Bantayan town is one of the three municipalities in Bantayan Island, northern Cebu. (Google Maps image)
CEBU CITY, Philippines –The chief of police of Bantayan Police Station has urged the Lipayran barangay officials to coordinate with them in ensuring that health protocols imposed there would be followed.
Police Major Windell Abellana, Bantayan Police Station commander, said this following the arrest of at least seven individuals, including the five fisherfolks, who were caught on August 28 engaging in illegal cockfighting in Sitio Tabonok, Barangay Lipayran in Bantayan town in northern Cebu.
The 7 individuals were caught out of the estimated 50 suspected bettors, who were engaging in tigbakay in the area.
Abellana said that they went to the area after they received a report while they were on foot patrol about the illegal activity there.
READ: 7 arrested for tigbakay in island in brgy Lipayran in Bantayan town
He said that they would submit a report to the Department of Interior and Local Government in Bantayan asking them to conduct a fact-finding investigation to find out of possible administrative liabilities of the barangay officials.
“Kay we do believe sa nahitabo yesterday, dili lang ta gihimo lang on that day ang katong gihimong roydahan unya no reports coming from the barangay nga naay activity nga ingun ana,” he said.
(We do believe about what happened yesterday, that the improvised cockpit was not made on that day and there were no reports coming from the barangay that there was an activity like that there.)
“Naay resolution ang inter-agency task force to that effect nga bawal gyud na siya kay convergence of people man na,” Abellana said.
(The Inter-Agency Task Force has a resolution to that effect that it really is illegal because that (can cause) a convergence of people.)
“So we strongly believe nga ang barangay naay (that the barangay has ) knowledge but they neglect to do their share in order to prevent the convergence of people,” he said.
(So we strongly believe that the barangay has knowledge [about it] but they neglected to do their share in order to prevent the convergence of people.)
Abellana, however, clarified that they would only be responsible for filing criminal charges against the arrested suspected bettors.
He said that the administrative concern on the barangay officials for the alleged “inaction,” “misconduct,” or “neglect of their duty,” it would be discretion of DILG-Bantayan.
The police chief said that after they would file the complaint against those arrested on Tuesday, August 31, they would then prepare the necessary documents that they would submit to the DILG-Bantayan.
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