changing seasons

Honestly speaking, Hunting Season is one of the many culture shocks that I have to endure and get over with since I came here in Maine. The first time I heard about it, I was shocked. I was shocked not because I am a member of the Animal Humane Society or what not. I was shocked because there is not such a thing as “deer hunting” in the Philippines. There could be some hunting activities happening around the country but it is not a real big deal because it is illegal there. And maybe, because there are not much deer around there because there is not much forest left too. Most of the forest and other agricultural lands were turned or converted into residential areas or worse… industrial and commercial zones.

But if deer hunting is to Mainers… cockfighting is to Pinoys. If deer hunting is a big thing in Maine… cockfighting is the biggest thing in the Philippines. And if deer hunting is making big money for the State of Maine through the licensing fees and as one of the State’s tourist attractions… cockfighting is making big money for cockfighting betters, gamblers and cock-owners themselves.

Cockfighting or SABONG as it is popularly known in the Philippines is considered as a sport [a blood sport for that matter]. It is the only sport that no human being is accepted as athletes. Cockfighting is big in the Philippines because it is a popular pastime among men since pre-spanish time. It is big in the Philippines because of betting or gambling. It is big in the Philippines because cock-owners are breeding cocks for cockfighting and this is a big income-generating industry [if you can consider it as that] because high-breed fighting cocks can cost thousands of pesos a piece. And more importantly, cockfighting is a whole-year-round season in the Philippines. It is a sport for both the rich and the poor. It is a sport that don’t entertain discrimination or bounded by social status because you can play it as long as you have money to bet. And it is played mostly in cockfighting arenas or even in the dusty backyards for small-time cockfighting in the far-flung barrios.

Cockfighting and deer hunting share 3 basic and common denominators - animal… men… and the love for the sports. They may both seem inhumane especially for those animal lovers but both are here to stay. I may hate to see a dead deer or a bloody cock but there is not much I can do. And much that I hate seeing them killed, I have to admit… I love venison steak and fried chicken.

Additional Information:
Cockfighting Photos… go to Philippine Cockfighting
Other articles on Cockfighting… go to New America Media and The Philippines
And for Cockfighting Videos… go to Metacafe’s Sabong Rooster Fights and Pilipinas Sabong Sports