Cattle rustlers & chicken thieves (Latest Sabong News)

Iremember back in the 60’s and 70’s, there were a number of cattle rustling incidents all over Luzon and the unspoken law among cattle or carabao owners was if they caught you, chances are you got lynched, shot or beaten to death. It was somehow justified because the carabao was the beast of burden who helped in plowing the rice field or pulled the wood sled full of palay and the farmer. To a lesser degree, anyone caught stealing a horse was beaten to an inch of their life because horses were used to pull the buggies or kalesas which were the predecessor of today’s cars and tricycles in the province. Up to the 80’s, I still heard of incidents of thieves who were reportedly caught in the act of stealing expensive fighting cocks inside a farm, shot dead and their bodies burnt at the crossroads as a warning to others. The difference between cattle rustlers and horse thieves versus chicken thieves was that the rustlers made more of an effort to escape with the carabao or the horse versus chicken thieves, who are often armed with guns and would shoot at farm boys or security guards accosting or scaring them off. As a result, chicken thieves would be in a shoot-out or would simply be shot on sight before they shot someone. Last year, a thief tried to enter a game farm in Lipa City on a rainy night but ended up getting electrocuted when he grabbed a lamp post beside a canal he was hiding in. His body was found the next day with a fully loaded gun tucked in his waist. His accomplice was never arrested but that is how they usually operate; one steals, the other stays with the getaway motorcycle. As a deterrent and to reduce the possibility of being shot at by thieves, some farms have put up more lights, higher fences and a few have resorted to low voltage electric fences. Others utilize CCTV cameras, large dogs or geese and turkeys as noise makers and whistles. All these come to mind after I heard that a very prominent cockfighter and former government official who owns a game farm in Lipa City was recently victimized by chicken thieves running off with 11 of his prized roosters. He is reportedly the third victim for the year 2023 inside a secured compound. Before that, there were two separate incidents, the first one where nine roosters were taken and the second one, six. The problem is not isolated because other provinces have had similar incidents, all presumed to be caused by the revival of traditional sabong and the reopening of cockpits all over the country. It seems that the new gimmicks of 2-cock or 3-cock derbies, no entry fees and big prizes are causing more and more demand for roosters, but there are fewer available since many backyard breeders dropped out of the hobby due to feed costs and economic challenges. This is why the farms are being targeted, especially those with a winning reputation. The problem is that a bar brawl at a karaoke joint will probably get more attention from the police than a series of break ins and 26 roosters worth P110,000 stolen. But if the theft occurs regularly or repeatedly, do we just wait until people take matters into their own hands or wait until some unarmed farm boy or helper gets shot by thieves. Do we wait to find burnt bodies at the barangay crossroads like in the wild 70’s and 80’s? It’s interesting to note that a friend who has a game farm somewhere in the Malvar-Sto Tomas, Batangas area used to be a regular victim of chicken thieves until he met the chief of police, or was it the intelligence chief? After becoming BFFs, the cockfighter told the police officer his “sama ng loob” about his chickens being stolen. Soon after that, he was no longer being victimized by chicken thieves because word apparently got out that the guy’s farms was now under the protection of the local PNP. From what I heard, the secretary of the DILG Benhur Abalos also raises a “few” gamefowls which, I think, would make him appreciate what his “Tito” in Lipa must be feeling. If your farm is inside a fenced community, if your farm has 10 feet tall walls, CCTV and security but does not stop determined thieves, then our only hope is if the PNP actually manages to track these chicken thieves so others like them learn that the PNP still serves and protects. It might also help if the PNP conducted visits and gave reminders at cockpits for people not to patronize or buy cheap roosters because they might be stolen. Better yet, the PNP could work with associations representing breeders and fighters to put up a reward or incentive for the arrest of chicken thieves and buyers. If that does not work, then maybe it’s time to implement a 3-strike policy, where the precinct commander and chief of police is removed. They do for basag kotse incidents, why not for game farms. Just to be clear, what I am VERY concerned with is the possibility of people being hurt, getting shot or being killed when chicken thieves break into a farm. At the end of the day, fighting cocks are just chickens. But if thieves are willing to kill when caught, we have no excuse but to put a stop to it. The DILG and the PNP need to see the problem from this perspective. It is not about stolen chickens, but the threat to and cost in human lives. * * * E-mail: