, he said.
Montelibano, who proposed the ordinance, said that e-sabong, or machine betting, was only permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now illegal.
E-sabong was canceled in 2022, but some operators continue to offer electronic betting inside cockpits, he said.
Montelibano said machine betting is not part of PD 449, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation has already declared it illegal.
He added that those engaged in machine betting have no permits and are not registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, so the government receives no revenue from their operations.
The penalty for violating the newly approved provincial ordinance is one year of imprisonment and a fine not exceeding P5,000 for any person found to be the owner or operator of non-traditional cockfighting and/or non-traditional betting methods.
For a cockpit owner who leases their arena to a person or operator in violation of the ordinance, the penalty is the revocation of their business permit and a fine not exceeding P5,000.
Montelibano also said that the cockfighting industry is protected under PD 449 and will not be affected by the proposed anti-animal cruelty acts being pushed in the Senate and Lower House.*