Three men including a 72-year-old man have been arrested for engaging in tigbakay in Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City on June 6, 2020. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Here comes another weekend which would mean that personnel from all the stations of Lapu-lapu City Police Office (LCCPO) would have to be ready to respond at any time for possible callers who would report about illegal cockfighting activities.
Sure enough, at around 10:45 a.m. this Saturday, June 6, 2020, Station 5 received a call of complaint about the noisy participants of an organized illegal cockfighting in Sitio Seaside, Barangay Pusok.
Police Senior Master Sergeant Dennis Singson, desk officer of Station 5, said that they were only able to arrest three men as the others were quick to run in different directions the moment some were able to sense the police presence about 500 meters away from the area.
The arrested persons were identified as residents of the area identified as Carlito Codeñera Sr., 72; Daniel Setiota, 27; and Kent Ryan Lagmay, 23.
The three men’s arrest came a week after five men were also arrested for engaging in tigbakay in Consolacion town in northern Cebu, where beneficiaries of social amelioration program and 4Ps program of the government were among those arrested.
Read more: Nabbed tigbakay gamblers are SAP, 4Ps beneficiaries — police
Meanwhile, in the Lapu-Lapu tigbakay raid, Singson said tht there were others about 20 more, who were confirmed to be in the area but were able to immediately escape.
“Bisag ang mga police nagsibilyan na kusog kaayo manghimantay mga maayo sad ni sila,” said Singson.
(Even if the policemen were wearing civilian clothes, they were knew we were policemen.)
The three men are now detained at a police station detention cell while the charges for Presidential Decree 1602 or the law on illegal gambling, is being prepared.
Singson added that they would continue to monitor the areas like Barangay Pusok where some of the reports of illegal cockfighting were coming from.