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[av_heading heading=’SHOULD COA ACCOUNT COCKFIGHTS? We’ll submit financial report to SP instead – Villarosa’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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January 11, 2018
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BACOLOD City – Cockfights are not only a source of entertainment in the city but also income-generating activities for villages, especially those celebrating fiestas.
Should the Commission on Audit (COA) check on them? Councilor Wilson Gamboa believes it should.
Gamboa proposed amendments to City Ordinance (CO) No. 506 series of 2009, which regulates the fees and issuance of licenses for the construction, establishment, operation, and maintenance of cockpits and cockfights.
CO No. 506 series of 2009 amended sections 9a, 12 and 13 of CO No. 244 series of 2000, which previously amended CO No. 87 series of 1993, or “an ordinance promulgating the rules/regulations, and providing for fees in the licensing construction, establishment, operation and maintenance of cockpits and cockfighting in the city of Bacolod and prescribing the penalties for its violation thereof.”
Gamboa drafted the proposed amendments to CO No. 506 series of 2009 after he and two incumbent councilors – Em Ang and Sonya Verdeflor – were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman on Nov. 29, 2017.
The Ombudsman found them guilty of simple neglect of duty when they and former councilors Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Roberto Rojas, Archie Baribar, and Alex Paglumotan approved a cockfighting request in Barangay Tangub in 2016.
The approval of the request was a violation of CO No. 506 series of 2009, the Ombudsman said.
On Tuesday, Gamboa gathered village officials and other stakeholders in the city for a public hearing on his proposed amendments.
The amendments, among others, include the proper accounting of the proceeds from barangay cockfighting events.
Gamboa wanted the COA to account the proceeds. But Liga ng mga Barangay president Noli Villarosa opposed this.
Villarosa was supported by Barangay Bata village chief Angelito Abaring.
Villarosa said the cockfights do not have fixed incomes. Barangays will also have a hard time to make financial reports since most cockfighting organizers do not use receipts.
This may result to legal charges, added Villarosa.
He stressed that they are willing to submit a financial report on cockfighting events to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), though.
The public hearing ended with a decision that barangays must submit cockfighting financial reports to the SP instead of the COA.
But this is not yet final. Gamboa will still make a report on the hearing which he will submit to the SP.
Gamboa also wanted cockfights to have no “days of reckoning,” or the length of time for holding cockfights in barangays.
He added that barangays must also submit their application to conduct cockfights 20 days before the activity to avoid conflict of schedule.
Gamboa also proposed raising the cockfight fees from P2,000 to P2,500 for small-time derbies and from P2,500 to P3,000 for big-time derbies.
Cockfights held outside their designated venues must also be deemed illegal, said Gamboa.
The proceeds of the cockfight must also be turned over to the barangay treasurer for safekeeping and proper accounting, he added./PN
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