Of Cockpits and Congress: How the House Rushed a Gambling Franchise Amid a Mass Disappearance
In what has become one of the most chilling unsolved crimes in recent years, the case of the missing sabungeros—cockfighting aficionados—has exposed not only the dark underbelly of e-sabong operations. It also exposed the disturbing proximity of political power to gambling interests.
The first signs of trouble came in 2021, when separate reports emerged of sabungeros—Michael Bautista in April and Ricardo Lasco in August—being forcibly taken from cockpits, never to be seen again. Their disappearances were tied to cockpits operated by Lucky 8 Star Quest Inc., the e-sabong company owned by gambling operator Charlie “Atong” Ang.
Stunning Speed to Formalize Atong Ang’s Gambling Business
Surprisingly, the House of Representatives appeared to respond with stunning speed—not to investigate the abductions, but to formalize and expand Ang’s gambling business through legislation instead of caution, outrage, or even curiousity.
On July 19, 2021, House Bill 09834 was filed to grant Lucky 8 a 25-year franchise. The authors? A trio of lawmakers—Reps. Joey Salceda, Sharon Garin, and Conrado Estrella. The bill was read on August 3, just days after Lasco’s reported abduction.
But as reports mounted about more disappearances—eventually reaching at least 34 missing persons—the bill, astonishingly, did not stall. It accelerated.
By September 13, barely a month later, the bill—substituted by House Bill 10199—had not only cleared the necessary committees but had passed both second and third readings on the same day. Its list of principal authors ballooned from three to 28, including high-profile names like LRay Villafuerte, Stella Quimbo, Jericho Nograles, and Esmael Mangudadato. The House, acting with lightning speed rarely seen even in times of national crisis, transmitted the bill to the Senate the next day.
Such speed raised eyebrows and suspicions.
Backroom Deals?
Political observers and civil society groups questioned whether the push was driven by backroom deals or heavy lobbying. Allegations swirled about lawmakers being incentivized to move the bill through Congress with haste.
But where the House rushed, the Senate hesitated.
Two months later, the Senate committee on public services, chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, suspended deliberations on the bill. This came after a series of testimonies linking e-sabong to social ills—gambling addiction, suicide, broken families—and, most notably, the unsolved disappearances. The committee also heard evidence implicating Lucky 8 and its owner in these troubling events.
Senators called for a pause. They urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to suspend all e-sabong operations, including those of Lucky 8, until the fate of the missing men was determined.
Public pressure mounted, and by March 2022, the Senate declared the franchise bill “dead.” In an unusual show of defiance against an influential figure, senators refused to budge, citing the unresolved disappearances, public opposition, and the lack of time for proper deliberation. The upper chamber chose caution over convenience, human lives over profits.
Stark Contrasts
The stark contrast between the two chambers laid bare the uneasy truth: while the House appeared eager to serve gambling interests despite a brewing scandal, the Senate—at least in this instance—played the role of institutional conscience.
The story is far from over. The missing sabungeros remain missing. Justice, for their families, is still elusive. But their tragic case has exposed how deeply entrenched gambling money has become in the Philippine political system—and how easily legislation can be hijacked to serve the powerful.
At its heart, this story is not just about a franchise. It is about what happens when a democracy bends to the will of a gambling czar. And whether, in the halls of power, human lives still matter more than profits.
Antonio Manaytay is a journalist and pastor based in Zamboanga Sibugay. He writes about politics, justice, and faith in public life.
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