A COCKFIGHTING FESTIVAL

A COCKING FESTIVAL

Festivals abound all over the country. Whether as a political gimmick or a noble campaign to promote a province, town or city, festivals of various themes, styles and forms have been introduced through the years. Considering its success in promoting and marketing a certain locality’s tourist attractions, products, trades, culture and people, festivals have practically doubled in number during the last five years.

Bacolod City for its part has the Maskarra Festival which is one of the most popular events in the Philippines. It’s being held in the month of October and during that time the annual stag derbies of the Negros Gamefowl Breeders Association (NGBA) and the Gamefowl Breeders Association of Negros (GF-BAN) are also staged.

There’s the Bangus Festival in Dagupan, the Sambalilo Festival in Paranaque, the Magayon Festival in Albay, the Pahiyas Festival in Lukban, Quezon, Sinulog in Cebu, Dinagyang in Davao and a lot more.

There are festivals for fruits, flowers, fishes, saints etchetera, but, despite the Philippines being considered the cocking capital of the world, no rooster or cockfights festival.

If any place in the country would consider coming-up with an event to commemorate or celebrate the Filipinos’ love for cockfighting, Negros, being the traditional rooster-basket of the country, should be the choice.

Considering the economic importance of gamefowl breeding and cockfighting to Negros and the minions of cockfights’ trainers and handlers that have been provided by the island not only throughout the country but in other countries as well, it is only fitting that Negros comes up with an annual celebration with cockfighting and gamefowl breeding as its theme.

How about a “Bulang-bulang Festival” ?

Through this type of festival, we can openly introduce gamefowl breeding as a profitable alternative business and cockfighting as an exciting competitive sport and pastime in the same manner as other themes are being presented.

The “Bulang-bulang Festival” can be a joint-project of Negros Orriental and Negros Occidental and can be another big tourist attraction not only to foreign visitors but local aficionados as well.