The National Bureau of Investigation raided the Amenic N Calajoan cockpit in Barangay Calajoan, Minglanilla town, southern Cebu, on September 16, 2022, catching suspects doing a live e-streaming of sabong under the website goperya.net1. The raid was carried out under a search warrant issued by Judge Grace Veloso Fernandez of RTC Branch 19, Cebu City1. The NBI later filed a complaint for violation of PD 1602, which penalizes illegal gambling, in relation to Republic Act 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, against the operators of the cockpit, an alias Dongdong Ong and Carlos Uy Gothong III alias Jun Gothong, and 37 other employees1.
NBI Central Visayas Director Renan Oliva said neither the cockpit nor the website streaming the sabong was registered under the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), which regulates all gambling activities in the country1. He also pointed out that two presidents, including Marcos predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, had already banned e-sabong1. On September 19, five lawyers represented all the arrested persons during inquest proceedings at the Cebu provincial prosecutors' office; three came from Dumaguete and two from Cebu1.
Four days after the raid, on September 20, 2022, suspended Negros Oriental 3rd District congressman Arnie Teves arrived at the NBI office at 3:41 pm with an entourage that included Tomasino Aledro alias Tukoy1. Oliva said Teves told him he was not involved in e-sabong activities and had delegated that to his friends, then demanded to know who ordered the raid1. Oliva said he told Teves it was the newly appointed national NBI director, Medardo De Lemos, on orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.1.
Oliva said Teves responded by threatening to sue his men for theft. Oliva recounted the exchange to the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs on April 19, 2023:
"I was surprised at his response to me. He told me that he will sue my men for stealing P7 million during the raid."
Oliva said he relayed the conversation to the NBI national director and was told to double down on operations against e-sabong1. When the NBI refiled the case in February 2023 after initial setbacks, Oliva said they were slapped with a complaint for theft, this time for P9 million1. NBI Central Luzon Assistant Regional Director Noel Bocaling acted as Teves' intermediary for the September 20 meeting, according to Oliva1.
What it means for players
The raid and the complaint rest on two points reported by the NBI: the cockpit and goperya.net were not registered with Pagcor, and e-sabong had been banned under two administrations1. Players who used unlicensed streaming sites of this kind were betting on an operation that regulators did not authorize. The case also shows that enforcement did not stop at the raid: the NBI refiled charges in February 2023, and the operators and 37 employees faced proceedings under PD 1602 and the Cybercrime Prevention Act1. For a wider view of where cockfight betting sits in the region and how gambling in the Philippines is regulated, those guides cover the legal status of the games involved.
What happens next
The NBI refiled the case in February 2023 after initial setbacks1. Oliva said that when the case was refiled, a theft complaint for P9 million was filed against NBI personnel1. The sources do not report the outcome of the refiled case or of the theft complaint.
