What is the missing sabungeros case?

It is the disappearance of people involved in cockfighting and online sabong during 2021 and 2022, which the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs examined in hearings. Read the Senate's own press releases for the figures it reports.

Did the case lead to the halt of e-sabong?

Executive Order No. 9 recites that a nationwide suspension of e-sabong was implemented on 3 May 2022 and continues it. The order itself does not name the missing sabungeros; the Senate hearings and the suspension ran in the same months.

Where can I read the Senate committee report?

On the Senate of the Philippines website. The Senate press release adopting the e-sabong committee report is dated 2 June 2022 and is filed under legacy.senate.gov.ph, press releases, 2022.

Is online sabong back?

No. Executive Order No. 9, signed on 28 December 2022, continues the suspension nationwide.

JILICC Philippines: Missing Sabungeros and the E-Sabong Halt

In this section
Fact	Value
JILICC DS88 Sabong	DS88 Sabong is the name the JILICC lobby's footer Agent Joining page uses for its SABONG lane, which lists the codes DS88, R88 and 1BET.
JILICC E-Sabong Law	E-sabong is governed by Executive Order No. 9, signed 28 December 2022, which continues its nationwide suspension, and by Presidential Decree No. 449, which governs licensed cockpits.
JILICC Sabong Bet Terms	At a licensed cockpit a bet taker calls and takes the bets, the referee announces the result, and the bet taker pays the winners after deducting a commission.
JILICC Tari Explained	The tari is the gaff or blade tied to a fighting cock's leg in Philippine sabong.

Since 28 December 2022, when President Marcos signed Executive Order No. 9, online sabong (e-sabong) has been suspended nationwide.

The missing sabungeros case sits behind that story: cockfight enthusiasts disappeared during 2021 and 2022, and the Senate opened an inquiry. This page keeps to what the public record says.

Licensed cockpits are a separate matter under Presidential Decree No. 449; how a licensed cockpit is run explains them.

What the missing sabungeros case is

A sabungero is a person who takes part in sabong, the Philippine word for cockfighting. The case concerns people involved in sabong and online sabong who were reported missing in 2021 and 2022. The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs held hearings on it, and the Senate’s press-release archive carries the titled hearings, for example the 24 February 2022 hearing on “the rising number of missing persons allegedly involved in sabong and e-sabong”.

Figures differ between statements made at different times, so this site quotes none. Read the committee’s own press releases for the counts it reports and the way it attributes them.

Open the Senate press-release archive for 2022.
Search it for “sabong” and “e-sabong”.
Read each release as the committee’s statement, with the date it carries.

A timeline from the official record

Date	Event	Where to read it
24 February 2022	Senate committee hearing on missing persons allegedly involved in sabong and e-sabong	Senate press releases, 2022
3 May 2022	Nationwide suspension of e-sabong implemented	Recital of Executive Order No. 9
2 June 2022	Senate press release: the Upper Chamber adopts the e-sabong committee report	Senate press releases, 2022
28 December 2022	Executive Order No. 9 signed, continuing the suspension	Lawphil.net and the Official Gazette

How the case connects to the halt

Executive Order No. 9 recites the legal background: the Cockfighting Law, the PAGCOR regulatory framework for e-sabong, and the 3 May 2022 suspension. It states the need to “reiterate the continued suspension of all E-Sabong operations nationwide” and to direct agencies to act against illegal e-sabong. The order does not mention the missing sabungeros by name, so this page does not claim a cause the order does not state.

What the record does show is the sequence above: Senate hearings in early 2022, the suspension on 3 May 2022, the committee report adopted on 2 June 2022, and the order of 28 December 2022. The full chain of instruments is in the e-sabong law, instrument by instrument.

What the case means for the lobby label

Some casino lobbies still list a sabong lane. The suspension covers online and remote betting on live cockfights wherever the platform sits, so what the DS88 Sabong lane name means matters to any player reading a lobby menu.

Lobby label	Legal position
SABONG menu item, DS88 Sabong lane name	Online betting on live cockfights is suspended
A cockpit you attend in person	Licensed cockpits operate under PD 449

Where to read the primary record

The Senate of the Philippines press releases for 2022, searched under “sabong”.
Executive Order No. 9 s. 2022 at lawphil.net or the Official Gazette.
The Senate committee report on the inquiry, which the 2 June 2022 press release announces.

If you or someone you know has information about a missing person, tell the Philippine National Police or the National Bureau of Investigation rather than the comment sections of casino sites.

JILICC and the Missing Sabungeros Case: How It Ended E-Sabong