00:00Is the sound of horses' hooves still there?
00:06Just like what is being done in Barangay Ampihanon in Baybay City, Salete.
00:18Once upon a time, in a remote barangay in Baybay City, Salete.
00:24There was an incident where not a chicken, but a group of horses.
00:41So that the horses won't get in the way, some of them climbed up a coconut tree.
00:47Because there is no barrier in the arena or in the field.
00:51Horses are especially aggressive.
00:54Just like this one, who just started the fight,
00:57he grabbed and kicked his opponent.
01:10Until his near-rest vacation,
01:12he also grabbed a shoe and forcefully pushed him into the river.
01:16Where they continued to fight fiercely.
01:23Until they chased each other in the field.
01:25Where they were more aggressive.
01:27That's why the viewers were shocked.
01:41They don't shout when they fight.
01:46Horses don't shout when they fight.
01:49They just enjoy the fight.
01:56But wait.
01:57Is it not prohibited for horses to fight?
02:03The so-called horse fight was held in this lot in Barangay Ampihanon.
02:08One day after their fight.
02:11This horse fighting is held almost every year.
02:15It's a tradition here that there is a game like that after the feast.
02:20This year, three pairs of horses fought.
02:25One of the winners of the three horse duels that day was Jerry.
02:31His name is not real.
02:33He fought against his two-year-old brown horse.
02:38But he was also happy to find a way to make ends meet.
02:42I fed it first before I fought.
02:44I brought it there.
02:45It's just once in a while.
02:46It's a pleasure.
02:47The black horse that won the game was the winner.
02:51But it's not allowed in their barangay.
02:53Like other horse fighting,
02:55three horses are used in each duel.
02:59Two men will fight.
03:01And a woman will be fed in the middle with a string in her nose.
03:05For the two men,
03:10to be aggressive.
03:12Because of an open space,
03:14a circle was cut in the ground.
03:17If the horse crosses the circle,
03:20or stands up twice,
03:22to its opponent,
03:23it's a loss.
03:24If the number is ten, it's a loss.
03:26If the number is ten, it's a win.
03:32At first,
03:33Eddie's horse looks aggressive.
03:36But in the middle of the game,
03:38it suddenly ran away.
03:42It ran away twice.
03:44But because of a series of attacks and bites,
03:48the black horse, Jerry's opponent,
03:51lost.
03:55This is his wound.
03:56This one.
03:57This one.
03:58It's a wound.
03:59One, two, three,
04:00four,
04:01five,
04:02six,
04:03seven, eight.
04:04Eight wounds.
04:05All of these wounds,
04:07the opponent is strong.
04:08Because my hand ran away.
04:10It ran away again.
04:12According to Jerry,
04:13no matter what,
04:14nothing happened.
04:16Even so,
04:17they received a consolation prize.
04:20They gave us P500.
04:22Then they lost to me.
04:24I asked for P200.
04:25The one who won,
04:26he gave me P300.
04:27I used it to eat.
04:28I was so happy that I received P200.
04:30I really don't want to fight that
04:32because we earn that
04:34for our needs.
04:37I don't like fighting horses
04:39because it's pitiful.
04:40Horses hurt.
04:41They bite.
04:42And people,
04:43when they get hit,
04:44it's pitiful too.
04:46It's been 500 to 600 years
04:49that there's horse fighting here in the Philippines.
04:52This is part of their rituals,
04:54traditions,
04:55and their festivals
04:56for their ethnic groups.
04:57Many continue this
04:59in the north of our country,
05:01in Mindanao.
05:02There are also some in Visayas.
05:06But sometimes,
05:08the horse fighting
05:10is not just fun,
05:11it's also done
05:12as a waste,
05:13a gamble,
05:14a luxury
05:15that causes
05:16up to
05:17P100,000.
05:20Even so,
05:21because it's an abuse
05:22to horses,
05:24some sectors
05:25consider it a crime.
05:27It is a cruel act.
05:28We put them
05:29in a situation
05:30where they can't run.
