LC cockpit arena to reopen soon

By Dominic B. dela Cruz (Staff Reporter)

Laoag City—The city-owned cockpit arena will soon to resume operations after the Sangguniang Panlungsod of here allowed its resumption for two years on its present location.

Laoag councilor Jason Bader Perera said that the decision to reopen the arena is based on the amended part of the zoning ordinance which states: “A cockpit may be established in open agricultural areas providing a 100-meter radial distance from residential, commercial, institutional and educational uses, and in compliance with existing national laws, to, “a cockpit may be established in a commercial area providing a 20-meter distance from residential, commercial and institutional uses and 100-meter radial distance for educational uses and if it is an open agricultural area then a 100-meter radial distance from residential, commercial, institutional and educational uses, and in compliance with existing national laws”.

During the discussion, Perera cited a jurisprudence by the Supreme Court in Adlawan, et al. vs AIC (Intermediate Appellate Court), dated February 9, 1989, the Supreme Court stated that if there is a Zoning Ordinance, the 200-meter distance is no longer applicable.

Perera said that it was agreed by the council and Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon that the cockpit arena will operate for two years.

“Tapnu maka-urnong met iti kuarta gapu ta adda planu iti siyudad a mangi relocate daytoy cockpit arena ken red district in the future for a better site and location tay ad-adu ken nalawlawa iti parking spaces na hoping it will materialize after two years from now,” Perera disclosed.

The two-term councilor also revealed that disco owners in the city’s red-light district, which is located in the area as cockpit arena, expressed their eagerness in the planned resumption of operation. The owners, in consultation with the city government team led by Keon, said the cockpit arena and their disco houses complement one another in terms of attracting customers.

Perera also noted that the cockpit arena is more than 200  meters away from the nearest school.

“Naamendaran tapnu daytoy LC cockpit arena tapnu mausar isupay nga ipa-upa tayo tapnu adda pagka-kuartaaan iti siyudad, adda pay sumrek nga amusement tax, it can also [boost] our tourism industry in the city ken agbalin pay a livelihood as a source of revenue tapnu matulungan met dagitay mayat a mapan aglaku,” Perera said.

Relative to this, Perera also stressed the need to amend the revenue ordinance with regards to the lease concerning the cockpit arena. In the current ordinance, the city government only leases out the lot and not the building. Since the city also owns the building, it has to be added in the lease agreement.

“Tapnu dakdakkel iti mabalin tayo nga i-impose nga upa no siasinno man iti mayat a mangupa ta pallotan. And as a matter of fact, nagadu dan iti mangayat nga agupa gapu siguro iti kabayag nan nga awan pallot iti Laoagen ket dagitay mammalloten a ket mapan dan iti different towns. But with the case incorporated in the ordinance, a prerogative iti maysa a sanggunian no innu iti kayat na a pakaikabilan diay cockpit ket isut masurot kuna iti Supreme Court,” he explained

Records show that the cockpit arena was established in the 1980s to cater to cockfighting afficionados and is also considered as a tourism activity.

The city government can lease out the structure to any interested person to operate cockfighting events. The lease becomes a source of revenue for the local government to find different activities or provide assistance to the general public.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan halted the cockpit arena operation five years ago after it cited problems with the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s measure for its operation.

Then Laoag Mayor Chevylle V. Fariñas ordered the closure of the Laoag City Cockpit Arena on Feb. 23, 2017 due to lack of valid franchise to operate.

Then Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Eugenio Angelo M. Barba ordered Fariñas to close the arena based on the provincial board committee reports approved on Feb. 20, 2017

Reports showed that city ordinances No. 2016-111, “An ordinances granting franchise to Alejandro “Bong” Taylan to operate the Laoag City Sports Center for a period of 5 years”; and City Ordinance No. 2016-12 “An ordinance authorizing the lease of the Laoag City Sports Center to Alejandro “Bong” Taylan for a period of 5 years in the amount of PHP31,000 for the lot and PHP10 per square meter for the building, subject to the payment of arrears” were disapproved and were declared ”INVALID”.

On November 2017 former Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Vicentito Lazo questioned its operation without the final review and approval coming from the higher Sanggunian on the earlier disapproved city ordinance granting Taylan to establish, operate and maintain the Laoag City Cockpit Arena.