Senator Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday lashed out at the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for failing to curb illegal e-sabong operations, particularly those allegedly linked to gambling magnate Bong Pineda, husband of Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda.
“Itong dalawa, even while we speak, tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung kanilang live feed ng e-sabong, itong kay Bernos saka kay Pineda,” Tulfo told DICT and PNP officials during a Senate Committee on Games and Amusement hearing.
He branded the agencies “napaka-inutil,” accusing them of shielding influential figures instead of serving the public.
“PNP, kayo di ba ‘to serve and protect.’ It seems to me that you’re serving and protecting not the people, but Bernos and Pineda,” Tulfo said.
CICC executive director Renato Paraiso assured senators that the agency had been monitoring illegal gambling sites and had asked platforms to take them down.
Brig. Gen. Wilson Asueta of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group admitted awareness of the operations, prompting Tulfo to press: “If you were aware, why are you not arrested them? This is illegal.”
Tulfo claimed Pineda oversaw e-sabong operations in Central Luzon and challenged authorities to prove they were working for the people rather than the powerful.