Bocaue restaurant turns into ‘sabong’ betting joint (Sabong News)

What’s this I heard about a restaurant in Bocaue, Bulacan, that has turned itself into a big betting station for cockfighting aficionados? The restaurant, owned by a gambling lord known as “Don Ompong,” was reportedly given a business permit by Mayor Eduardo “Jonjon” Villanueva for dining services. Clearly, the establishment was not meant for off-cockpit betting and other casino-like gambling activities, unless they would serve dead gamecocks for dining afterward. At the “Sabungero Grill and Restaurant, ” unlike at traditional cockfighting arenas, the game’s aficionados get to place wagers on a series of matches between pairs of slashers, shown via video streaming or live feed from various derby events all over the country. The live feed is provided courtesy of cockfighting enthusiast Patrick Antonio. My gutsy undercover asset actually videotaped one session of the activity at the joint located at MacArthur Highway in Barangay Lolomboy, Bocaue, that is frequented by big-time sabungeros. According to my spy, among those often seen at the illegal video cockfight gambling front are local government officials and prominent businessmen in the area and nearby towns who put up bets starting at P10,000 to a few million pesos. Meanwhile, local Philippine National Police authorities have kept their hands off this illegal gambling hub for obvious reason. It behooves Mayor Jonjon Villanueva to shut down this restaurant cum gambling joint as it is not only against the law but also runs against the preachings of his father, Bro, Eddie Villanueva. We can perhaps say now that we are “one step ahead” as a result of last Thursday’s Metro Manila Shake Drill. The massive exercise led by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has without a doubt brought awareness among millions of people about the importance of preparedness in times of calamity. When the alarms sounded signaling the start of the shake drill, hundreds of thousands poured out of schools, office buildings and shopping malls during the hour-long exercise beginning at 10:30 a.m. to prepare for a 7.2-intensity earthquake. Experts fear that jolting of that magnitude could kill more than 35,000 and displace millions of Metro Manila residents. Those who participated learned more than just the basic immediate action drill known as the “duck-cover-and-hold technique.” The drill organized by MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino instructed people to locate fire exits and prepare tools like flashlights and whistles that can help in saving lives in actual disasters. Tolentino led an estimated 6.5 million individuals from schools, local government units, malls, BPOs and business establishments in staging an organized emergency response. He said future drills should include the participation of nearby provinces like Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna, which are within the range of any movement of the West Valley Fault. The MMDA head said he was impressed with simulations at the Makati City Central Business District. “It was almost perfect,” Tolentino added but noted that businesses should check the structural integrity of their buildings to determine if they would be able to withstand a strong earthquake. He said, “Immediate action drills can be done, can be reinforced in a classroom, for example, every month until it becomes second nature to students.” I agree that a scenario of multiple fires during a massive earthquake should be dealt with realistically. In the worst-case scenario, institutions must have their own response capabilities, and barangay (villages) should have their own emergency response units. The Metro shake drill was a great start.