IATF allows cockfighting in Alert Level 2 areas

MANILA – Traditional cockfighting is now allowed in Alert Level 2 areas, Malacañang announced on Wednesday.

“Nagkaroon din ang desisyon ang IATF kung saan pinapayagan ang operasyon ng sabungan at tradisyunal na sabong na nasa ilalim ng Alert Level 2 kung walang pagtutol dito ang mga LGUs [local government units] o lokal na pamahalaan kung saan gaganapin ang sabong (The IATF also made a decision to allow the operation of cockpits and traditional cockfighting in areas under Alert Level 2 provided there are no objections from LGUs where the activity may take place),” Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a Palace press briefing.

Under Resolution No. 154 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), cockfighting will be allowed in cockpits operating in a maximum 50 percent venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals only.

All onsite workers and employees of these establishments must also be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Betting shall be cashless and shall use technology-based platforms, which means no physical exchange of cash in the cockpit and no verbal placing of bets.

Minimum public health standards and technology-based betting shall be strictly enforced by the LGU where traditional cockfighting shall be conducted and monitored by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“We enjoin LGUs that will allow the resumption of cockfighting operations to strictly, strictly enforce and implement these protocols and to shut down operators that fail to adhere to minimum health standards,” Nograles added.

Cockfighting is a sport of pitting gamecocks to fight. In 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 449 or the Cockfighting Law of 1974 which provides regulatory policies on cockfighting in the country

The entire Philippines is currently under Alert Level 2 status until the end of the year.

Nograles said the IATF decided to postpone the shift to the lowest Alert Level 1 status as a precaution against the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The IATF has also adopted the guidelines on the nationwide Alert Level System for Covid-19 response.

As of Tuesday, the country has recorded a total of 2,836,868 confirmed cases of Covid-19.