{"id":279479,"date":"2018-07-06T06:00:21","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T20:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=279479"},"modified":"2018-07-06T06:00:21","modified_gmt":"2018-07-05T20:00:21","slug":"cockfighting-is-in-our-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/cockfighting-is-in-our-blood\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Cockfighting is in our blood\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
The local cockfighting arena was packed last Sunday as cockfighting enthusiasts enjoy the cockfighting derby. (Kimberly A. Bautista)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although cockfighting may seem grotesque to many, to those who participate in the sport, it represents family tradition and culture. <\/p>\n

The Saipan Tribune was able to briefly enter the world of cockfighting last Sunday, while the local cockfighting arena hosted a cockfighting derby. <\/p>\n

Upon stepping into the arena, you\u2019ll immediately find dozens of cocks caged and prepared to battle to the death. Although the concept seems cruel, it is more than just provoking two animals to kill each other, according to Raynaldo Guanlao. <\/p>\n

Guanloa is a seasoned cock breeder, conditioner, and he is also seasoned in the tying of knives unto the ankles of fighting cocks which many cannot do. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came here, I did not know that there was cockfighting but when I found out, I was happy that I could continue my hobby…I\u2019ve been doing this since 1989\u2026in the Philippines\u2026 It\u2019s in our blood, it\u2019s our culture especially it\u2019s been done in our family clan\u2026me and my family we have a farm where we raise chickens for cockfighting,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe raise the chickens to fight and the owners bet. I just tie the knife to their birds and they give me like $20… just sideline to earn money,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Guanlao said that aside from tradition, it\u2019s also a means to make extra cash for those who are barely making ends meet and its entertainment that brings different ethnic groups together. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just a way for us to make some money, entertain ourselves, and it brings us together because look we have Filipinos here, locals\u2026we\u2019re watching, and we\u2019re happy,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

According to Guanlao, cockfighting is also a far better way to gamble compared to the poker parlors and casino that litter the island, and cockfighting also garners revenue for the government because it is taxed. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is gambling but compared to poker and casino\u2026this is fair\u2026 those are machines programmed to win. This one is just breeding your bird, conditioning your bird, then fight\u2026For me, I prefer cockfighting because even though there is gambling, it is fair,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

When asked about the recent bill to ban cockfighting in the CNMI and how he felt about it as a cockfighting enthusiast, Guanlao said it would be saddening. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it would be sad because this is my culture, our sport, and we\u2019ve been doing this since my great grandparents so if they stop this, for me, its very sad,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

When asked about animal cruelty, Guanlao said that chickens are killed regularly and eaten savagely. Cockfighting is done as an extra step before the chicken is killed and eaten. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe eat these animals already\u2026for the mean- time we let them fight and whichever dies, we eat it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Guanlao said that winnings of the triumphant fightingcock\u2019s owner is taxed 10 percent. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although cockfighting may seem grotesque to many, to those who participate in the sport, it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":279480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[256,21836,21837,199],"class_list":["post-279479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-casino","tag-philippines-it","tag-raynaldo-guanlao","tag-sport-2-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}