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.

How will the end game play out?

As of August, 2020, there is still no clear end to the Covid crisis in the Philippines. All parts of the country are still under respective sort of community quarantine.

Will Sabong be back? When? Likely, it will not be very soon. And, for sure, it will not be back to normal as before Covid-19. Everyone is bent on self preservation that Sabungeros disagree on what best to do. Selfish motive may lead to mutual destruction.

Doubtful if there will still be multi-million –multi-stage stag derbies. Doubtful if we need or can afford as before the hundreds, if not thousands of chickens in our farms. The economy, not just ours, but of the whole world is badly beaten. So where will we get the money to throw away for our hobby, when most Sabungeros are badly hit?

But maybe, just maybe, the spirit of Sabong, the tradition, will remain. And, the few true Sabungeros will stay in the game, humble as it may return to being.

After all, the Sabong that is part of our tradition is not about expensive bloodline names, big bets and big events, big business and big-time gambling. It’s not about bragging rights . All of those happened due to the commercialization of Sabong and the advent of the internet.

Sabong is just between the Sabungero and his rooster and the friendly rivalry during traditional Sunday cockfights or during fiesta celebrations and occasional derbies. Bets are peanuts but the winner takes all the laugh.

Let’s pray for the best and brace ourselves for whatever will come.

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