With electronic sports (esports) adding a gold to the Philippines’ medal haul in the ongoing 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand, House Deputy Majority Leader Luigi Villafuerte and fellow Camarines Sur Rep. Migz Villafuerte are leading a congressional push for the creation of a Philippine Esports Commission (PEC) to serve as the primary policy-making and regulatory agency to oversee the grassroots-level development of more world-class champions in esports activities.
The Camarines Sur solons are pushing the congressional approval of House Bill (HB) No. 3751 that aims to establish the PEC as a separate agency distinct from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to take charge of developing esports, where Team Philippines has consistently produced world champions in the past, especially in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).
Luigi and Migz Villafuerte said that a separate PEC needs to take main and exclusive charge of developing esports for our country to: [1] fully harness the talent and strategic acumen of Filipinos in video-gaming, especially in multisport competitions; [2] provide a new channel to harness the youth in sports development; and [3] cash-in on the fast-growing global esports market whose value is seen to leap from $1.97 billion in 2023 to $5.18 billion by 2029.
The Villafuertes authored HB 3751 with fellow Camarines Sur Rep. Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon.
To be known as the “Esports Act,” HB 3751 wants the proposed PEC to become a regulatory agency attached to the Office of the President (OP), with the amount necessary to initially implement this Act charged against the National Treasury.
Luigi said that, “The esports industry has emerged as a dynamic driver of economic activity and a platform to showcase the talent and strategic acumen of Filipino players on the global stage at this time when the Philippines has emerged as one of the most vibrant esports markets in Southeast Asia.”
Migz, citing data from the YCPS Marketing & Communication Group, said, meanwhile, that, “Proof of the phenomenal rise of the Philippine esports market is that it now has over 43 million active gamers, growing by an average of 12.9% annually since 2017.”
The Villafuertes said that Filipino teams have achieved remarkable international success, with the Philippine-based team TNC Predator netting over $4.6 million in total winnings since its inception in 2013.
In the 2019 Games, which was the first to feature esports as a medal event, Filipino athletes secured five medals, including a gold in MLBB, which is one of the world’s most popular competitive multiplayer video games.
This year’s SEA Games in Thailand are being held until Dec 20 in the cities of Bangkok, Choburi and Songkhla.
The MLBB contests are taking place at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, with men’s and women’s tournaments.
Philippine esports team Sibol completed a 4-0 sweep of Malaysia in the men’s category of the MLBB tournament, netting a gold for our players Sanford Vinuya, Kiel Soriano, Karl Nepomuceno, Jaypee dela Cruz, Alston Pabico and John Carlo Roma.
It marked the men’s team fourth straight gold in MLBB in 4 editions of the SEA Games since esports was first played in the biennial games in 2019.
The women’s team, which got a silver medal in the 2021 Games in Vietnam, is also aiming for a gold finish in Thailand.
“The esports industry has emerged as a dynamic driver of economic activity and a platform to showcase the talent and strategic acumen of Filipino players on the global stage.”
Team Sibol is competing in just two of the four esports events, apparently in the absence of enough world-class players to ensure a strong podium finish for our country in the 2025 Games.
Sibol sent teams for the MLBB and Arena of Valor events only, and not for the Football title, EA Sports FC Online and shooting game Free Fire.
Sibol general manager Leo Escutin was quoted in the media as saying before the SEA Games that: “The way we select games that we would participate in national events is that we have to make sure that we have a presence first in the grassroots. That’s why our biggest opportunity right now is to grow the grassroots for most of the popular teams in the Philippines. As an investment in the games, we don’t want to send athletes that are subpar or are not really a good representation of the talent of the Filipinos.”
Escutin announced that the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) has partnered with Arena Social, which plans to put up an esports training facility and support PESO’s National Grassroots Program (NGP).
Luigi and Migz pointed out that the Philippines has hosted several prestigious tournaments that have not only elevated the Philippines’ esports reputation but also brought significant benefits to the tourism sector.
In fact, they said, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has acknowledged the sector’s capacity to create jobs and drive the digital economy, and has projected the Philippines to likely become a regional center for game development and esports.
However, despite these gains, Luigi and Migz said that, “Challenges that hinder the growth of the local esports ecosystem remain. Filipino players have faced barriers such as visa denials because of the absence of an official representative body.”
In 2021, Bren Esports’ Valorant squad, who were the winners of the Southeast Asia qualifiers, were unable to compete in the VCT Stage 3 Masters in Berlin partly because of visa issues.
Migz and Luigi noted “a pressing need to distinguish esports from gambling through official regulation and institutional recognition. This distinction is vital to legitimizing esports as a professional career path and educational opportunity.”
They said that industry stakeholders have emphasized, too, the importance of institutional support, similar to that in South Korea, China and Saudi Arabia—three countries that have now fully accepted esports as a sport.
In HB 3751, its authors said that, “Esports is no longer limited to gaming alone; it spans a broader ecosystem involving analytical tools, broadcasting platforms, education, and wellness support. As such, safeguards, especially around the participation of minors, must be enforced through regulatory frameworks.”
Under the bill, the PEC shall coordinate with the PSC and other agencies like the Departments of Education (DepEd), of Tourism (DOT), of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), of Trade and Industry (DTI); Commission on Higher Education (CHED); National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in fostering infrastructure development, talent support programs, and international competitiveness for the Philippine esports industry.
To be known as the “Esports Act,” HB 3751 wants the proposed PEC to become a regulatory agency attached to the Office of the President (OP), with the amount necessary to initially implement this Act charged against the National Treasury, and subsequent funding coming from a separate annual budget under the yearly General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In the 19th Congress, Migz along with Horibata and then-Rep. and now Camarines Sur Gov. LRay Villafuerte co-authored the House-approved HB 8495, which sought to grant start-up funds or discount vouchers to young athletes, including those with disabilities, who cannot afford to pay the membership fees of local sports or recreation clubs.
In HB 8495, which the House had passed on third and final reading, its authors also proposed support funds for accredited sports organizations to either sustain their grassroots sports development initiatives or improve their sports facilities.
