A Filipino seafarer worries about how to pay off his debt after losing his hard-earned money worth PHP2 million to online sabong.
In an interview with GMA News, the 26-year-old Pinoy seaman said that he can bet in online sabong even if he’s not in the Philippines.
“Halos lahat po kami tumataya pero ako pinakamadalas. Pinapagalitan po ako ng mga kasama ko kasi sahod ko napupunta lang doon,” he said.
The seaman said that he already sold his car and was abandoned by his wife due to his gambling addiction.
He was also kicked out of his dormitory for not paying rent.
He hopes the government will put an end to online sabong.
“Dapat po talaga mapatigil na,” he told GMA News.
The Pinoy seaman is getting ready to board another ship again this year, but he vowed not to gamble his money anymore.
Despite controversies hounding missing ‘sabongeros’, President Rodrigo Duterte defends his decision not to suspend the operations of e-sabong in the country.
“‘That’s because e-sabong is legal. When we allow gambling, it’s legal. So you should ask: What has e-sabong done that there’s are killings, whether you like it or not,” Duterte said in his public address.
“You might suspect me of something because I did not stop it. I did not stop it because the government needs the money from e-sabong,” he added.
Duterte said that government earns at least P640 million a month from its operations.
