History of CockfightingCockfighting has a rich history that traces back to more than 3,000 years ago and can even be seen during the time of Christ. Though it began in Asia, during the middle ages the Persians were the ones who brought cockfighting to Greece which then was popularized by ancient Greeks (Hans, 2014). The Greeks used to practice it before every battle to encourage their warriors to act courageously in every fight.In the Roman context, Julius Caesar led Rome into enjoying such a sport. Caesar, then, introduced cockfighting to England allowing it to flourish. After four centuries, under the rule of King Henry VIII, cockfighting became a national sport and the games were held in important places such as the Whitehall palace and churches. Cockfighting became known around Europe as a game of gambling where social classes don’t matter that from nobles even commoners play this activity.With the rise of cockfighting in Europe, this led to the colonizers bringing the sport to the United States. Famous presidents like Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln accepted the sport and allowed it to flourish so much that men were encouraged to train in the sport. Due to the inclusion of cockfighting in the American identity, the rooster is said to have almost become the national emblem of the United States over the eagle. The History of Cockfighting in the PhilippinesCockfighting has been around in the Philippines for quite a while. Even before the Spaniards arrived, Sabong was already a part of the natives’ culture. Shortly after the death of Ferdinand Magellan, the Spaniards landed on the island of Palawan where they discovered that the native Filipinos have already been raising native roosters to fight, putting them in shared cages to fight for scraps of food. According to Antonio Pigafetta, a Spanish scholar and explorer, “[The natives] have large and very tame cocks, which they do not eat because of a certain veneration that they have for them. Sometimes, they make them fight with one another, and each one puts up a certain amount on his cock, and the prize goes to him whose cock is the victor” (Jocano, 1975).In the forty-sixth chapter of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere, entitled “Ang Sabungan,” Rizal describes what a Sabungan was, and he named the people whom he found in the place like Capitan Paul, Capitan Basilio and Lucas–most of them were high ranked, rich, and respectable individuals who go there to gamble. He also notes how the fighting cocks wore sharp razor blades that were fixed on their legs. The duel will only end by the death or a bloody flight of one of the cocks. Through the novel which dates back centuries, we can see how cockfighting is ingrained into the Filipino culture.With the rise of its popularity, cockfighting became a staple past time in the Philippines. It has been integrated as part of the Philippine culture that Filipinos from all social classes take part in this gambling sport. For the past years, cockfighting became a billion-dollar industry, there is an estimate of thousands of arenas in the Philippines and over a million cocks killed across the country. In 1974, Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 449 (Cockfighting Law, 1974). This law will govern the operations and different establishments around the country. It is stated in the law that cockfighting is a means of preservation of Filipino culture which can then enhance one’s cultural identity. In addition to this, it is stated that cockfights are only allowed to happen in the licensed arena and anywhere else aside that is considered illegal.
