Men caught engaging in illegal cockfighting, also known as tigbakay, are arrested in Badian town, Cebu in this July 19, 2020 photo.
Cebu City, Philippines–Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, the director of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), is thankful for the help he is getting from the community with regards to the campaign against illegal gambling in the province.
Mariano said that they have arrested a total of 1,683 individuals for illegal gambling activities, which includes “tigbakay” (illegal cockfighting), from July until August 18, 2020.
He said the community plays a huge role in their campaign since they are the ones usually reporting the illegal activities.
“Kaya nahuhuli natin ‘yan [because] the community is very cooperative. Kasi ayaw na nila kumulat yung virus na ‘to,” Mariano said.
(That’s why we are able to arrest them because the community is very cooperative. They don’t want the virus to spread.)
Among those arrested are government officials. Cockfighting, according to Mariano, is where these officials usually participate in. These officials include town councilors, barangay captains, barangay treasurers, and youth group chairman. Even policemen are sometimes caught.
Of the 11 arrested government officials, Mariano said that there are also 11 other officials at large but have been identified and were included in the filing of the charges.
Mariano said he believes most persons engage in illegal gambling because of boredom or because this is what they are used to, especially when there is a fiesta in an area.
Gambling and social gathering is prohibited due to the threats of COVID-19 in the country. It isn’t allowed in all forms of quarantine classification.
Mariano said that since the country is experiencing this health threat, the public must understand that they have to do their part in helping stop the spread of the virus.
He also warned the public that the police will continue to be relentless in their drive to catch those participating in illegal gambling activities.
“They know that the police are also busy with other duties. But once there are reports, we respond and verify [and this] leads to arrests,” said Mariano. /bmjo
Read: In 4 days, 97 arrested for tigbakay in Cebu province