“This game has been here for a long time,” she added. “We cannot stop this traditional game that Filipinos and our ancestors consider as their recreation.”
She said the cockfight arena operation should deputize a qualified individual to operate cockfight events in any villages on island.
The Saipan Cockfight Board, she said, can amend its rules and regulations to allow the operator to extend her license to a deputized person “under the operator’s supervision and watch.”
In this way, Tudela said, illegal cockfights will not only be minimized but “completely eliminated” because cockfight enthusiasts will have more options.
She said the operator can generate more funds from the proceeds of the cockfights conducted in the villages.
“She can make arrangements with the deputized agent regarding the sharing of the proceeds,” Tudela said.
At present, some cockfight enthusiasts are holding illegal activities in their areas because they don’t have transportation that can bring them to Gualo Rai where the cockfight arena is located.
The arena will soon move to a new facility in As Gonno.
Tudela said the municipal council is willing to work with the board to address concerns regarding illegal cockfights.
