• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Board Member Andrew Montelibano has denied any involvement in an alleged multi-million-peso illegal online cockfighting (e-sabong) operation uncovered by police in E.B. Magalona, saying he is ready to fully cooperate with authorities after being identified as a “person of interest.”
Police are investigating whether Montelibano, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan committee on games and amusement, has any connection to the illegal operation discovered during a manhunt for fugitive Ronil Garde at Hacienda Pilar in Barangay Alicante.
Four suspects were arrested after authorities raided what they described as an e-sabong studio.
Montelibano clarified that he was not present at the site where the operation was discovered and stressed that the area is separate from his gamefowl breeding facility Andrew Farm Corporation.
“The place where the illegal online sabong was discovered is under a different corporation. It is about a kilometer away from my gamefowl farm and is clearly a different property,” he said.
He acknowledged being a part-owner of Little Sword Development Corporation, which owns the fishpond property where the alleged e-sabong studio was found. However, he emphasized that he was not involved in the operation of the fishpond for about 20 years now.
He said a certain “Ricky” later approached their office seeking permission to rent a portion of the property where 20 to 30 gamefowls could supposedly be conditioned.
Montelibano said no formal contract was executed because they believed the arrangement might only be temporary.
The corporation instead received a monthly rental of P15,000.
“They told us they would only condition gamefowls. For me, that was it,” he said.
He recalled that the renters temporarily stopped using the property in May before requesting to return in July.
For the past five months, he said there had been no reported problems.
“I don’t even go to that area. Whatever they did there, they enclosed it with GI sheets, which appeared to be for their own security,” Montelibano said.
He added that he has no employees assigned to the fishpond property and does not know wanted person Ronil Garde.
“The people working for me are all in the gamefowl farm. I do not operate the fishpond anymore,” he said.
Montelibano said he was at Andrew Farm Corporation when police arrived in the area while pursuing Garde.
He said officers later proceeded to inspect the fishpond property due to the urgency of the operation.
Despite being named a person of interest, Montelibano said he respects the police investigation.
“If they consider me a person of interest, maybe it is because I am a part-owner of the corporation. I respect that process,” he said.
He admitted the situation could affect his reputation but said he welcomes any investigation.
“I will wait for their invitation because I am ready to cooperate. Whatever I know, I will tell them. I am here to help, not to contradict the investigation,” he said. “Our mistake was allowing the property to be rented, but you cannot always control what tenants do inside.” | GPB
