Games cmte tackles proposal to construct cock fight arena in Balulang

IN a meeting presided over by Councilor Romeo V. Calizo, the City Council committee on games and amusement tackled Barangay Resoution No. 065-2017 of Balulang, earnestly requesting the City Council to allow the Barangay to construct a cock fight arena for the benefit of its enthusiasts.

The meeting was attended by the chairman of Barangay Balulang and representatives of the City Administrator’s Office, City Legal Office and City Treasurer’s Office.

Councilor Calizo cited Presidential Decree No. 449, otherwise known as the Cockfighting Law of 1974, which provides that a municipality or a city can only have one cockpit. However, it also has a qualifying clause, which further provides that unless the population will run about 100 thousand, the city or municipality may construct another cockpit, The Power learned.

Based on the latest census, the city has a total population of 695,000 and is therefore qualified to have two or more arena, the councilor informed. However, presently, there are four arenas, which are operating in barangays Pagatpat and Bulua for District 1 and in barangays Gusa and Indahag for District 2, Councilor Calizo said.

The councilor said City Hall has already issued permits to four cockpits.

“Kay negosyo man ni siya magsugod gyud unta sa prangkisa and franchise starts when appropriate ordinance has already been issued by the City Council. Ang regulatory fees lang ang gi comply, ang Indahag wala man resolution ana or something akong gi review, nag renew mo ug usa ka illegal nga gi aplayan sa una. Ang renewal karon mura bag atong gipadayon ang illegal nga pamaagi sa unang panahon. They should follow the procedures in applying for a permit, prangkisa gyud ang una,” he strongly stressed.

In the provisions of PD 1310, which was enacted in 1978 to amend PD 449, the city is allowed to have one cockpit for each district and another two in the poblacion area.

“In our last meeting together with the chairman of the Regulatory and Complaint Board (RCB), kung nay angay ipasara ang RCB maoy maga identify. Now the concensus of the body is that, interpreting that the poblacion does not lie only in Divisoria and Cogon, siguro pwede gihapon nato ma consider ang uban nga populated area just like Balulang pero ang mahitabo ani, naa naman gud nauna nga nag apply na so para fair sa district two na duha lang ka barangay ang naay arena.

He said the city can consider the barangay if one of the two applicants (Pagatpat and Bulua) will not continue their applications.(JAO)