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Monday, August 22, 2005
Of cockpits and politics
By Edwin G. Espejo
REPRESENTATIVE Arthur "Dodo" Pingoy (First District-South Cotabato) says he enjoyed more the fellowship and camaraderie of cockfighting aficionados rather than the deadly clashes of gaffed winged gladiators in the cockpit arena.
For a guy who is a medical doctor by profession, seeing game fowls slash each other to death is an anathema to his Hippocratic Oath.
But then again, the congressman said he owes his current position in politics to his irrepressible passion for the Filipino male's favorite past time.
In fact he says, if politicians and people in government only share the same "professional" bonding among cockfighting aficionados, this country could have move forward to greater heights.
The cockpit arena, he exudes, is a great leveler.
"It is in the bulangan (arena), where the imol kag mangaranon (the rich and the poor) can really rub elbows and shoulders," he said.
There is also no place for cheats in this sport.
"May kabutangan gid ang mga nagapago," he said.(Those who fail to honor a bet will pay so dearly)
Indeed, the cockpit arena is not wanting in stories of men who ended up in beaten black and blue for reneging on a bet.
Now, if only the same swift justice applies to grafters in government.
The arena, the congressman says, is also a good place to get the pulse of the people.
"They (the cockfighting aficionados) represent the cross section of the society," he explains.
No wonder, Pingoy signed the impeachment complaint filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo despite his being a member of the ruling coalition.(Pingoy is a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition)
"I did my own survey and the Department of Interior and Local Government had its own survey, too. Seventy three per cent of my constituents are for impeachment. I owe it to them that is why I became the 43rd member of the House of Representative to sign the complaint," he narrated in Hiligaynon.
With the current political crisis hitting the nation and the Arroyo administration, Pingoy has little time to indulge in what he calls his favorite passion.
From time to time, however, he gets to visit his cock farm in Bo. 8 in Koronadal City where this writer chanced up with him.
Nestled at the foot of El Gawel, his durian-dotted cock farm has some corded 300 stags and fighting cocks.
He breeds his own stock, which acquired from fellow cockers and a few imported broad cocks.
The breeding season will start next month and Nognog, his trusted caretaker, is already preparing their winning lines.
But first, Pingoy has all derbies written over his calendar in the next two months.
"I have not been very active in the derby circuit lately," he says.
These derbies include stag tiffs in Davao City and Tagum.
"Good time to get the winning line of breeds for the next season," he quipped.
Nognog is now preparing 50 stags for these upcoming events.
Whjen it come to stags, the National Gamefowl Breeders Association and the Mindanao Gamefowl Breeders Association is putting all stops to ensure that only certified cocks are entered into the tournament.
Nognog showed this writer the wing band embedded on the wings of one of the stags they have been lining up for the derbies next month.
He says it is a fool proof method of ensuring that only cocks aged 10 month below are entered into the tournament.
Stag derbies have their upside as far as breeders are concerned.
They get to know their winning lines early as opposed to aged cocks that usually take three to four years before they are matched. By that time, it would be too late to know if you do not get the winning breed.
For Pingoy, stags they deemed not fit for derby entries offers them good opportunities to expand their political base.
"Panghatag ko iban sa akong mga amigo," he revealed. (I gave some to my friends.)
Breeding fighting cocks could be good business for some, too.
Like Polomolok mayor Ed Lumayag, Pingoy also sells fighting cocks. But only to close friends, the congressman however adds. Two months ago, the he sold 60 cocks at P8 thousand each. Not really bad.
For a self-confessed cockfighting aficionado for the last 20 years, the idea of breeding his own cocks was actually broached by his father who did not approve of his passion early on.
"Kung magbulang ka man lang, magsagod ka na lang sa imo nga manok," he quoted his father as saying. (You might as well breed your own cock if you are into cockfighting.)
"I was not allowed to go to cockfights until I graduated from medicine," he revealed. But he admits he would sneak to the cockpits once in a while.
He said he got his passion for cockfighting from his mother side.
"The Yusays of Bacolod (owners of Sugarland) are avid cockfighting enthusiasts," he said.
Unlike other breeders, however, Pingoy won't balk at spreading his breeds in South Cotabato.
It is time, he said, to improve local breeds.
South Cotabato alone, he said has 20,000 cockfighting aficionados. And visitors from other places are all but praises for local stocks.
That 20,000 cockfighting aficionados in the province, he said, would eventually gave birth to popular television show Tukaan, whose idea reportedly came from the congressman himself.
"It is in this farm where we brainstormed on it. Boy Diaz, host of Tukaan, came over for a visit and the rest is history," he revealed.
To date, three television shows are devoted solely to cockfighting.
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(August 22, 2005 issue)
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