I've been to farms before but it's the first time for me to see so much gamefowls in concrete teepees in my life!
I came to know that there are many farms like this all over the Philippines. As it is legal in the Philippines, this 50-million lucrative industry is a source of livelihood, employment, and a decent form of income to roughly two million Filipinos. It is the second most popular sport in the country next to basket ball. It even has a lot of publications such as "Pit Games Magazine" and "Llamado". It also has TV shows such as "Sultada" and "Sagupaan". Enthusiasts feels that it is deeply carved in the Philippine culture and is an respectful application of both science and art.
As these creatures are territorial in nature, they are tied to their own assigned area and they can't reach the others. As you can see, like in any agribusiness, all of them are well taken care of. They are dewormed and fed conditioning feeds and supplements such as antibiotics and vitamins AMTYL 500 and AMBROXITIL for antibiotics.
The farm is big so it even has a training center.
The former one is for people, this one is for the animals. It's a mental conditioning process so this is created to mimic of the actual arena.
Mini Zoo
El Dia Gamefarm is currently being developed to be a recreational and tourist area.
They have a mini zoo which is composed of mostly aviary animals.
Monkey |
Rabbits |
They also have crocodiles.
After this, we had a lunch at their amazing farm-to-table restaurant Estancia De Lorenzo.
Tagaytay Excellence Tourist Arena (TETA)
While I enjoyed the animals and the food in Rizal, my favorite part is visiting their smaller farm at the Tagaytay Excellence Tourist Arena (TETA) in Brgy. Malaki Tagaytay City.
We got a closer look and a deeper understanding about the nature and handling of gamefowls.
Hardening Pen |
Each player has a set of blade (tari) which is quite scary to handle.
It is so sharp that it can slice a hair into half.
Since ancient times, these gamefowls fight each other by instinct. Each breed has it's own fighting styles. You have to hold it by the tail feathers and bring them close three times to prepare them and they'll automatically do what they are born to do.
I never knew how witty and swift they can be.
Just across the farm is the Tagaytay Excellence Tourist Arena (TETA) itself. I've heard that this is one of the best in the area. I'm quite impressed actually. I thought it was some scary wood structure.
Overall, the experience has been an eye opener for me. Are you like me too?