DENR employee among 6 men nabbed for ‘tigbakay’

CEBU CITY, Philippines — An employee of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources  (DENR) is among six people arrested in two separate police operations against illegal cockfighting or tigbakay in Toledo City and Danao City on July 19, 2020.

Seth Peter Mahilum Ariate, 43, of the DENR and his neighbor Rowen Sombingo, 28, were caught after police raided a tigbakay in Sitio Ylaya, Barangay Talavera, Toledo City at around 1:30 p.m. today, said Police Staff Sergeant Jonathan Cuizon of the Toledo Police Station.

Cuizon said that they responded to a report about the tigbakay in the area, but when they arrived the crowd engaging in the illegal cockfighting broke up and ran in different directions.

Cuizon said that they only managed to arrest Ariate and Sombingo.

The two men were currently detained at the Toledo City Police Station pending the filing of charges for violating Presidential Decree 449 or the law on illegal cockfighting.

“Sige naman mi ani pahinumdum nila nga bawal. Amoang gipangutana ni sila kung ngano mi padayun gihapon sila nga kabalo sila bawal wala naman ni tubag nag mahay siguro,” said Cuizon.

(We always reminded the public that illegal gambling is prohibited. When we asked them [the arrested] why they violated they law, they could no longer answer, maybe they regretted what they have done.)

Read more: Implement ‘no tigbakay, no fiesta celebration’ policy, local execs told

Meanwhile,  about the same time or at past 1 p.m., policemen in Danao City caught four men, who bet and participated in a tigbakay in Sitio Caputatan, Barangay Guinacot, Danao City.

Aljun Batucan Barbero, 25; Ireneo Bolocano Dinglasan, 42; Christian Giango, 30 and Alexis Bohol Conde, 27; were caught by police, who responded to the area after receiving a report of the illegal cockfighting activity there.

The four men were detained at the Danao City Police Station pending the filing of charges./dbs