The Union of Gamefowl Breeders, comprising prominent cockfighting breeders and aficionados around the country, issued a resolution expressing their strong support to Manila Cockers Club, Inc.
The Union is led by former Congressman Amado Bagatsing as Chairman and Jimmy Zapanta as Vice Chairman, together with Union officers Chito Polintan, Tony Boy Espinosa, Professor Arturo De Castro, and Pete Buendia, among others.
MCCI operates a duly-licensed cockpit at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite and broadcasts its cockfights through Cignal TV.
The live broadcast of MCCI’s cockfights is featured in Off-Cockpit Betting Stations, where bets can be made through a totalizator (“tote”) system. Using this technology, a bet in an OCBS is deemed transacted, accepted, and confirmed in Carmona, Cavite, where MCCI’s cockfights are held in accordance with the E-Commerce Act of 2000.
This process is similar to the popular internet-based commerce stores such as Amazon and E-bay which are examples of how the E-Commerce Act is applied.
MCCI’s operations are licensed and regulated by the LGUs in accordance with the Cockfighting Law of 1974, as amended by the Local Government Code of 1991. According to the Union, “[t]he operations of Manila Cockers Club, Inc. (“MCCI”) has been greatly beneficial to breeders like us, as it provides a livelihood to both urban and rural communities nationwide. Since the company purchases from the breeders an average of 60 game fowls a day for 21 days in a month, or a total of 1,260 game fowls monthly, MCCI operations has generated jobs for many Filipinos. It has become a consistent source of income for the thousands of breeders all over the country that supply gamecocks to MCCI.”
The operations of MCCI likewise opened opportunities for small to mid-level breeders to participate in derbies and to showcase their fighting cocks to a wider audience, the Union added.
The company’s operation is likewise a significant source of government revenue as MCCI remits the proper amount of taxes to the national and local government.
In 2018, MCCI has remitted P106,898,138.00 as percentage tax and a local tax of P15,797,169.00.
On account of increased operations, MCCI’s contribution to the local and national government revenue likewise surged. In the first quarter of 2019 alone, MCCI has remitted P58,454,019.00 as percentage tax and is slated to remit P57,788,722 in the second quarter.
Local taxes of P17,178,093.00 likewise were accrued as of June 2019 as a result of MCCI’s operations. Aside from the percentage and local taxes, MCCI likewise remits its corporate income tax in the amount of P13,252,582 in 2018 and an estimated P20 million in the second quarter of 2019. “MCCI has elevated the game of cockfighting and at the same time unlocked a viable source of government revenue to fund our nation's intensive drive on infrastructure development,” the union said.