Buwang- Cock Fighting

October 14, 2012

Beautiful roosters and they know they'll be fighting to the death

 

Alex took me to a cock fight here in Inopacan, actually only a few blocks from the house. I’d read about this national passion, like bull fighting in Spain and thought I should experience it even though I thought I’d hate it. It was as horrible as expected but I’m glad I went. I don’t know if I’ll want to ever go again, maybe. It’s a betting thing.

These guys are taking the bets and I had fun dancing with
 this guy at the mini fiesta/dancing in the street

 I went with P100 to bet with and came home with P300, YES; beginners luck perhaps. Alex won some pesos as well and said I brought him good luck. He went out to buy lottery tickets later. Ha, ha. The cock fights are definitely a male thing although I wasn’t the only woman there. I counted 8 other women sitting together. Alex said they’re always there and if I went to a cock fight in Manila I’d see many women attending, even women in the ring with their fighting cocks.

showing the birds

making them attack each other's necks

We stayed for a couple hours; betting on six or seven fights. One thing about the death and carnage is it happens very fast. The worst part is the beginning when the guys hold them and get them started attacking each other. They hold the heads exposing the neck while the other guy has his bird bite the neck taking turns. Then they take the protective sheaths off the razor sharp blades attached to one foot and let them go at it.

then they let them loose to go at it

We were early so sat in a nipa hut, drank a San Miguel Pilsner, my first beer here in Inopacan and chatted it up in Taglish with the locals. I have to say during this outing to the cock fights it was the most I’ve been gawked since I’ve been here. For the most part when I’m walking through town people don’t seem to pay much attention to me. They act like they see white people here all the time when in fact there are none that I’ve seen; not between the Tacloban airport and here which is a three hour drive, nor anywhere along the hour drive south to Maasin or in the ‘city’ of Maasin. I think they are being polite. The Filipinos are a very kind, friendly, polite, generous, fun loving people.