In the Philippines, pig slaughter is necessary to obtain the country’s favourite meat, and cock fighting is considered by many to be the national sport.
The Philippines is well-known for its controversial methods of pig slaughter, where the pigs are rounded up and have their throats slit mercilessly while still alive. Then they are usually gutted ready for roasting and consumption. I have seen videos of this practice and it is very distressing for me to watch, let alone for the pig itself. Being a predominantly Christian nation, the Philippines has a great love of pork, and is a big part of meals there.
In Filipino cuisine, Lechon is a major foodstuff whereby the spit-roasted pig will be carved at will by partygoers in conjunction with the consumption of other snacks and condiments, almost in the same vein as a buffet. This is part of the culinary culture of the Philippines. Sometimes, piglets will be beaten to death with sticks and the meat cooked still with the taste of its blood infused. This is a popular style of cooking the Philippines. As well as that, you have a kind of pig blood stew that is also a common main course in this country.
Cock fighting is a popular blood sport in the Philippines, but also in other countries in South East Asia (as well as some states in the US, believe it or not). The cocks (or “mga sunoy” as they are known in the Visayas) are bred for war and they are pitted against each other for the entertainment of the crowd. As well as a common method of gambling in many parts of the Philippines, cock fighting can be a popular tourist activity to watch, and although some people may be revolted by the idea, you have to remember that it is part of the Filipino culture. Luckily, I did not see much of this going on during my time in the country.
These cock fights can be brutal and totally bloody, and the winning bird is the one that kills the other. We are not talking just about ripping feathers out of each other; these birds are trained to kill each other, yet only one can win. The dead bird is presented to the owner of the winning bird as a trophy of their success.
As the pig slaughtering and cock fighting become more and more controversial to the outside world, you have to remember that for Filipinos in the Visayas especially, it’s just part of their daily life!
backpackerlee 
wow,cock fighting looks brutal!
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I didn’t like to see it, that’s for sure. But I also saw it in Yogyakarta in Indonesia first, so I was not exactly new to it all…
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I know its common here in philippines.but never been. Looks too rough for me.
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Reblogged this on Seeking Digital and commented:
A look at a slightly grittier part of Philippine life!
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Cock fighting isn’t really part of the daily life for the average Filipino in the city haha. I’d say half of the people in Manila haven’t really seen a cock fight in person.
It’s brutal (a small blade is attached to the leg of each cock), but right up to the point where they fight, the owners have real pride in their stock. They’re bred to fight, but also spoiled like a brat 🙂
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I know you are right! I was basing my article on the Visayas, not Manila. 😛 But anyway, thanks for the additional information. I didn’t know the cocks had blades… 😮
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I saw some cockfighting in the news and was caught off guard! Thought it was pretty funny and interesting 🙂 Where I’m from, Vietnam, we eat the entire pig as well!
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I loved a lot of my time in Vietnam, but I was very scared by the kinds of things Vietnamese people eat! 😮 Snake hearts…tarantulas…and now whole pigs? Oh well, I would try the pig, but not the other stuff. What is the whole pig called in Vietnam?
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Oh yeah that definitely sounds normal! I think its back then when people were so poor they made use of the entire animal or different animals in order to eat more! 🙂 im sure it was quite a culture shock!
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