DILG official: Two more cockpits in city is illegal

CEBU, Philippines - A legal officer of the Department of Interior and Local Government said it is illegal for the city government to increase the number of cockpits operating within its territory because it is contrary to what was provided under the National Cockfighting Law.

Lawyer Romeo R. Benitez said that while the Cebu City council is empowered to enact local ordinances but such laws should be consistent to existing national statutes. He explained that in cases where there are conflicts between local and national laws it is the latter that prevails.

Councilor Sylvan Jack Jakosalem proposed to increase the number of cockpits operating in Cebu City into six. The proposal however remains pending until the council held their final session last Wednesday. Although the proposal was not approved until the outgoing council adjourned but there is a move to have it refiled in the next council.

Before Jakosalem’s proposal however the city council has long been violating the law after it passed an ordinance few years ago allowing the operation of two cockpits in the south and another two in the north. No cockpits however have been built so far in the north district.

Benitez said that anybody can question before the court the existing ordinance and the pending move to add two more cockpits in the city. According to him, Presidential Decree 449 otherwise known as the National Cockfighting Law only allows two cockpits in a city and municipality.

The national Cockfighting Law provides that “only one cockpit shall be allowed in each city or municipality, except that in cities or municipalities with a population of over 100,000 two cockpits may be established, maintained and operated.”

Cebu City has a population of about 800,000 based on the 2000 census, therefore it is only allowed to operate two cockpits.

At present, the city already has two cockpits, one is situated in Barangay Sawang Calero and the other one is located in Sitio Banawa Barangay Guadalupe. Jakosalem’s proposal to amend the cockpit ordinance in the city was seen as an accommodation to the RMI Cockpit Arena owned by Lutherlee Ignacio-Soon, daughter of Inayawan barangay captain Rustico Ignacio.

Outgoing Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña supports the move to increase to six the number of cockpits in the city because he said it would be very difficult to stop the culture of the Filipinos.

Councilor Edgardo Labella, chairman of the City Council’s committee on laws, said the Local Government Code empowered the local government units to issue licenses to establishments, operation and maintenance of cockpits, including the regulation of cockfighting. — Rene U. Borromeo/FPL   (FREEMAN NEWS)