Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Ocampo: 'Damang without fear' By Tek Ocampo Newsroom
YOU might be wondering what the meaning of my title is. "Damang" is a Visayan word for spider. And the phrase "without fear" was taken from the movie "The Man Without Fear" back in the 80s.
Back in sixth grade, my classmates and I were fond of collecting different species of spider as our hobby. We do not necessarily go out at night and look for them; instead we just buy them from kids selling them at school.
We play with them, letting them fight each other using a 12-inch stick. The fight is to the death. The spider that wins the fight will get hold of the losing spider as its prize meal. We did it just for fun. You know how kids are.
However, spider fights ("paaway sa mga damang") nowadays are gaining popularity as a gambling game. Some kids get the spider at night and sell them to gamblers for P5 to P10 each.
GMA, the broadcasting network, through its segment Kastigador, visited an area somewhere in the northern part of the city where spider fights had become a favorite pastime of some residents. Menfolk come over from the neighboring barangays just to gamble. The bets range from a low 10 pesos but can go as high as P2,000-3,000 pesos.
Just like cock fighting in cockpits, there are only two sides to bet on. Each side is identified thru its odds of winning. The side more likely to win the match is called "Meron" and the side that is more likely to lose is called "Wala."
In spider fight, the referee calls for a match where a spider is matched with a prospective opponent, by some immeasurable bases--meaning it's not necessarily by weight or size. Just by looks. If the owners of the spiders agree to the match, the battle will begin after all bets are in.
The spider is positioned facing each other at the opposite end of a 12-inch stick that is suspended from a makeshift mini-fighting arena. The referee orders the owner of the spider to let go of their spiders and the fight begins.
The winner is determined by the ability of the spider to stay on the stick during the fight. The spider to first fall off the stick three times loses. A tie is called when both spiders fall off the stick or both are not responding to the commands of the referee.
Some people might enjoy watching spiders fighting but I know it could have a negative effect on the ecological balance of nature.
"During a spider's lifetime, the number of eggs laid varies according to the species. Some large spiders can lay more than 2,000 eggs. However, many tiny spiders lay as few as one or two, or as many as a dozen eggs. An average sized spider can lay around a hundred eggs. Most spiders lay all their eggs at one time and enclose them in a single egg sac; others lay a series of eggs over a period of time and enclose them in multiple egg sacs. (Source: Headstrom, Richard. Spiders of the United States, p. 34.)"
No wonder spiders used in spider derby appear once in every three years. The damang enthusiasts know this but are they aware of the negative implication of their acts? I think the DENR and other government agencies concerned should do something about this before some species of spiders used in derbies will become extinct.
On the gambling side, I asked NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) and NSO (National Statistics Office) if they have statistics as to the number or percentage of Filipinos addicted to gambling. Both said the gambling habits of people are not included in their surveys.
During spider derbies, children are present near the fighting arena. Their minds can easily be corrupted by the things they see from gamblers. Because of this some children are now having a mini spider derby of their own where they too practice betting in small amounts.
Councilor Diosdado Mahipus said that for our children to be worthy citizens of our society, they must be taught about good moral values, especially staying away from gambling. Councilor Peter Lavina said such illegal acts should be disallowed in the city.
I don't think that we need another law for this. We already have many laws to deal with illegal gambling. Any form of gambling in public places that is not controlled by the government is illegal. The police can directly act on this and stop such illegal activities.
Reverend Father Paul Cunanan of San Pedro Cathedral said only God has the capability to gamble because His resources are endless. God gambles on the people to be His children. God may lose a few souls, but in the end, He always wins.
I used to gamble in various games of chance, but I stopped because in reality, I have yet to see a person who got wealthy because of gambling. You may win as many times as you can, but sooner or later your luck will run out, and then you are kaput.
