31 men jailed for ‘tigbakay’ in Daanbantayan, Cebu

Police arrested a  total of 31 men for betting on illegal cockfighting or “tigbakay” in Sitio Tagasa, Barangay Bitoon in Daanbantayan town  on Saturday, July 25.| Photo courtesy of the Daanbantayan Police Station

CEBU CITY, Philippines –Gamblers always learn their lesson the hard way.

A total of 31 men from Daanbantayan town in northern Cebu were made to spend their weekend behind bars after they were arrested while attending and placing their bets on a “tigbakay” (illegal cockfighting) in Sitio Tagasa, Barangay Bitoon on Saturday afternoon, July 25.

Police Corporal Luche Leyson, an investigator of the Daanbantayan Police Station, said that illegal gambling charges will also be filed against the 31 arrested individuals on Monday, July 27.

A similar complaint will also be filed against a certain Bernardito Luche who joined the “tigbakay” but managed to elude arrest, Leyson said.

Leyson said that the suspects also violated health protocols that require social distancing and prohibits the gathering of a large crowd while Cebu province remains under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Read: 2 seniors jailed for illegal cockfighting, 8 others elude arrest

The police, he said, has been getting several reports on the conduct of illegal cockfighting activities in their town.  But in most cases, games are already over when they visit the venue.

However, they came a little earlier on Saturday and arrested the 31 bettors.  Saturday’s operation was organized by the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) in coordination with the Daanbantayan Police Station.

Leyson is asking town residents to help the police in their anti-gambling campaign by immediately reporting illegal gambling activities that are ongoing in their respective areas.

“Ang kapulisan sa Daanbantayan permanente nga ga monitor sa mga illegal nga kalihokan, labi na kung weekend kay mao mana ilhang oras ioperate,” said Leyson.

(Policemen in Daanbantayan continue to monitor illegal activities especially on weekends, which is the time of the week when gamblers would usually gather.)