In a noisy Filipino cockpit, Dennis de la Cruz smiles from ear to ear as he watches his roosters rip apart their opponents in a frenzy of blood and feathers.
Closed for two years during the Covid-19 pandemic, traditional cockfighting arenas are back to full capacity throughout the archipelago.
Banned in many countries, cockfighting, or “sabong”, is extremely popular in the Philippines, where it generates millions of dollars in betting every week.
Roosters with artificial metal spurs on their legs fight to the death, to the applause of bystanders, mostly men.
“In our village, more than half of the people are involved in cockfighting,” de la Cruz, 64, told AFP during a recent derby in San Pedro, south of the capital Manila, where he nearly won the jackpot. of one million pesos (17,400 euros).
The son of a rooster operator, Mr. de la Cruz has never had a regular job, but lives on the earnings of the roosters raised by his nephew.
In this country of utter inequality, cockfighting is a rare “neutral ground” where rich and poor mix and play by the same rules, said anthropologist Chester Cabalza of the University of the Philippines.
Adhering to a strict code of honor, spectators have a habit of using hand signals, like stock brokers, to place their bets during a match that can last less than a minute.
A single fight often generates bets of 300,000 to 400,000 pesos, a fan told AFP.
After each fight – there are 15 of them per hour – the crumpled bills are tossed to the winning bettor.
Roosters must now be equipped with betting machines where winners can collect their money without multiplying crowd interactions.
“If your rooster wins, you come out of the ring like a tough guy, you give off a macho image,” says wild bird breeder Edwin Lumbres, puffing out his chest. “But if you lose, you put your head down and get your feet out.”
– “Till death” –
Fans defend this sport as an integral part of the national culture.
Katrina Del Espiritu Santo, of the People’s Association for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is fighting for a ban on a practice deemed cruel, in which birds are “forced to fight to the death”.
But in the Philippines, activist efforts are having little effect. Fighting roosters remain very popular there, they can cost between 3,000 and 15,000 pesos depending on their parent’s track record.
Fighting chickens are kept in metal cages outside homes in urban areas or in triangular-shaped sheds on farms.
When the roosters closed at the start of the pandemic, many small farmers who could no longer afford to feed their animals were forced to sell them at low prices or eat them.
Others admitted they staged illegal fights to make ends meet.
To revive the tradition and bring revenue to the state coffers emptied by the pandemic, former president Rodrigo Duterte had issued permits to organize online fights.
The 24-hour “e-sabong” fighting took place in empty arenas and allowed people to bet on their cell phones.
The popularity of the sport has exploded, as have the earnings.
The government was earning 640 million pesos a month in entrance fees, according to its then president.
Charlie Ang, who runs Lucky 8 Star Quest, told a Senate investigation that Filipinos wager between one and two billion pesos every day on his platform, which he says accounts for about 95% of bets.
But 34 industry employees went missing this year and local media reported suicides of debt-ridden gamblers.
Under pressure, Mr. Duterte ended up stopping the fighting online shortly before his term ended in June.
With the easing of restrictions, local governments have gradually allowed traditional cockroaches to resume fighting, a relief for millions of Filipinos.
“People were angry that their favorite hobby had been taken away,” said Dondon Clanor, a 45-year-old enthusiast. “Now everyone is happy”.
