A COCKERS’ FAIR : An Idea Long Overdue

Cockfighting is undeniably a part of Philippine history and everyday life. From as far as we can remember, our grandfathers and their forefathers cared and fought a rooster or two. Our literature is rich with stories, poems and tales about cockfighting exploits.

Almost all the country’s towns, urban or rural, have, other than a church and a municipal building, a cockpit for its regular landmarks. As we look around, in someone’s yard, by the roadside, in the marketplace and in every nook and cranny, we see a feathered warrior under the watchful eye of its owner.

Thousands of our countrymen owe their livelihood to cockfighting. Not by gambling, but, as a decent means of livelihood. He may be a cockpit personnel, gamefowl farm worker, employee of a company engaged in gamefowl feeds or veterinary products or one who sells anything from food, dry goods and other cocking paraphernalia inside the cockpit.

However, in spite of these realities, we in the cocking world must admit that majority of our brothers and sisters still regard cockfighting as immoral. Something that we can not hate them for doing so, since what they see in cockfighting is the gambling aspect and the other bad effects that go with it. Actually, for those who do not have a comprehensive knowledge of this colorful sport, a cockpit is like a monster ready to devour them if they ever come near it.

Ask a cocker or breeder how he came to discover and eventually learned to admire the sport and his answer is almost always that it was “only by accident”.

There are very few first timers who will readily come with a cocker to watch the fights or simply accompany them into the pit. Why is this so? Simple. They already know what to expect and witness, the fighting and the gambling. Two things that normally radiate a negative effect on a newcomer. Sometimes even to a point wherein the sport is perceived as barbaric and immoral. If this happen, don’t ever expect that same guy to set foot in a cockpit again.

Traditional cockers know that what makes cockfighting so colorful and interesting is the caring, dedication, expertise, patience and attention to every detail that is put into a rooster from the time he comes out of the egg to the time he is brought up the rueda to prove his worth or and meet his fate. For a neophyte to consider jumping into the exciting world of “cocklandia”, he must be given the chance and the opportunity to take a closer look on cockfighting’s pre-fight stages which are the breeding, brooding, rearing, selection process and conditioning. If possible, a brief orientation on cockfighting presented in a simple, but, comprehensive manner must be fed into them.

The most appropriate way to achieve the purpose is through a cockers and breeders fair. Something that will concentrate more on familiarization, orientation and education stripped of gambling and the noisy betting that goes with it.

The cocker’s fair I am advocating must have the following qualities: 1) It must be national in scope and participated by as many breeders as possible coming from all parts of the country; 2) It must be backed by no less than a ‘presidential proclamation’ with special emphasis on the declaration of Cockers and Gamefowl Breeders Week: 3) It must be done in a spacious, popular and accessible area like the PHILCITE or World Trade Center perhaps; 4) It must have the usual bargain sale area (tiangge) and amusement center where other family members could relax and enjoy; 5) It must refrain from staging hackfights which are normally accompanied by betting and gambling, because, these will surely divert the interest and attention of patrons and guests away from the fair’s real objective. Gambling will also provoke negative criticisms from the media and may even earn the ire of the public.

All quarters involve in gamefowl breeding and cockfighting must and should support this particular undertaking, simply because, they have nothing to lose and instead has everything to gain from it.

The BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY by seeing that the project succeed, will reap the respect and recognition of breeders and cockers. Understandably deprive of sufficient funding from the government, to finance researches, vaccine production, farm modules, technical assistance and reading materials for the benefit of gamefowl breeders ( specially the small ones ), the Bureau

can be allowed to receive a substantial share o the proceeds.

The GAMEFOWL BREEDERS, particularly the National Federation of Gamefowl Breeders, will have the opportunity to sell and/or promote their produce specially those who are just starting to make it good in the breeding business. For the accomplished and popular breeder who may say that he does not need to advertise anymore because the demand for his birds already far exceeds the number of stocks he is able to grow, will also be benefited. Increase in cocking activities which could be expected with more people entering the cockfighting world because of the fair’s professional and innovative approach, will boost the demand even more, thereby allowing the big breeders to command higher tag prices and realize bigger profits.

