2015 DotA Internet Café Ban of Barangay Salawag, Cavite

A segment on the Filipino news 24 Oras which reported on the ban.

On January 5, 2015, a government resolution banning the MOBA DotA from internet cafés was passed on Barangay Salawag in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines. It was passed after incidents of DotA-related gambling and violence were reported.

The news gained widespread infamy after it was posted on notable international websites.

On January 5, 2015, the Barangay^{[note 1]} Council of Salawag, Dasmariñas, Cavite passed Resolution 008-S-2015, which bans DotA from being played in internet cafés.

The decision to ban DotA was passed after two teenagers were stabbed to death in November of the previous year over differences that supposedly stemmed from playing the game. 29 out of 30 internet cafés in the barangay agreed with the measure, admitting that they could not contain the violent demeanor of teenage DotA players.

The Salawag barangay captain claimed that the resolution had been positively received by parents and school administrators and that the council would be endorsing a city-wide ban of DotA in Dasmariñas, Cavite.^[1]

A scanned copy of Resolution 008-S-2015.

Internet cafés that violate the resolution would receive the following penalties:

• First offense: 1 month suspension of business operations
• Second offense: Revocation of business permit
• Third offense: Permanent closure of business and unable to apply for business permit

The news of the ban quickly spread and gained international infamy after it was reported on Reddit, the esports website GosuGamers, and the gaming blog Kotaku,^[2] among other online publications.

At around January 25, 2015, a hoax claiming that the Barangay Salawag had begun banning FPS games began circulating in social media.

1. A "barangay" is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines. A city or municipality is divided into multiple barangays.

1. Dota banned by Dasmariñas, Cavite, village. January 21, 2015 at 01:49 PM. Aries Joseph Hegina. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved on 2023-08-03.
2. Filipino Village Bans Dota After Multiple Murders. January 22, 2015. Jason Schreier. Kotaku. Retrieved on 2023-08-03.