By Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) Updated September 19, 2009 12:00 AM
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MANILA, Philippines - Two groups of cockfighting aficionados have elevated their rivalry to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after one of them opposed the other’s petition for accreditation and registration as a party-list organization to join the 2010 polls.
In an urgent petition, the Alyansa ng Sabungero, founded by a certain Nid Anima, asked the Comelec to deny the application of the Adhikain ng Magmamanok whose president is Compostella Valley congressman Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora.
Alyansa had also sought to be accredited and registered by the Comelec, claiming that it represents the marginalized sector of cockfighting workers like the kristo (bet taker), mananari (blade man), sentenciador (judge), casador (the one who evens the bets), largador (pitter), handler, utility people, small-time asentista, takilyero (the man at the cockpit entrance), chicken doctor and magbabalahibo ng manok (featherman), among others.
In the two-page petition, Anima said that Adhikain was established by Zamora who is already serving his third term as congressman, thus he is no longer allowed to run for district representation in next year’s election.
The petitioner added that the election law “is explicit about the tenure of a congressman, which is just three terms or one election and two re-elections or in total, nine years.”
“No member of the House of Representatives shall serve more than three consecutive terms. Granting arguendo, but without necessarily conceding that Adhikain ng Magmamanok gets accredited cum registered by the Comelec and Rep. Manuel Zamora as first nominee of the same party list gets elected, it would be an exercise in futility for both the Comelec and Rep. Manuel Zamora since such assumed election invariably defeats the letter and spirit of the law over which the same parties are not above,” the petitioner said.
Anima added that in trying to get Adhikain accredited and registered, Zamora “probably caters to the notion that party-list provides him a convenient avenue to circumvent the law.”
Basic Stag Conditioning
We are currently in the thick of the 2009 stag season as provincial and regional breeders’ associations stage their annual stag events and as we approach the start of the biggest stagwars in Philippine history - the P30M Bakbakan 10-Stag National Derby and the P35M Rambulan 9-Stag Derby.
Cockfighters readily admit that it’s more challenging to condition stags (young roosters) for battle than the matured ones (cocks), because stags are generally unpredictable.
We have solicited the help of one of the country’s most celebrated gamefowl breeders and probably the most phenomenal stag fighter ever Thunderbird’s top endorser Sonny Lagon, who generously shared his stag conditioning secret.
Conditioning Guide and Basic Tips During Training
by Sonny Lagon (Blue Blade Farm)
1. Scratching - There are different materials used as scratch for light and heavy work outs. Banana leaves can be used for light scratching and corn husks for heavy scratching. Make sure that your fighting stags are hungry during scratching at the scratch box so you will get better results.
2. Light and Sound (Noise ) - Make the fighting stags familiar with the lights by doing walking routine around the spar pit (rueda) and playing loud sounds on the radio to make them familiar with the noise during fight day or derby day.
3. Tailing ( kahig) and Breaking ( Salida) - Warm up your fighting stags by tailing (kahig) and walking, so that they will develop natural strength and improve their stamina by breaking ( salida). Hold tail of fighting stags and make them fly and hit each other by breaking on the air and down the ground. This helps develop their reflexes and good fighting skills.
4. Sparring (salpok) - Spar the fighting stags to roosters with different fighting styles and different colors like white , grey, black etc. in order for the fighting stag to be familiar with different color of feathers and for them to adopt versatile fighting styles. Sparring will help them learn and develop various fighting techniques and make them clever fighters.
5. Catch Cock - Using our own made catch cock (made with jute sack, foam and used clothes ), we practice the stags to strike on air and on the ground before feeding in the morning and in the afternoon. By doing this, it will help your fighting stags develop endurance and stamina and they will learn to strike with their legs frontally, sideways and back as well as cutting across etc.
6. Rotation (Tee-Pee , Flying Pen and Grass Pen)
21 DAYS NATURAL CONDITIONING
Day 1 - Deworm with Thunderbird Strongard (1 tablet/stag)
Day 2 - Delouse with Thunderbird Pusham
Day 3 - Inject Thunderbird Bexan XP (0.5cc)
Day 4 to 6 - 15 min. Scratch (4am)/ catch cock, kahig, salida/Flypen (9am-3pm)
Day 5 - Thunderbird Ganador Max (1 tablet/stag)
Day 7- Sparring (3pm)
Day 8 - Delouse with Thunderbird Pusham
Day 9 - Inject Thunderbird Bexan XP (0.5cc)
Day 10 to 13 - 15 min. Scratch (4am)/ catch cock, kahig, salida/ Flypen (9am-3pm)
Day 12 - Thunderbird Ganador Max (1 tablet/stag)
Day 14 - Sparring (4am)
Day 15 - Delouse with Thunderbird Pusham
Day 16 - Thunderbird Ganador Max (1 tablet/stag)
Day 16 to17 - Palakad (4am); Kahig, Salida
Day 18 - Sparring (4am); inject Bexan XP (4am)
Day 19 to 20 - Keeping: Carboloading
Day 21 - Day of fight
SCHEDULE :
6 : 00 a.m. : All fighting stags are on their respective tee-pees. We do the “catch cock” training at the tee-pee by using our self-made catch cock material (you may used asil rooster as alternative catch cock because they can withstand the pain despite repetitive hits.)
