DILG mulls cockfight suspension in Iloilo town over online streaming

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Iloilo province on Monday recommended the suspension of cockfighting or “bulang” in the town of Janiuay, Iloilo, after local police reported spotting a camera in the premises of an arena which was allegedly used to live stream the game.

Cockfighting has been allowed in Iloilo province via Resolution No. 79 of the national Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), issued on Oct. 15, 2020.

The resolution only covers areas under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) classification or lower.

The province has been under the MGCQ since June 2020.

A report reached DILG-Iloilo provincial office last week that police found a video camera in a six-cock derby in Janiuay.

The DILG had been gathering information on the incident together with the Iloilo Provincial Police Office since Friday, Nov. 13.

DILG-Iloilo Provincial Director Teodora Sumagaysay said in a radio interview Thursday that they have yet to finish the investigation as they are awaiting the official report from the local government unit (LGU) of Janiuay.

Under the DILG’s Memorandum Circular No. 2020-140 signed by Secretary Eduardo Año, dated Oct. 23, 2020, the LGU, through the mayor, has the responsibility to monitor the re-opening of cockpits, “focused mainly on no live-streaming, and public exhibition of cockfights”, with the assistance of their local Chief of Police.

The same memorandum circular also mandated LGUs to submit a report to their respective DILG Regional Offices, with the assistance of the City or Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (CLGOO/MLGOO).

“What we have gathered in information from Friday up to yesterday is that there is a presence of a video camera inside the cockpit. But as of now, it is premature for us to conclude that indeed there was telecasting or live broadcasting,” Sumagaysay said.

Sumagaysay added that pending the results of the investigation, she has informed Janiuay town Mayor Franklin Locsin of her recommendation to suspend cockfights in the town.

“[B]ecause of the prevailing issue of the bulang held in Janiuay, we have recommended to the municipal mayor, that pending the result of the investigation, we would have to suspend temporarily the holding of bulang in the municipality,” she added.

She also said that while bulang has been held in other towns of the province, there are no complaints filed with her office regarding the conduct of the games.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. echoed Sumagaysay’s stand on Thursday in a press conference.

While he had heard about the incident, he has yet to receive formal reports.

Defensor issued Executive Order No. 183-E on Nov. 7, 2020 which formally allowed the resumption of cockfighting in the province.

He also said on Thursday that he will be issuing an executive order that will deploy police officers to cockpits for monitoring and inspection.

He added that he will ask the assistance of IPPO Chief Gilbert Gorero in implementing the EO.

“We will finalize this within [Thursday] and we will help the municipalities in implementing this, by assigning a police officer to monitor the conduct of cockfights and to inspect the cockpits in the arena regularly,” the governor said.