A Sangguniang Bayan member and former mayor of Batuan, Bohol has raised procedural and legal objections after a colleague moved to hold six special cockfight derbies at the town’s cockpit arena throughout month of May, a schedule critics say could jeopardize the municipality’s allowable events for the rest of the year.
Sixto “Brad” Dano, a former Batuan mayor now serving on the municipal council, questioned the motion filed by Kagawad Jesus Palingcod during the “other matters” portion of the May 4 SB session presided by Kagawad Segundo Bautista.
The proposed derbies at RE IA YE Batuan Cockpit Arena — set for May 6, 8, 13, 18, 26, and 29 — would run parallel to the cockpit’s regular Sunday and Friday cockfights.
Dano warned that holding six derbies billed as a fiesta event — citing the San Isidro feast day — could effectively exhaust the municipality’s legal quota under PNP policy, which generally limits special derbies to two, and at most three, per year.
Allowable occasions typically include a municipal fiesta, a foundation anniversary, and at times an agricultural or farmers’ fundraising event.
“If they hold six derbies now under the fiesta, the PNP may no longer allow a derby in July during the actual Batuan fiesta,” Dano said.
Supporters of the motion subsequently revised the stated purpose — from “fiesta” to “entertainment for balikbayans” — in an apparent bid to sidestep the quota concern.
Dano also flagged a procedural irregularity: Kagawad Precious Joy Baguio, whose family owns RE IA YE Batuan Cockpit Arena, disclosed that the mayor had already issued a permit for the events — before the SB had passed any endorsing resolution.
“They should not have requested a permit ahead of the SB resolution because it is not proper,” Dano said. “We should not give the mayor problems. We should be helping him.”
A separate member noted that the derby issue had not been included in the session’s agenda. Bautista, who was presiding, briefly attempted to relinquish the chair amid the deliberations.
Faced with mounting objections, proponents reformulated the resolution’s operative language — dropping the word “endorsing” in favor of “forwarding” — sending RE IA YE’s request directly to PNP Provincial Director Degay for disposition.
The SB neither approved nor endorsed the derbies; the resolution served solely to transmit the cockpit’s application to the provincial police director.
The episode has renewed scrutiny over RE IA YE’s operations since it paid a franchise fee of P125,000 in December 2025.
Since then, Dano noted, the cockpit has been holding cockfights not only on Sundays but also on Fridays — allegedly with authorization from higher authorities.
LEGAL BASIS
Cockfighting in the Philippines is governed primarily by Presidential Decree 449, or the Cockfighting Law of 1974, as amended by Republic Act 9287 (2004).
Under Section 5 of PD 449, cockfighting is permitted only on Sundays, legal holidays, and local fiestas of not more than three days’ duration, as well as during agricultural or trade fairs duly authorized by law.
The law expressly prohibits cockfighting on any other day.
Derbies — special cockfighting events distinct from regular Sunday sabong — require separate PNP clearance and are subject to stricter frequency limits.
PNP regulations generally cap special derbies at three per year per municipality, aligned with recognized occasions such as the municipal fiesta, town foundation day, and agricultural fundraisers.
Holding derbies in excess of this threshold, or on unauthorized days, may expose operators and local officials to liability under PD 449 and RA 9287, which imposes heavier penalties for illegal numbers games and unauthorized gambling activities.
The Local Government Code (Republic Act 7160) also requires that Sangguniang Bayan approval precede the issuance of business or special event permits by the local chief executive for activities that require legislative concurrence, raising questions about the sequence of permitting in the Batuan case.