MANILA — Senator Raffy Tulfo criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for their slow response to illegal e-sabong and online gambling operations.

During a Senate Committee on Games and Amusement hearing, Tulfo presented footage of an ongoing live e-sabong operation, which he said is allegedly based in Central Luzon, highlighting that illegal operations persist despite the nationwide ban.

Tulfo questioned the use of the PNP’s estimated ₱1.3 billion intelligence funds, saying major personalities involved in the operations remain at large.

“Yes, some e-sabong sites have been taken down, but those are the small, guerrilla-type operations. The biggest in the country, located in Central Luzon, remains untouched. You know who the gambling kingpins are, yet you cannot touch them,” Tulfo said.

He also named “Pineda” and “Bernos” as alleged gambling kingpins and urged authorities to focus on stopping large-scale operations rather than only targeting small neighborhood gambling activities.

“Ipakita niyo sa amin na kayo po ay nagtatrabaho para sa taumbayan at hindi para sa maimpluwensiyang at makapangyarihang mga tao lang,” he added.