"Cockfighting In The Philippines"
Cockfighting is reputed to be one of the most popular spectator sports in the Philippines and is also said to be deeply ingrained in Filipino culture. It was already around when the first Spanish colonizers came to the country and has persisted throughout the centuries despite attempts to ban or banish it. this ancient sport, called "Sabong," in Filipino, has become a national pastime with a fanatical following that cuts across all class barriers. Practically Filipino males from all levels of society are represented in cockfights. During cockfighting matches government officials, businessmen, movie stars, office workers, and even farmers and laborers are regular participants of this activity.
It is not a sport for the faint-hearted. It pits two roosters of comparable weight that fight each other until one is killed or turns tail and flees. The bout is usually brief and bloody. Razor-sharp spurs are attached to the birds' legs. With neck feathers ruffled, the roosters move around each other, testing and figuring each others' move. There's a swish of blades and swirl of feathers, shouting and cheering becomes louder from the bleachers, and in a few minutes it is all over.
Nearly every town in the Philippines has a "sabungan" or cockpit, and cockfighting takes place usually every Sunday and on public holidays. During town fiestas, it is always a major and well-attended event. In Metro Manila, however, cockfights take place almost every day while in Cebu City there are cockfights at least three times a week. The big derbies are usually held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and at the nearby San Juan Cockpit. Outside of the capital, there are also well-attended derbies during fiestas in Bacolod City, at Jaro in Iloilo City, and in Candelaria, Quezon. You can tell there's a cockfight on when a small red flag is fluttering from a slim bamboo pole outside the sabungan. And of course, the loud roaring you hear from the people in the cockpit in the middle of a hot sunny day when a match is just about ending is just unmistakable.
Cockpits vary in size and sophistication, but the basic design is the same, consisting of the pit or arena proper surrounded by a fence where the game cocks fight, and around it tiers of benches. The cockpit is usually a circular wooden structure of galvanized iron roof. Urban cockpits such as those in the suburbs of Manila and in other major cities are more comfortable and often have air-conditioned sections with padded seats for wealthier enthusiasts. Prominent cockers usually sit at ringside which are the most expensive in the cockpit.
A roof keeps out sun and rain, while the absence of walls permits light and ventilation. Cockpits are often located a short distance out of town and it is easily found because of the noise emanating from it during cockfights. A rooster in hand serves as a pass to enter the cockpit, otherwise a nominal admission fee is charged. The dirt arena is surrounded by banks of coliseum-type wooden benches reaching to the roof, usually jampacked with noisy aficionados.
Gambling can be extremely heavy. It's not unusual, in a rural area with few visible sources of substantial income, to see thousands of pesos changing hands. It is not also uncommon to hear of a cockfighting enthusiast who bets everything he owns. It is said that jewelry, family savings, farm animals and vehicles have been wagered at cockfights. There are some who even go to the extent of selling their homes and land titles just to raise money to bet in a cockfight. Luckily, "fixed fights," however are not the rule despite the heavy betting.
Good fighting roosters are very valuable and get first-class treatment, including high-quality feed and vitamins, plus regular baths and massages. Every cockfighter has his own method of training his roosters, some claiming to use secret formulas and special diets. There are some game cocks that eat better than most people. In recent years however, the introduction of expensive imported breeds has changed the quality of cockfighting. It is common to see a cockfighting enthusiast strolling around caressing a rooster nestled in the crook of his arm. In the towns or small barrios one often sees some men squatting in the shade, massaging, blowing smoke, and grooming their fighting roosters. It has even been said that in a fire a Filipino will rescue his fighting cock before his family or possessions.
The spectators inside the cockpit also get a chance to scrutinize each bird, which in the case of similar plumage may be distinguished by a colored leg band, before deciding which to bet on. One handler may put on a hat, so that wagers are placed by calling "mayroon" ("with hat") or "wala" ("hatless"). You can also bet on the cock that is favored to win ("llamado") or the less popular one ("dejado"). You get more if the dejado wins, depending on the odds, which start at ten percent and go up to 50 percent, or even as high as 100 percent if the favorite is pitted against a lesser known rooster.
Uproar prevails as bettors yell at the kristos (bookmakers). The use of the word "Kristo," Filipino for Christ, derives from the Christ-like extended arm poses they often strike as they move about, shouting the odds, exhorting the gamblers, and acknowledging the bets. If there is much more money for one rooster than the other, the casador distributes some bets among the prominent cockers, calling them by name and the amounts they will answer for; usually these cockers nod in agreement. You normally tip the kristo ten percent of your winnings; nothing if you lose.
The casador has a remarkable memory for faces, bets are
taken in a split second of hand gestures and calls, and the changing odds given during a match. Incredibly, they write nothing down, but remember each bet and its odds. Trust works both ways; anyone can place a bet without showing his money. Bets are indicated by a series of hand signals, such as the wiggling of a thumb or the wagging of a hand. When betting, two fingers raised means Twenty Pesos (P20), horizontal fingers signify hundreds, and fingers pointed downwards represent thousands. If you want to bet, confirm this system with your neighbor at the fight. The cockfight begins when the leather sheaths of the spurs are removed, the blades examined and wiped with alcohol to remove any poison, and the birds are released to start the fight. Contests may last from just a few seconds to a few minutes. They end when one bird is killed, maimed into submission, or, to the mortification of its owner, runs away. A close fight drives frenzied spectators to a howling crescendo.
A losing bird must be picked up and dropped three times to see if it shows any signs of life before it's declared dead. Victory is only confirmed when the dominant cock pecks twice at its victim, even if the latter's dead, in a formal coup de grace. When the action ceases, the sentenciador (he who gives the sentence) grabs both birds by the back neck feathers and bring them together for the decisive pecks. If the winning bird fails to deliver them, by beeing too badly wounded, for example, it forfeits its victory, and a tie is declared.
Sometimes both birds die, but a dead rooster can be declared the winner if it died while on the offensive. The decision of the sentenciador is almost never questioned. The loser takes his dead rooster home and cooks it in a special dish called "talunan," meaning "loser's repast." The betting is othen resolved as money is passed between kristos and spectators. Trying to renege is not recommended. The procedure is repeated for each of the many contests that make up a meet, which is often an all-day affair.
Cockfighting can be bloody and is not for the finicky, but is offers a fascinating glimpse of Filipinos at play. It is termed a democratic fight in the sense that the poorest cocker can pit his rooster against the most prominent town official and win. Only a few women attend cockfights, except for some Western women tourist who just want to experience seeing a cockfight. Most of the local women who go to the cockpits are often only involved in selling assorted food, cigarettes and drinks in make-shift stalls put up around the arena. The many stalls that are put up convert the area around the cockpit into some kind of an instant food and beverage market and are well patronized by the cockfighting enthusiasts.
However, cockfighting remains popular, despite efforts to eradicate it. Many claim that is is an unproductive gambling vice. There are others who consider it as being a form of cruelty to animals. Cockfighting in the Philippines reaveals a social institution with standards which, in contrast to the national scene, appear high and workable. It is not surprising to know that cockfighting was also introduced in the State of Hawaii by its Filipino immigrants. In fact, it has caught the fancy of many local men. Unluckily however, it is against the law to engage in cockfighting in the aloha state that most cockfights that are still going on are quietly planned and participants are only informed by word of mouth.
