The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) urged all local government units to ensure that cockfighting events should not become superspeader events. Cockfighting operations in the Philippines were prohibited during the height of the pandemic, citing health regulations and concerns. Prohibitions were recently lifted due to the easing of safety protocols.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año asked provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and barangay chairs to exercise sound judgment, undertake necessary actions, and ensure compliance to health and safety protocols in the management of cockpits and cockfighting activities in their jurisdictions.
“Even if your area is under alert level 1 or 2, you still need to be cautious, disciplined, and alert in resuming operations of cockfighting games. This is not the time to be complacent, because COVID-19 cases are still surging because of the Omicron variant,” Año said in a statement.
Under DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2022-003, operations of cockpits and traditional cockfighting may be allowed in areas under alert level 2 or lower, provided there are no objections from the concerned local governments and health protocols are observed strictly. Cashless betting using online payment platforms is allowed to prevent the physical exchange of cash in cockpits.
Año added, “We are not yet out of the woods and we do not encourage mass gatherings, which could be superspreader events. Make sure you exercise extra caution before entering a cockpit or participating in cockfighting activities.”
