Man nabbed for stealing ex-mayor’s fighting cocks

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A man was arrested after he allegedly robbed 56 fighting cocks worth P850,000 from the cock farm of a former mayor at Sitio Tongo, Barangay Cabadiangan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental last Monday.

Arrested was Ariel Pilarca, 35, of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Glen Provido, city police chief, said Pilarca and his unidentified companion allegedly entered the compound of former Binalbagan Mayor Emmanuel Aranda by destroying the cyclone fence of the farm around 5 a.m.

The suspects entered via the back portion of the farm and exited through the main gate on board a gray Toyota Hilux, as alleged by the caretaker.

Provido said they received reports that the Toyota Hilux driven and owned by Pilarca headed to Guilhungan City, Negros Oriental.

Provido said they coordinated with Guihulngan City Police Station and intercepted Pilarca at Basak Wharf after the latter was not allowed to transport the stolen fighting cocks to Cebu City because it does not have documents.

His companion who was later identified as Julius Banu of Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental managed to escape. Banu has an arrest warrant for robbery, Provido said.

Recovered from Pilarca were the stolen fighting cocks each placed inside a “bayong”, a cellular phone, and the pick-up truck he used in the robbery incident.

Provido said five of the 56 stolen fighting cocks were dead.

Aranda and his caretaker also arrived in Guihulngan City and identified the stolen fighting cocks. The former mayor’s caretaker also identified the vehicle as the same car which he saw outside the farm, a day before the incident happened.

Provido said Aranda dismissed the angle of “inside job” in the incident, adding that Pilarca admitted to the police that they would usually target cock farms and transport the stolen fighting cocks to other areas for business.

“They are part of an organized robbery group which targets to rob cock farms in the province,” Provido said, adding that the group also robbed cock farms in Bago City and Hinigaran town last year.

“They would usually do the casing first before striking,” he said.

Meanwhile, Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo), advised cock breeders to deploy security if possible to avoid the same incident.

In La Castellana town, a senior high school in Barangay Cabacungan was robbed by unidentified men last Monday.

Police records showed that unidentified robbers forcibly entered all the rooms on the second floor of the school building through the window.

The robbers allegedly carted away an Acer laptop worth P21,000, a Lenovo laptop worth P13,000, an Acer netbook worth P17,000, two flash drives, a cellular phone, a DVD player, a screw driver, three discs, and P1,110 cash.