7: 00 a.m. : Feed fighting stag using a balance diet of 50% conditioning pellets (Thunderbird Platinum) and 50% grains with some additional vitamins and iron.
10:00 a.m. : Transfer the fighting stags to flying pens. This will help them build strength and power in their wings.
2:00 p.m. : From flying pens, transfer them again to grass pens. We sometimes put pullets along with them inside the grass pens to make them more mature. Grass pen will make them relax.
4:00 p.m. : From grass pens we put them back to tee-pees and resume catch-cock routine.
5:00 p.m. : Feeding time
9:00 p.m. : We bring them one by one to the spar pit (rueda) for light & sound familiarization. By using a teaser rooster, we train them to be alert all the time. After a light workout by walking around the pit, do a “ kahig “ or do a “ salida “ and allow them two buckles while holding on to their tails. After this, wash their feet and faces and place them again at their teepees for them to have enough rest and be ready for the next morning work-out.
With the big ripple created by the filing for accreditation by Alyansa Sabuungero as a party list, it is but timely that a movie entitled Sabungero : Dangal at Tibay (The Cockfighter : Grit & Steel) will have its premier showing on September 27 at SM Megamall (3pm) and Gateway Mall (7pm) , with Thunderbird Bexan XP as exclusive sponsor.
Then on September 29, Tuesday at 3:00 p.m., a simultaneous nationwide premie,r also sponsored by Thunderbird gets going in SM Quezon, SM Lipa, SM Pampanga, SM Iloilo, SM Bacolod, SM Cebu, SM Davao and SM Cagayan de Oro.
150 tickets per area will be given out by Thunderbird for free, to anyone who buys P200.00 worth of Thunderbird Power Vet products.
“First-come, first-serve until the ticket allocation lasts”, Thunderbird Power Vet Product Manager Albert Uy said.
“Sabungero : Dangal At Tibay” (The Cockfighter : Grit and Steel”) is an independent Filipino movie produced by Rooster Content Online - creators of the most popular cockfighting website on the internet www.sabong.net.ph
The movie revolves around “sabong“ or cockfighting, a very popular traditional game in the Philippines that involves the breeding, training and fighting of roosters.
Directed by Miguel Kaimo and Rozie Delgado, Sabungero features a stellar cast of multi-award winning actors lead by Joel Torre, Robert Arevalo, Leo Martinez, Ricky Davao, Maritoni Fernandez, Nonie Buencamino, Sid Lucero, Edwin Nombre, Lesley Martinez, child actor Timothy Mark and a solid supporting cast of thousands of “sabungeros” or cockfighters.
“ ‘Sabungero’ sheds light on the country’s often-misunderstood cockfighting subculture” – Tony Ty of Rouge Magazine.
Direk Rozie says it was the film’s producer, JC Bernardo, who had the idea of making a movie about cockfighting. “He is also a sabungero, and he realized that there are a lot of misconceptions about sabong,” she says.
As part of her pre-production research, Direk Rozie says she visited “countless” cockfighting arenas and farms and met with many sabungeros who introduced her to various breeds of fighting cocks. “I was surprised,” she says, “by the whole culture of sabong – the lifestyle of sabungeros, their lingo, and their passion for the sport.”
Sabungero is the first full-length film by Direk Rozie, whose previous works have been shorts and music videos. Co-director Miguel Kaimo and screenwriter Luz Inociain are likewise first-timers.
Claro Cortez IV (grandson of Don Claro Cortez – owner of the former Parañaque Cockpit Stadium which is now Roligon Mega Cockpit), a photo-journalists for the Associated Press reported that the number of gamecocks fought - and killed - each year in the country is estimated to range from 7 million to 13 million.
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), reveals that there are about 8 to 10 million registered cockfighters in the country, or roughly 10 percent of the total population, resulting in a P50-billion industry
A LONG WAIT
After a long wait, a true lover of cockfighting like JC Bernardo finally took the risk of producing a sabong movie hoping to make the public aware of what a sabungero is.
It was in 1974 when the Warren Oates-starring movie The Cockfighter hit the limelight.
Written by Charles Willeford, it was a story about Frank Mansfield who wanted to win the Cockfighter of the Year medal so much. After being disqualified for the "Cockfighter of the Year" award because of excessive drinking and talking during a fight, Frank has taken a vow of silence and refuses to talk until he wins the medal.
