FOUR individuals were arrested after police raided an alleged illegal online cockfighting, or e-sabong, operation in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental.
In a statement on Saturday, June 27, 2026, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the operation, carried out on June 26, also resulted in the closure of the cockfighting arena believed to have been used as the base of the illegal online betting operation.
Nartatez said the raid stemmed from intelligence reports that the cockpit in Jimenez was facilitating e-sabong activities through an online platform that reportedly catered not only to local bettors but also to Filipinos abroad.
Nartatez reminded the public that e-sabong remains prohibited under Philippine law and warned those involved in illegal online cockfighting that police will continue to pursue violators.
The PNP intensified its campaign against underground betting activities after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order 9, which prohibits online, remote, and off-cockpit betting on live cockfights, as well as the livestreaming or broadcasting of cockfighting events outside authorized venues.
Despite the ban, the PNP said some groups continue to operate illegal online cockfighting activities in different parts of the country through clandestine operations. (TPM/VoxPop Philippines)