Phillipine Inquirer Sept 30, 1999
This week, we have chickens. Nope, not your favorite
fried chicken, not just any kind of chicken - but fighting cocks.
Yep, I'm talking about sabong.
Jeff Cruz, a 21-year-old Political Science major
at the University of Santo Tomas, started collecting cockfighting
memorabilia because he was influenced by his family's love for
the game.
"My grandfather is an old-time - you can say
medyo big-time - cockfighting aficionado. He used to handle
some of the top cockhouses in Malabon. He had all these derby
championship trophies in our house; and he has a lot of battlecocks
in our backyard. When I was a kid, I was very much exposed to
these things, but not really the sport itself. I was already fond
of handling cocks back then. After a while, I started acquiring
collectibles that had something to do with cockfighting."
Chickens in their backyard
And when he says that they have a lot of chickens
in their backyard, he really means a lot. "We presently have
60 chickens in our backyard - some are on cord, some are in flying
pens, some are pullets used for breeding." No wonder he got
bitten by the cockfighting bug.
"I had been collecting for two years when I
stopped. I got busy with school, billiards and basketball. I guess
you could say that my attention was divided. I just recently started
collecting again."
Not easy
Searching for sabong artifacts isn't easy. Especially
not for someone as young as Jeff. "Collecting sabong-related
items is a difficult thing to do. Sometimes, you really want to
buy memorabilia, but you'd have second thoughts because they are
so expensive. There are many pieces of furniture and wood carvings
- and you know how expensive those items can be."
"Sometimes, there are items that you'd like
to add to the collection but cannot because they are really useful
to the chickens. Like rooster dummies. You'd opt to just use them
rather than display them."
"Another thing, not all roosters that you can
see are battle-cocks. I choose the items very carefully. I have
to be sure that they really are fighting cocks. If you really
are into sabong, you'd know if the roosters are meant for sabong
or if they are just plain roosters."
Searching here and abroad
He has gone around the metropolis in his search for
new pieces. "My girlfriend and I used to go to Greenhills
and Megamall to search for books, magazines and other items. I
also go to Recto to find more reading materials." And his
search hasn't been in vain. Right now, he has all the books available
on the subject matter in his library.
He has also tried searching abroad via the Internet.
But this search proved futile. "Cockfighting is prohibited
in most of the states in the US. It is legal in a few states.
It's the same thing in Europe. Cockfighting isn't allowed either.
It is legal in Burma. It is also legal in Mexico, but the environment
isn't exactly friendly."
Sabong pendant
He has books, magazines, statues, figurines, ceramics,
dinnerware, rugs and jewelry. His favorite piece, which is also
the most valuable, is his pendant. "Somebody pawned it to
my dad in the cockpit. The man was losing a lot of money. I don't
think he paid his debt, so the necklace is mine now." Lucky
him.
His grandfather's trophies are also a part of his
collection. "I take care of them because the trophies aren't
really important to my grandfather. He's just really passionate
about the sport. He has no time to take care of the trophies.
So I displayed them and added them to my collection."
A passion
"Yeah, I go to the cockpit and I place bets."
And does he win? "Some books say that you win just as much
as you lose. Thank God that I've won more than I've lost."
And it's not just money that he gets from the sport. "I find
pleasure in seeing the camaraderie of the people in the pit."
"Collecting sabong-related items is a big part
of my life. Cockfighting is my passion."
But not everybody who is passionate about cockfighting
shares Jeff's passion for collecting. "I don't know anybody
who collects cockfighting memorabilia. Very few young people like
the sport. Why would they be into collecting? Most collectors
are probably old. I don't think there are a lot either. Nobody
really appreciates that. Cockfighting aficionados would rather
spend their money on betting, on buying new battlecocks, on medicine
and on raising and breeding the battlecocks rather than getting
collectibles.
Unusual hobby
He likes having this unusual hobby. "I think
everybody wants to be different nowadays. This is my way of being
unique. It's not really an effort to be outstanding. I do this
because I get pleasure from collecting. I get pleasure from taking
care of the chickens. I get pleasure from the sport."
His collection has actually been a great help to
his cockfight-loving family. The books he read have helped him
become very knowledgeable about the subject. As a result, he became
the in-house trainer of the fighting cocks. "There isn't
really any official trainer in our house. Since I know something
about raising battlecocks and the nature of the sport, I've become
the handler."
And being a handler is no easy task. The scratches
and pecks he gets are no joking matter. Whew! A tough (and painful)
price to pay for him to be able to do what he loves.
His readings have equipped him with knowledge and
trivia. He told me about the toss-up between the bald eagle and
the rooster when the people in the United States were trying to
decide on their national symbol. George Washington actually voted
for the rooster. But the bald eagle won by one measly vote. (Too
bad!)
Internet
Jeff has plans of reaching out to other cockfighting
devotees and collectors. "My girlfriend and I are planning
on putting up a website for young people who are into sabong -
collectors and non-collectors. It's not that there aren't any
sites about cockfighting. It's just that most of them are for
the older set of aficionados. My girlfriend put up my e-mail address
in her homepage so that people who were into sabong can communicate
with me. Of the thousands that have visited her site, nobody has
replied yet. We want to put up the site to get more people into
the sport."
"I plan on collecting for a long time. But it's
hard to collect when you don't have that much money yet. I'm looking
forward to getting my own money so I can buy the expensive items.
When I start working, I'd really get into it."
"Items are really hard to find. If you'd really
like to collect, you should get a crash course on sabong. If you
don't like the sport, why collect? I started collecting because
I love the sport. It's the same thing with NBA cards, people collect
them because they love basketball. If you don't love the
sport, it makes no sense."
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This is the second in a series of articles about
people's collections. If you think your collection is worth reading
about, send e-mail to pampastor@hotmail.com
COLLECTIONS SERIES
Connoisseur of cocks
By Pamela Angela Salomon Pastor
Last week, it was the penguins.