Eight years after, in 1982, the Philippines through multi-awarded film director Pablo Santiago – father of singer-tv host Randy Santiago who apparently is a cockfight practitioner himself, came up with the sabong-fantasy flick Annie Sabungera starring Nora Aunor.
I was not aware of this movie until one lazy-nothing-to-do afternoon, coiled in my sofa and toying with the remote control, I chanced upon an old flick with Nora Aunor in it. I was about to press the button again when I noticed that the “superstar” was holding a rooster. I said to myself, “this one I have to watch”.
The sabungero angle was very obvious with a considerable amount of sabong vocabulary employed as well some handling and conditioning techniques. I am almost sure that it was in the old San Juan Coliseum where most of the matches took place which is just understandable because of its proximity to LVN Studios.
Unfortunately, the movie was more on the fantasy side with “Annie” being a poor urban lass, blessed with a talking rooster.
“The “Sabungero : Dangal at Tibay” is a highly recommended film to watch, not only by sabungeros, but by non-cockers as well. For the Filipino cocker, this is your chance to bring your loved-ones closer to your passion”, says Alyansa Sabungero founder Nid Anima.
Are there that many marginalized people out there? Even cockpit workers want a say
SWAMPED with a total of 264 groups that had applied as of yesterday for party-list accreditation in the 2010 polls, Commission on Elections chairman Jose Melo yesterday said he believed the system has been abused.
Melo said it is ridiculous that the number of new party-list applicants in the Comelec roster had ballooned to 264 as of 4 p.m. yesterday, the last day of filing for accreditation.
"It seems that each and every small group is filing. It is already impractical," Melo said.
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said they will be screening tightly which organization would be accredited, but added the Comelec would welcome oppositors to the applicants.
He said that among the possible reasons for the denial of accreditation include the lack of track record and/or constituencies or if the applicants were found to be funded by religious organizations, government agencies and foreign groups.
Melo had earlier expressed his desire to limit the number of party list groups to about 50 to 70 as this would be reasonable and manageable by Comelec.
Melo cited as one difficult problem the Comelec would face would be the length of the pre-printed ballots to be used by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) voting machines.
"What would happen now? Would we print it in microscopic fonts (so that it will fit into the ballots? " Melo said.
A group of cockpit workers was among the last-day filers. Listing up as Alyansang Sabungero, the group said they represent workers in the cockfight industry composed of kristos, asehistas, mananaris, match-makers and takilyadors.
"We lead a hand-to-mouth existence earning only if the tahor they are working for wins and earns. If they don’t win, there would be no source of income," said the Parañaque-based group. – Gerard Naval
FEELING marginalized and underrepresented, a group of cockfighting aficionados is now seeking representation in Congress through the party-list system.
Alyansa ng Sabungero is among the more than 200 party-list organizations that filed accreditation with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the coming May 10, 2010 polls.
In a four-page petition, the Alyansa ng Sabungero said their purpose in seeking representation in Congress is basically to help the workers in the cockfighting ring who earns and lives on a “hand to mouth existence.”
Alyansa ng Sabungero is represented by its president Nid Anima and holding office at Camella Townhouse in Sucat Paranaque.
According to the clerk of the Comelec receiving the application, Alyansa ng Sabungero bragged that among their members is boxing icon Manny Pacquaio.
“We are not supposed to accept their accreditation because they lack documents but they are forcing it,” the clerk of the Comelec said.
Comelec chairman Jose Melo said he would definitely purge the lists of the party-list groups that would be accredited in the polls next year upon learning that cockfighting aficionados filed for accreditation.
“A group of cock fighters why are they marginalized when they hold the money?” Melo said.
Similarly, Melo vowed to screen thoroughly the applications for party lists adding that he would definitely want only marginalized and underrepresented to be accredited.
“Seventy party-lists to be accredited would be manageable but 50 would be right,” Melo said.
Asked what could be the reason why many groups wanted to join the party-list elections next year, Melo said it’s either because of the “pork barrel” and second is the “typical Filipino mentality” of instead supporting a group he or she would rather form his or her own group.
Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said with the numbers of party-list groups now nearing reaching over 200, they would really have to double time in resolving all the petitions for accreditation to beat the November 20 to 30 filing of certificate of candidacy.
“If there will be no opposition that would be the problem and we will have difficulty in resolving the petition…but by end of October hopefully we will finish this,” he said.
Aside from Alyansa ng Sabungero, other party-lists groups that filed accreditation with the Comelec are United Filipino Seafarers, Aabot, All Rainbow Party, Alab ng Lahi, Partido Lakas ng Masa, Citizen Call for Action, One Nation Empowered with Technology, Liwanag sa Bilangguan, OFWs, Alagaan Natin Ating Kalusugan, Grand Bohol, Balikatan, and the group transgenders Ang Ladlad.
