Leyte councilor
nabbed for running “tupada” operation
By RPCRD, Police Regional
Office 8
September 24, 2013
CAMP SEC. KANGLEON, Palo,
Leyte – A town councilor is in hot water after being caught in the act
allegedly running an illegal cockfighting operations by the Regional
Special Operations Group recently.
Arrested was one Robert
Veloso, incumbent councilor of Villaba, a third class municipality
some 100 kilometers east, one hour and 20-minute drive from Tacloban
City, Eastern Visayas’ regional capital.
PCSupt. Elmer R. Soria,
director of Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) said that Veloso was the
alleged operator of “tupada”, an illegal form of cockfighting, which
was held at Brgy. Silad of same town and was arrested by authorities
in a raid conducted by RSOG led by PInsp. Eric Constantino at around
5:15 p.m Saturday.
During the operation,
operatives confiscated two red fighting cocks, two blades or “bulang”
and a scabbard for blade.
Tupada is illegal because it
is not conducted in a place especially designed for fighting cocks
like licensed cockfighting arenas or coliseums where cock fighting
must be held and is held normally in a secret place where the players
will just meet at an agreed day and time.
Veloso was brought to
Villaba Police Station for documentation and temporary safekeeping
while a case for violation of Presidential Decree No. 449 or the
Cockfighting Law of 1974 is being prepared against him.
“While cockfighting is a
popular traditional and customary form of recreation and entertainment
among the Warays, it should not be made as a tool of uncontrolled or
illegal gambling especially if those involved are government
officials,” Soria said.
Meanwhile, four more persons
were arrested, including a 36-year old jobless woman, soliciting bets
for “swertres”, an illegal numbers game, Sunday evening in separate
operations in Maasin City, Eastern Samar and Leyte.
Yves Poricallan was nabbed
in an anti-illegal gambling operation at Purok San Pedro, Brgy. Ibarra
at around 8:30 p.m. by a police team led by SPO4 Alan Calapre.
At past 7:00 p.m., Marlon
Catugda, 35 and Ernesto Cabacaba, 42 were arrested by elements of
Giporlos police station led by PInsp. Yvan Frank Gabornes and 1st
Regional Public Safety Management Company led by PInsp. Christopher
Pangue in Giporlos town in Eastern Samar while at around the same
time, Zosimo Maureto, 55 was nabbed by a police team led by PSInsp.
Eddie Esidera at Brgy. Hinabuyan, Villaba town in Leyte.
A total of P2,020.00 in cash
bet were confiscated from the suspects together with several illegal
gambling paraphernalia and three units single motorcycles.
Suspects were detained at
apprehending police station lock-up cell as charges for Republic Act
9287 or Illegal Numbers Game are being prepared against them.
As this developed, Soria has
ordered all his police chiefs to run after illegal gamblers in the
region, not only those employed in “swertres” but also those involved
in other forms of illegal gambling such as sakla, cary y cruz and
tong-its.