The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) vowed to strictly monitor cockpits and cockfighting activities in the entire province.
IPPO director, Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero, recently convened all the police chiefs and directed them to strictly implement Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr.’s amended order containing additional guidelines for all cockfighting activities.
Under Executive Order (EO) No. 284, operation of cockpits and the conduct of cockfighting shall be monitored, securing all provisions under National Inter Agency Task Force resolution No. 79 and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular 2020-140 that allowed the resumption of cockpit operations or cockfighting in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) or lower.
“We have to strictly follow the order of our provincial government, DILG memorandum circular, and the IATF protocols,” Gorero said.
Gorero’s directives to all police chiefs, in coordination with the local government chief executives, include regular inspection of the cockpit before the conduct of a cockfight, assigning of police personnel to conduct the inspection and monitor/witness the conduct of cockfight, and submitting of a report on the conduct of cockfighting activities to the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force and the Iloilo provincial government.
He said police chiefs who will fail to follow his directives will be slapped with administrative sanctions.
Recently, the DILG halted the operations of cockpits in Janiuay town while there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged online cock derby or “bulang.”
DILG-Iloilo director Teodora Sumagaysay also summoned Janiuay Mayor Bienvenido Margarico to explain the cockfighting activity on November 13 wherein police officers were also spotted inside the cockpit./WDJ