Philippine bishop expresses concern about cockfighting
Despite increased police operations following a ban on e-sabong, illegal cockfighting continues.
The Philippines.- Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo has expressed concern about the negative impact of cockfighting on poor young people in Kidapawan City, Mindanao. He said cockfighting was becoming increasingly popular as a form of gambling and that it continued widely despite the Kidapawan city government declaring a war on illegal gambling.
In an interview with Catholic Church-run Radyo Veritas, Bagoforo said: “Stories of people who won are splashed all over the internet as if gambling was the answer to their problem. Little do they know, their problem is just beginning.”
Last month, Jose Paolo Evangelista, the mayor of Kidapawan, ordered police to step up their crackdown on cockfights while banning any venue from hosting such events and banning all government employees from participating in any form of gambling.
The problem exists not only in Kidapawan, however. In June, 75 people were arrested in Mexico, Pampanga after officers dismantled an illegal cockfighting hub. In April, some 300 people were also arrested after a raid on a cockfighting pit in the town of Balingasag.
According to officials, the managers of the cockfighting pit had been previously warned to abide by National Inter-Agency Task Force Res. 154, paragraph 1, which states that betting must be non-cash and use a basic technology platform, with no physical exchange of cash and no verbal wagering.
