Cockfighting now a science, no longer left to chance: THE indigenous game that Filipinos indulged in way before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores was cockfighting, called pintakasi in Filipino. In his journals, the Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta, who was onboard Ferdinand Magellan’s armada, said the natives fought chickens even before the Spanish arrived. In his account of the voyage, Pigafetta said the natives in Palawan raised huge but tame roosters. Today, the number of cockfighting enthusiasts continues to grow. Superstitious beliefs and scientific cockfighting: ALTHOUGH a fragment of Filipino cocking enthusiasts is still currently under the spell of superstitious cockfighting faith, virtually all big gamefowl breeders across the country—most of them producing between 100 to 1,000 pit warriors a year—now scientifically breed, raise and fight roosters. Cockfighting columnist Rolando Luzong agrees that the increasing number of backyard breeders is getting scientific, as well as a result of the wealth of technical knowledge being passed on by the leading lights of the sport through seminars and cockfighting media. Unlike big game-fowl breeders who require hectares of land to raise hundreds of fowl, backyard breeders who maintain up to 20 heads at a time also thrive in Metro Manila and other cities. One of the cockfighting superstitious beliefs still held by some cockers is the tres manos or “three hands.” Cockers of the old school accept as true that a rooster held by three different hands prior to the fight will lose. The cock that chanced upon a funeral on its way to the cockpit will also be defeated. The rooster is doomed when someone in the family breaks a glass on fight day. Teng Rañola, 38 and a game-fowl breeder in Camarines Sur, who has earned the respect of the cockfighting community as one of the top breeders around, dismisses superstition. To him, winning is determined by quality bloodline, the rooster’s good health and proper pointing. “Every cocker fights the best roosters,” he said. “But some chickens do not move during the fight. The reason is pointing. Beginners should master it.” Pointing is the technique by which a rooster can reach the height of its fighting ability. Most cockers agree a rooster on point is crop and gut empty. The cock should be fought before the point runs out. “A rooster on point can kill the opponent with just one stroke,” Rañola said. “That’s how pointing works.” Choice of bloodline: WHILE Sweater, one of the recently originated bloodlines, enjoys a high demand in the market today, some game-fowl breeders still prefer the old proven lines of Roundhead, Lemon, Kelso and Grey, which they usually cross with a good Hatch blood. The Sweater is widely favored by Filipino cockers for its rapid feet and good record in the eight-cock World Slasher Cup, the annual 11-stag Bakbakan derby, and other big circuits. This line was introduced to the Philippines by Carol Nesmith when he fought at Araneta Coliseum and won World Slasher Cup as solo champion in 1997. The World Slasher Cup is Don Amado Araneta’s contribution to cockfighting that started to draw cockers from around the world in 1962. Impressed by Sweater’s blinding speed in throwing multiple punches and proven ability to capture big-time derby championships, the locals acquired imported trios from the United States. Local game-fowl breeders famed for Sweater are Edwin Arañez and Raffy Campos propagating Dink Fair Sweater at their farm in Lucban, Quezon; Sonny Lagon who breeds Bruce Barnett Sweater at his chicken enclave in San Pablo, Laguna; and Nene Abello breeding Black Water Sweater (Carol Nesmith) in Negros. Cockfighting enthusiasts say the choice of bloodline, which means fighting style, reflects the breeder’s personality. Some cockers like to put the opponent rooster to sleep by way of spectacular maneuvers, the way an assault soldier fires at the enemy with a sub-machine gun. Others prefer roosters that execute in the manner of sniper—no dazzling moves but whose single shot can take the opponent down. Bong Aspe, a game-fowl breeder in Albay, favors single-stroke bloodlines because they are reusable. Some cockers say that roosters too aggressive in battle may not be fought again. They are usually retired after their first win due to heavy damage incurred. “Roundhead is a good chicken,” Bong said. “It is very reusable. Lemon is also reusable. Too aggressive chickens can win close to their destruction.” His Greys perform in a manner typical of his Roundheads and Lemons as a result of cross- and line-breeding. They wait for the opponent to take charge and ambush it with a lethal defensive strike. These roosters do not rush to finish the floored opponent. They patiently wait for opportunity to throw clean punches until the other rooster finally falls asleep. Filipino world-class game-fowl breeder: WHILE most bloodlines used in the Philippines for short-knife fighting were originated by US breeders and cockers, Filipinos have become equal to their foreign counterparts in terms of breeding and fighting. The annals of World Slasher Cup, which is held twice annually at Araneta Coliseum in January and June, show that the locals dominate in this prestigious international derby. Rey Briones, a three-time World Slasher Cup champion who co-publishes Pilipino Mirror, a sister publication of the BusinessMirror, said the Filipino breeders and cockers have already proven that they are at par now with their American cockers. The time has come to break the colonial mentality that imported roosters and bloodlines are unbeatable, he said. It’s not true anymore. Locally bred and raised roosters are doing better in recent years, Briones said. Imported chickens no longer guarantee that they will dominate in the big-time circuits today. Other Filipino World Slasher Cup champions include former Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, Nene Araneta, hotelier Biboy Enriquez, Rep. Patrick Antonio, former mayor of Virac (Catanduanes) Cito Alberto, Dicky Lim, Peping Cojuangco and partner Esting Teopaco, Eddie Araneta, former Rep. Rudy Albano, William Go, Rudy Salud, Jun Santiago and the Ampil brothers. Cockfighting as an industry: WHEN the price of sugar in the world market took a sharp dive in the 1970s, game-fowl breeding helped ease the plight of sugar farmers in Negros, Luzong said. At the time, the majority of game-fowl breeders in the country were still concentrated in Negros and only a few were thriving in other regions. Cockfighting in the country is currently estimated at P50 billion annually as an industry, he said. In the 1990s the building of more cockpits across the country paved the way for the growth of derby promotions, resulting in mass production of gamecocks, Luzong said. Poultry-feed producers specializing on gamefowl feeds, vitamins and medicines like Thunderbird came in for the growing number of chickens bred and raised. There are more than 2,000 cockpits nationwide, he said. During that decade, a number of cockfighting periodicals such as Pinoy Sabungero Magasin, Sabong Magasin, Birds and Steel and Philippine Cockfights Newsmag went to print, Luzong said. Tukaan, the first breeding and cockfighting tele-magazine in the country, which is still on air today, started broadcasting in 1999. Currently, more cockfighting magazines are in circulation. The newest is the Gamefowl Magazine. More chicken TV shows are also on air. “There are no less than half-a-million breadwinners directly owing their livelihood from cockfighting and game-fowl breeding with just as many indirectly earning or benefited,” he said. Luzong said directly employed by game-fowl breeding and cockfighting include breeders at the farm, handlers, gaffers, cockpit owners, cockpit operators, derby promoters, cockpit workers, poultry-supply store owners and their staff, bet-takers or kristo, cockpit vendors, feed millers, veterinary medicine manufacturers, and makers of cords, knives or tari, cockboxes, folding pens, gloves, feeding cups and other game-fowl needs. Biboy Enriquez, a two-time World Slasher Cup champion, houses his farmhands together with their families at his 19-hectare farm in Tanay, Rizal. One of his longtime farm employees now owns a second-hand car. The others have motorbikes. All were acquired by working at the farm. He also sends indigent kids from the community near his chicken enclave to school as scholars.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 06:54:31 +0000
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