Actually cockfighting is ban when you do it on rural areas. There are designated arenas which sabongero's can legally bet and do those things that they want there.
Police conducting heavy crackdowns those illegal sabong done on public areas and I seen lots of raids happening and to many illegal bettors got caught doing this. But despite of the action done by authorities there are still lots of people doing such illegal things.
When E sabong has been introduce online cockfighting betting became rampant and many abuse or other type of crimes happen just like these unfortunate situation happen on missing sabongero's.
Hopefully they can get real justice since the way how the investigation going right now its like they are just getting false hope. Since there are some forces using them to eliminate their political opponent.
Yup it's illegal, but most of those who conduct this type of illegal gambling they are mostly protected or being fcilatated by those corrupt officials, those who are in rural places, if not all but most of them either protected by polie officials or it's the official itself that conducting it and providing protections to those gamblers who loves to gamble.
That legalization of E-Sabong is now being investigated since there are missing sabungeros but the funny thing now, it's being relate to war on drugs by the past administration, not sure now if the case will direct to the big boss Atong Ang or it will now be diverted to past administration and be added to his crime thru ICC.