KAPATAGAN, Philippines - More than 12 years after horsefighting was banned in the Philippines, the brutal and bloody sport remains very much alive in the betting underworld of the country.Horsefighting remains big business especially here on the southern island of Mindanao.
Authorities and local officials turn a blind eye toward this illegal sport that forces two stallions to fight each other over a mare in heat that is tethered inside the center circle of an enclosure.
The Philippines, China, Indonesia and South Korea are among the few countries that continue to practice horsefighting.
Kyodo News witnessed nine of 25 horse duels involving 50 horses, the highlight of a three-day horsefighting event to celebrate the founding of Kapatagan, a remote mountain village in Davao del Sur province.
More than 500 villagers, including schoolchildren, gathered in a makeshift bamboo and wood enclosure in a vacant farm lot in the town to witness the bloody, and sometimes deadly, duel of stallions.Organizers charged an entry fee of 150 pesos (about $3.20) to spectators. Those who could not afford to pay climbed the trees around the enclosure and perched on tree branches to get a view of fights.
Baby Oliamot, 45, brought her husband and five children, including her 5-year-old daughter, to watch the horsefights. Another daughter will catch up with them after school, she said.
"We came to have a good time. This is a form of relaxation to us farmers. It is not every day that we get to witness horsefighting," said Oliamot, a vegetable farmer. She lost 350 pesos in one of the matches.
Peter James Paluger, 12, and his classmates were among the spectators that also included drunk teenage boys and men who came after downing a few shots of local rum.
Vegetable farmer Jimjim Mazon, 22, said horsefighting is very popular among the villagers here.
"People love horses so they also love watching the horses fight. It's like seeing the other side of the horse -- from a farm to a fighting animal," he said.Horse owner Junel Castillo, 34, was beaming with pride after his 6-year-old stallion Bugoy won his bout.
"This is his sixth win," Castillo said. "He's a very strong horse. His fighting spirit is superb. I am very proud of my horse." He declined to discuss his winnings.
Castillo said he trained his horse for a month before entering him in the contest. "I make sure that my horse is properly fed and given vitamins to prepare him for the fight. It's worth it," he said.
It is not uncommon to see scarred stallions grazing in this farming village, a sign that horsefighting is indeed part of the villagers' way of life.
The scarred horses are the lucky ones. Other horses have gotten maimed or killed, according to some villagers.
Horsefighting, known locally "paaway kuda," is part of the culture of some of the indigenous peoples of Mindanao such as the Manobos, Bagobos and Matigsalugs.
"It's an old tradition. It's embedded in our culture," said Castillo, noting that Filipinos have a long tradition of blood sports involving spiders, dogs, and horses in addition to roosters or cocks.
Cockfighting is legal in the Philippines and is, in fact, a popular cultural tradition among Filipinos, rich and poor alike.
Horsefighting was outlawed by the Philippine government in 1998, but local officials and police seldom enforce the law.
The Animal Welfare Act of 1998 specifically bans horsefighting, with Section 6 of the law categorically stating that it is "unlawful to subject any dog or horse to dogfights or horsefights."
Animal welfare and rights activists are urging the government to strictly implement the law, saying that subjecting animals like horses to fights is cruel.
"We oppose any acts whereby humans incite, allow, or cause animals to fight," said Anna Cabrera of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society.Dogfighting, cockfighting, bullfighting and horsefighting are examples of animal blood sports, which glorify violence for the sake of monetary gain, entertainment, or other purposes.
Each horsefight lasts from a few minutes to an hour.
Before the horses are pitted against each other, their respective handlers douse them with water laced with sugar. A bread roll is then used to sponge off the water from the horse's body, mane and tail, and then fed to the horse. This is meant to ensure that no poison or harmful substances have been applied to the horse's body, giving it an unfair advantage over its opponent.
Around 30 bookies crowd inside the enclosure, shouting out bets.
When all the bets are in, the mare is then brought inside the center circle. The kicking, biting and galloping begin, officially kicking off a fight.
If one of the fighting stallions runs out of the circle and fails to enter the circle in one minute then that stallion loses the bout. A stallion also loses if it gallops out of the enclosure through a single exit
