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CEBU CITY, Philippines – A barangay captain in Dumanjug town celebrated his birthday in jail after he and another individual were arrested for organizing a cockfight on Friday, March 20, 2020.
Police arrested Kabatbatan Barangay Captain Ruel Dinglasa Cuevas, 39, and a certain Jerry Ligonas Torres, 40.
Police Major Ardioleto Cabagnot, chief of Dumanjug Police Station, told CDN Digital in a phone interview this morning, March 21, 2020, that they received an anonymous tip informing them of a cockfight that was ongoing in Cuevas’ residence.
“The anonymous caller said he was concerned that an official was organizing cockfights despite orders to stop these (cockfights) due to threats of COVID-19,” Cabagnot added.
Cabagnot said that several bettors were also in the area when the police team arrived at about 4:45 p.m. but they only managed to collar Cuevas and Torres. The others were quick to escape.
“He (Cuevas) did not resist arrest. We went there to verify the information we got from an anonymous caller and indeed we caught them in the act,” said Cabagnot in Cebuano.
Cabagnot’s team confiscated one live cock and five pieces of gaffs which are sharp objects attached on the legs of roosters during cockfights.
“We learned later on that the barangay captain usually holds cockfights for his birthday celebration and that some of the residents in the area knew about this,” Cabagnot said.
During their investigation, Cabagnot said that Cuevas admitted that he was aware that elected officials are prohibited from engaging in illegal gambling activities.
Such prohibition is contained in Presidential Decree No. 1602 and Executive Orders (EO) separately issued by the Dumanjug Municipal Government and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that ban gatherings in Cebu province as a preventive measure against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
However, Cabagnot said that Cuevas and Torres may still post bail because their offenses remain bailable. / dcb