The COCKPIT OPERATORS will eventually harvest juicier returns on their investments increasing gate receipts with the influx of more people coming into the pit and additional number of fights which of course will turn in bigger plasada sums. Target number of entries during derbies will then be easier to achieve, thereby lessening the risks of not being able to raise enough entry fee to answer for the ‘guaranteed cash prize’.

The FEED MILLERS, VETERINARY MEDICINE & VACCINE PRODUCERS AND POULTRY SUPPLY STORES have also everything to gain. The more fights there are, the more number of cocks die and the more number of birds are needed to be raised and grown. The chain will result in more feeds and veterinary products being bought and consumed. These, when computed in real terms would mean extra income.

The COUNTRY as a whole will gain with the expected jobs that would be created with the increase cocking activities, especially the farmers of corn, sorghum, peas and other grains used as ingredients in gamefowl feeds. A lot of other cockfighting-related jobs will also be created to help solve the grave unemployment problem in the country. In addition, given the support, cockfighting could easily be promoted and advertised internationally to attract foreign tourists. After all, cockfighting is considerably as fascinating and colorful comparable to Spain’s bullfighting activities.

ON THE PROBLEM OF FUNDING

Funding will never be a problem as long as every sector cooperates. The Bureau of Animal Industry with the endorsement and support of the National Federation of Gamefowl Breeders could very well take care of securing the needed Presidential Proclamation. With the said ‘proclamation’, BAI & NFTGB could easily win the cooperation of the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibit (PHILCITE).

A licensed organizer may be hired to take care of the site preparation, advertising & promotion and overall supervision of the fair. The organizer could put up the cash bond needed (if PHILCITE so requires).

Another sure source of needed funding will be from big companies that deal in the production of feeds and/or veterinary products, some of which spend large sums of money advertising in print and broadcast media. With the automatic media exposure that will be accorded to the cockers’ fair, since it is a national event, said companies will be more than willing to sponsor the said venture.

INCOME GENERATION

Return of investment and income could be expected from many factors. Exhibition booths will be rented to breeders, cockpits, gaff manufacturers and sellers, poultry supply traders, feed millers, veterinary medicine laboratories, manufacturers and sellers of breeding implements and cockfighting paraphernalia like scratch pens, wing bands & leg bands, derby tapes, instructional materials, magazines, books & other publications plus any other business related to the sport. Not to mention the tiangge section wherein anything could be sold.

With the ‘Presidential Proclamation’ the fair could impose entrance fees and sell tickets at the most affordable price so that more could come and enjoy. Tax exemptions can also be requested.

Souvenir items like T-shirts, caps, bags, and umbrellas could be sold.

In addition, is the sizable amount that could be generated from the promotion and advertising revenues coming from big companies like UNIVET, INC.(Sarimanok Feeds & Thunderbird); RFM CORPORATION; B-MEG; BAYER (PHILS.) INC.; PFIZER, (PHILS.) INC.; SANOFI, (PHILS.) INC.; METROVET, INC. and a host of others.

OVERALL SET-UP

For a successful Cockers’ and Breeders’ Fair, it must basically have the following things to offer; a) exhibition booths where the public can see and eventually buy or order roosters and broodstocks from various breeders nationwide and also meet the popular breeders in person; b) product stalls of different feed millers and traders; c) veterinary medicine and vaccine products’ display and sales booth which at the same time may orient and educate the public on their products proper applications and directions; d) display and sale of cocking paraphernalias like gaffs, cords, folding pens and other implements; e) special booths of reading material like brochure, pamphlets, magazines and books about gamefowl breeding and cockfighting; f) film and video showing of fights, gamefowl farms, conditioning techniques and others wherein copies of which can also be bought or ordered; g) photo exhibits that would deal in the Philippines’ or perhaps world cocking history with photographs chosen from a photography contest to enlighten neophytes and aficionados about various related subjects and; h) lecture on every aspect of the sport conducted by the league’s top rooster-raisers.

Other than these cockfighting related offerings, the fair must have food shops and counters, dry goods stalls and not to forget is the amusement center for the children where they can enjoy the usual joy rides and play areas.

Let us admit that to convince and bring a stranger into the cockpit will require much effort.

Let us bring and introduce cockfighting to the masses in a way that will be most acceptable to them, through a NATIONAL GAMEFOWL BREEDERS & COCKERS’ FAIR.