Two former mayors in Bohol and Leyte were separately charged over illegal cockfighting in their jurisdictions.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor charged then Burauen, Leyte mayor Fe Sudario-Renomeron and Ubay, Bohol mayor Galicano Atup for illegal cockfighting which violated Presidential Decree 449 or the Cockfighting Law of 1974.
In Renomeron’s case, prosecutors said Renomeron and Sanggunian Bayan members David Alcober, Felipe Coral Jr., Antonio Tan, Luis Marlon Torres, Benoni Pocpoc, Ed Gabriel Guimba, and Roger Serdoncillo were charged with two counts for criminally allowing cockfighting in the municipality during the days which are not legal holidays, Sundays, or local fiestas.
In the first count for violation of Section 5(d) of Presidential Decree 449, prosecutors said the officials passed a municipal resolution allowing the Burauen Games and Amusement Corp. to hold regular cockfights in the municipality on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in 2008.
In the second count, the officials again approved a municipal resolution to allow the conduct of a special cockfight every Wednesday in April 2008 onwards except for the month of May.
In Atup’s case, also accused are his vice mayor Nelson Uy; councilors Efren Tanjay, Victor Bonghanoy, Isidore Besas, Sabiniano Atupan, Eustaquio Bacolod; barangay captain Merlinda Gallego; barangay kagawads Rod Arthur Cañete, Alan Mendez, Letecia Bunado, Constantina Villasan, Antonio Cutamora, Johnny Lim Garces; and treasurer Arme Taan. They are all members of the Barangay Union in Ubay, Bohol.
Prosecutors accused them of taking advantage of their position in approving the conduct of a cockfighting event during the annual town fiesta from Nov. 2013 to Jan. 2014 at the Union Cultural and Sports Center, which turned out to be an unlicensed cockpit.
Prosecutors recommended a P10,000 bail for each count in Renomeron’s case, while it recommended a P12,000 bail for each count in Atup’s case. With reports from Shane Atim, INQUIRER.net trainee/JE/rga