8 ‘tigbakay’ aficionados nabbed in Lapu, police warn ECQ violators

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan talks to the eight men who were caught doing “tigbakay” or illegal cockfighting despite the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). | Photo grabbed from Mayor Chan’s Facebook Page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Lapu-Lapu City Police are alert, monitoring and ready to arrest those who continue to commit illegal activities such as gambling amid the enhanced community quarantine.

This is the warning of Police Colonel Clarito Baja, chief of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) after they arrested eight men who held a cockfighting session in Sitio Lupa, Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City, at around 10:30 a,m., today, April 5, 2020.

Baja said that although some of those arrested have quarantine passes, the cockfighting activity was clearly against the provisions under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

According to Baja, this is already the sixth illegal cockfighting activity that they were able to stop which only means that amid the busy schedule of the police due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) they stay committed to their mandated duty of arresting those who are involved in illegal activities.

“This will serve as a warning to those who will be arrested,” said Baja.

The eight persons who were arrested are said to be neighbors in the same barangay. Police said the suspects continue to hold illegal cockfighting in their barangay despite the implementation of the curfew and ECQ.

As of this posting, the eight men are still detained in the LLCPO detention facilities pending the filing of charges for violating the executive order on the ECQ and the presidential decree 1602 or the illegal cockfighting law. /rcg