Cockfighting, or “Sabong” has been referred to by many as a sport, a profession, a lifestyle even.  The locals call it a national pastime in the Philippines.  Sabong, which dates back to the pre-Spanish era, knows no class distinction, where rich and poor alike meet and enjoy the game.  Today, the activity is still overwhelmingly popular throughout the Philippines. It is as much a part of the culture as is eating pansit or playing pusoy dos.  It isn’t hard to guess that most westerners are appalled at the levels of violence and animal cruelty that go hand in hand with the sport of cockfighting. Cockfighting is considered a horrifying blood sport by animal welfare activists and others, due in some part to the physical pain the cocks inflict on each other. Advocates of the sport often list cultural and religious relevance as reasons for perpetuation of cockfighting as a sport.

Did you know that a rooster bred for Philippine cockfighting or “battle cock” is pampered more than a West Hollywood trophy wife?

Here’s the low down…..   

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“Long Live the Fearless Man” by Aissa Peñafiel and Miguel Ocampo is one of six winners of the Democracy video Challenge, launched online and at the United Nations. The competition invited citizens around the world to engage in an online dialogue on the nature of democracy by submitting video shorts that completed the phrase “Democracy is…”
Peñafiel and Ocampo said they wanted their video to have a “truly Filipino message” and not just limited to the presidential elections and Charter change. “As filmmakers, we want our films to be socially relevant,”
This video questions the way democracy is often operationalized, and how hunger and despair and fear and greed engulf and distort the practice of democracy. There is only one actor, and his body becomes a canvas for expressing the frustrations and tensions around democracy.”