REY K. BAJENTING

Rey Bajenting is a professional roosterman, having been a handler, conditioner in his younger days, he is now a breeder.

He is also a writer. He had been a newspaperman, PR practitioner and Public Affairs Consultant. He had worked as Legislative Staff Chief in Congress, Consultant to the Governor of Cebu, and Executive Assistant at the |Office of the Executive Secretary in Malacanang.

Sabungeros, let’s brace ourselves

Prepare. The crisis will not be over soon. Sabong may not be back immediately as soon as Covid crisis is over. Moreover, financial crisis will stay for some time afterward.

Here is why:

Lockdown will slow the progression of the disease. It will Flatten the curve. It means slowing down the disease, not eradicating the disease altogether. It doesn't mean that after lockdown it will be back to normal.

No government will be able to eradicate the disease for many months. Until a cure or a vaccine is found. A vaccine is at least a year away. A vaccine takes 18 to 24 months to make, test, and evaluate. So, maybe we will have one in 2021.

Therefore for at least during the rest if 2020 ang early 2021 there is no going back to normal. That means no cockfighting. Even when the ECQ is lifted, many industries and sports, including sabong will not see instant recovery. We have to accept this reality.

It didn’t help that the so-called leaders of the Sabong industries, (the gambling lords, businessmen, federations, etc) were not doing anything to justify the existing of Sabong in the mid of worlwide sentiments against it as a form of cruelty to animals. The only argument for Sabong was it was part of Filipino tradition. However, these so-called leaders of the industry has transformed Sabong from traditional into instrument of big-time gambling operations and big business ventures.

Where was the Sabong that is part of our tradition?