Mayor William Jao thinks that the people who participated in the controversial cockfight are the true victims of the incident and are the ones who should seek damages from the cockpit management.
He floated this idea during his radio interview over Newsmakers ug Uban Pa on Jan. 10, 2023, hosted by Ardy Araneta-Batoy and Dave Albarado.
The mayor referred to former Tubigon vice mayor Virgilio Fortich as the alleged chief organizer of the controversial cockfight.
The cockpit is owned by a corporation called Tubigon Cockfighters Inc. incorporated by 15 people, according to the mayor.
The issue stems from a raid conducted on Jan. 2, 2023 at the cockpit in Tubigon where it was alleged that a cockfight without a permit was staged in an arena.
The cockfight took place during a holiday, specifically on Jan. 2, 2023. The law states that cockfights can be legally staged in a registered or permitted cockpit during town fiestas, Sundays and holidays.
About 14 persons were arrested by the police in connection to the staging of the alleged illegal cockfight while several were reported injured after a commotion took place following the declaration of a raid by the authorities.
The mayor said that supposedly, in a raid, the police should focus on arresting the alleged mastermind and spare the other participants as they too are victims.
The mayor portrayed the bettors as victims because the latter were made to believe that they were participating in a legal cockfight which turned out to be an activity without a permit.
The mayor revealed that the cockpit’s permit expired on Dec. 31, 2022. However, the cockpit management held a cockfight on Jan. 2, 2023 allegedly without a valid permit.
“Kadtong mga tawo NGA nagtanaw, mga 900 to ka mga tawo ug mga insosente na sila. Nagbayad gud na sila. They were expecting nga legal ‘to. So dili na sala sa mga tawo, sala na sa management, “the mayor said.
Meanwhile, the mayor said that he has no personal knowledge of any person who died due to injuries as a result of the alleged raid in the cockpit.
It was reported (not in The Bohol Tribune) that, at least, one person allegedly died following the commotion as a result of the alleged raid conducted by the police.
“Kanang estoryaha nadungog nako 2 days ago. Pero hearsay. Wa ko kita. Istorya ra ba,” the mayor concluded.