Former Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia has been ordered to pay a fine equivalent to six months of his basic salary after the Office of the Ombudsman found him administratively liable for allowing cockfighting derbies at NUSTAR Resort and Casino in 2024.
In a 10-page decision dated Jan. 6, 2026, the anti-graft body found Garcia guilty of Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, citing his failure to prevent the events from proceeding at a venue not authorized under the law.
The Ombudsman ordered the fine to be deducted from Garcia’s retirement benefits or accrued leave credits instead of imposing a six-month suspension because he had already left public office.
The case involved multi-day cockfighting derbies held at NUSTAR’s convention center in May and August 2024, when Garcia was serving as acting mayor.
Under Presidential Decree No. 449, or the Cockfighting Law of 1974, special cockfighting derbies are limited to licensed cockpits, playgrounds or parks and may run for no more than three days a year for charitable or tourism purposes.
“The choice of venue alone already placed the activities outside the bounds of what the law permits,” the decision read.
“By allowing the activities to proceed without objection despite their patent illegality, respondent Garcia exhibited inexcusable neglect of duty.”
The Ombudsman rejected Garcia’s argument that his April 23, 2024 letter to event promoter OX-KBDF Gaming was only a conditional response. It ruled that his statement expressing “no objection” effectively enabled the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) to issue permits despite the absence of required clearances from the Cebu City Police Office, the Cebu City Sports Commission and the City Council.
The complaint against co-respondent Antonietto Cañete, former Cebu City police director, was referred to the Ombudsman-Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (OMB-MOLEO) for separate evaluation.
The anti-graft body also ordered a fact-finding investigation into Games and Amusements Board (GAB) officials Dr. Jesucito M. Garcia and Atty. Francisco J. Rivera over separate permits they issued for NUSTAR derbies in October 2024. The Ombudsman said the GAB had encroached on authority devolved to local governments.
In a statement responding to the ruling, Garcia said he had filed a motion for reconsideration to challenge the Ombudsman’s findings.
He maintained that his Letter of No Objection (LONO) did not constitute a final permit authorizing the derbies.
“My position has consistently been that the LONO was not the final special permit. It expressly stated that the proposal was subject to existing laws, rules, regulations, and applicable conditions,” Garcia said.
“A letter expressing no objection, subject to compliance with the law, should not automatically be equated with the final approval required by law.”
Garcia also emphasized that the decision did not carry the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.
He said he remained confident that a full review of the facts and legal context would clear his record.
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