Angeles Sanoy Cabases, Kanguha barangay captain, (right, in black shirt) are detained at the Dumanjug Police Station after he and two others were caught during an illegal cockfighting activity in the barangay. | Photo courtesy of Police Major Ardioleto Cabagnot
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A barangay captain of Dumanjug town in southern Cebu is among the 30 persons arrested for illegal cockfighting, “tigbakay”, in separate operations in the southern Cebu town and in Cebu City on March 22, 2020.
He is the second barangay captain from Dumanjug town to be arrested in the last three days for being engaged in illegal cockfighting,
Angeles Sanoy Cabases, 42, Kanguha barangay captain of Dumanjug town was arrested with two others, who were also at the cockfight.
Police Major Ardioleto Cabagnot, chief of Dumanjug police, said there were a lot of people at the cockfight but all of them escaped except for Cabases, Nowescis Sayson Deniela, 70, and Bienvenido Iñego Omaya, 48, who are both residents of the barangay.
Cabagnot said that a concerned citizen informed us about the illegal cockfighting activity and we responded to it at 4:40 p.m. today (Sunday), March 22, 2020.
Read more: Dumanjug village chief jailed for organizing a cockfight on his birthday
This is the second barangay captain of the town, who was arrested for illegal cockfighting — the first one was the barangay captain of Kabatbatan, who was arrested on March 20, 2020 for organizing the illegal cockfight allegedly for his birthday, that day.
Cabagnot said that Barangay Kabatbatan Captain Ruel Dinglasa Cuevas, 39, remains detained at the Dumanjug Police Station detention cell.
Cabases, Kanguha barangay captain, and the two others arrested during the illegal cockfighting raid, were also detained at the Dumanjug Police Station detention cell.
Cabagnot said they would be filing charges against the three suspects for violating Presidential Decree Presidential Decree No. 1602 (illegal gambling) 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 dDsease 2019 (COVID-19).
Read more: Capitol to Cebu LGUs: Cancel big events, implement curfew, social distancing
Cabagnot said the public might have been complacent that the police would not be able to find out about the activity because of the ongoing measures implemented for COVID-19.
“Maybe they were confident we won’t find out because we were busy. But we have time and will be able to give time to respond and apprehend those who are performing illegal activties even during these time,” said Cabagnot.
These are among the 27 persons arrested for illegal gambling in three barangays in Cebu City on March 22, 2020. | Contributed photo
On that same day, in four barangays in Cebu City, police arrested 27 people, who were also caught engaging in illegal cockfighting, on three separate raids from 11 a.m. to past 4 p.m.
The raids against illegal cockfighting (tigbakay) were conducted in Barangays Basak Pardo, Inayawan, and Bulacao, which are all under the jurisdiction of the Pardo Police Station.
Police Major John Kareen Escober, Pardo Police Station chief, said that aside from the law that prohibits illegal gambling, those who would be caught organizing and patronizing the activity, would also be violating the preventive measures directed by the government as precautions for COVID-19.
“They are also not practicing social distancing which was emphasized repeatedly from previous information dissemination,” said Escober.