As of 5 p.m. the total number of party-list applicants reached 264 with more still in line and waiting to file their accreditation. (MSN/Sunnex)
Hanggang sa huling mga minuto bago nagtapos ang filing ng petisyon ngayong hapon para mga political parties at mga organisasyon para makalahok sa ilalim ng party-list system of representation sa 2010 elections, marami pa rin ang humabol para magpatala sa tanggapan ng Commission on Elections (Comelec) sa Intramuros, Manila.
Sa panayam ng Bombo Radyo kay Rossie Palacio ng Office of the Clerk of the Commission, sinabi nitong inasahan na nila ang "last minute attitude" ng mga registrants.
Kabilang naman sa naghain na kanilang petisyon ay ang sektor ng mga mamamahayag at taga-showbiz, sa ilalaim ng grupong AMAS o Alyansa ng mga Media At Showbiz.
Hindi rin nagpahuli ang mga sabungero at mga nagtatrabaho sa sabungan, sa ilalim ng grupong Alyansa Sabungero.
Kakaibang gimik din ang ginawa ng grupong Katribo, na kumakatawan sa mga indegenous peoples, na nagsuot pa ng mga katutubong kasuutan ang kanilang mga miyembro nang magtungo sa Comelec.
"Inaasahan na namin na dadagsa sila at the last minute ng filing. Kasi ganoon naman talaga kalimitan nangyayari. Pero mahigpit po ang Comelec sa deadline. Wala pong extension ito," ayon kay Palacio.
Bago nagsara ang filing kaninang alas-singko ng hapon, nasa 242 party-list groups at political parties ang nakapaghain ng kanilang petisyon.
Batay sa Comelec Resolution No. 3307-A, kabilang sa mga requirements para sa party-list registration ay ang kanilang constitution and by-laws, party platform and program, at listahan ng kanilang mga opisyal at mga miyembro.
"Dadaan pa ito sa proseso. Aalamin pa ng Comelec kung totoo nga na nationwide ang kanilang nirere-present na sektor at kung marginalized ba talaga, " dagdag ng opisyal.
Sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 7941, ang batas na nagtatakda ng party-list system sa bansa, magiging kinatawan ang nasabing mga grupo sa Kongreso para sa mga “marginalized sectors."
Nitong Abril lamang, dinagdagan ng Supreme Court ang bilang ng party-list representatives sa Kamara, mula sa dating 23 ay ginawa itong 55.
Bantay-Sabong, this blog and yours truly Rolando S. Luzong, fully support everything and anything for the betterment of sabong. The indie film , Prinsipe Sabong and the full-length movie Sabungero are labours of love and passion by distinguished persons whose aims and objectives are to Guard, Defend and Promote sabong which is exactly what Bantay-Sabong stands for. So, we both give this efforts our highest respect and admiration.
Congratulations to Edwin Monton & Armie Fernandez for the award they received and are about to receive for their "Prinsipe Sabong". You can watch this award-winning film on May 17, in its official premier showing at the Robinson's Galleria. After which, the film will be shown on national television sometime in May or early June.
Good luck to JC Bernardo for his movie "Sabungero" which will will be shown on July in all theaters nationwide. The all-star cast who are all busy with their respective tele-nobela commitments (Joel Torre, Ricky Davao and Leo Martinez are all in GMA-7 's tele-nobela adaptation of Zorro) are committed in coming out with a great movie, but their busy schedule have to be considered in the shooting schedule.
We enjoin all of you to support both films. Thank you to all lovers of the Sport.
JC Bernardo a.k.a. Sentenciador – proud owner of the most popular website in the world wide web (www.sabong.net.ph) devoted to cockfighting is coming out with a film with a sabong theme.
Simply titled “Sabungero”, the film stars Joel Torre, Maritoni Fernandez, Robert Arevalo, Mark Gil, Charlie Davao, Leo Martinez and child actor Timothy Mark – grandson of lady cocker-breeder Princess Naldo a.k.a. GoldenDragon.
Recognizing the film’s symbolic importance to the country’s gamefowl breeding industry and the sport of cockfighting, Thunderbird – the dominant leader in gamefowl health and nutrition, has agreed to exclusively sponsor “Sabungero”.
“Anything for the betterment of Philippine cockfighting”, says Thunderbird’s Product Manager Francis Martinez.
“I’m so happy and grateful for Thunderbird’s generous support”, stated an elated JC Bernardo, adding that he is just as thankful for the cooperation of cockers who consented to appear as extras in the shootings done at the Ibaan Cockpit in Lipa City, in Daang-Hari Coliseum in Bacoor, Cavite and in Biñan Cockpit in Laguna.
It was also announced that the final shooting day will be during the staging of the 2009 World Slasher Cup-2 at the Araneta Coliseum on May 12, 14 & 16.