05:31We treat them
05:32as something
05:33that's disposable,
05:35when in fact,
05:36they have lives
05:37and they get hurt.
05:38And according to
05:39Republic Act 8485,
05:41or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998,
05:44horse fighting
05:46is illegal.
05:47If proven guilty,
05:49the penalty
05:51would be imprisonment
05:53from 6 months
05:54up to 2 years.
05:55They can also
05:56pay fines
05:57in the amount
05:58of P30,000
05:59up to P100,000.
06:00The penalty
06:01would be
06:02who instigated
06:03and who started
06:04the horse fighting.
06:07For the indigenous people,
06:10there is a law
06:12that allows them
06:13to do it
06:14due to their tradition.
06:16But now,
06:17there is no law
06:18that prohibits it.
06:20So,
06:21despite the law
06:23that prohibits it,
06:24why is it still
06:25possible
06:26for a duel
06:27like this
06:28to happen
06:29in a barangay fiesta?
06:32Our team
06:33investigated
06:34before going
06:35to the barangay hall.
06:36And according to
06:37the barangay's leadership,
06:39they were not given
06:40the permission
06:41to engage
06:42in horse fighting.
06:45The barangay
06:46doesn't really allow it.
06:47It's being cooked!
06:49Oh my!
06:50It's being cooked!
06:51It's being cooked!
06:52It's being cooked!
06:53It's being cooked!
06:54It's being cooked!
06:55That's why they didn't know
06:56that horse fighting
06:57had already happened
06:58because we are busy
06:59here in the barangay.
07:00Ouch!
07:01It's burning!
07:02Ah!
07:03The incident
07:04was done without a fence.
07:05So, it's really dangerous
07:06for the people.
07:07Our team
07:08also investigated
07:09who was behind
07:10the organization
07:11of this kind
07:12of horse fighting.
07:14There was someone
07:15who allowed
07:16horse fighting
07:17but we didn't
07:18allow it.
07:19Our team
07:20looked for
07:21the person
07:22who was taught
07:23by the barangay,
07:24Mark.
07:25He doesn't have
07:26a real name.
07:27I like horse fighting.
07:28Mark clarified
07:29that he didn't
07:30organize
07:31a duel
07:32or a horse fight.
07:33He said
07:34that he only
07:35approached
07:36men
07:37who asked
07:38for a prize.
07:39It's just for fun.
07:40So, I said,
07:41it's just for fun.
07:42The prize is yours.
07:43It's up to you.
07:44However,
07:45he admitted
07:46that the barangay
07:47didn't know
07:48how to play.
07:49They know that.
07:50In the barangay,
07:51no one plays.
07:52I'm leaving.
07:53But they didn't
07:54ask for a prize.
07:55We are
07:56not allowed
07:57to participate
07:58in horse fighting.
07:59Alright,
08:00let's go!
08:01It's just for fun.
08:02We are used to
08:03having fun
08:04and people
08:05are happy.
08:06For us,
08:07it's not
08:08allowed.
08:09It's really forbidden.
08:10The person
08:11who gave
08:12the sponsor
08:13can say
08:14that he
08:15tolerates
08:16that kind
08:17of
08:18horse fighting.
08:19They can
08:20be
08:21liable.
08:22Even if
08:23there's no money,
08:24it's not
08:25gambling or
08:26gambling,
08:27it's still
08:28cruelty.
08:29It's still against
08:30the law.
08:31Let's stop
08:32supporting
08:33these activities
08:34because if
08:35there's no support
08:36or no protest,
08:37it won't
08:38happen.
08:39We are going
08:40to investigate.
08:41We will also report
08:42to our chief of police
08:43so that it won't
08:44happen to other
08:45barangays.
08:47Now,
08:48I found out
08:49that it's
08:50illegal.
08:51I won't be given
08:52a premium.
08:53I don't want to be
08:54affected.
08:55Let's make it
08:56clear again
08:57and make it
08:58clear
08:59that horse
09:00fighting
09:01is
09:02illegal.
09:03It's not
09:04allowed
09:05by the law.
09:06It should
09:07not only
09:08be
09:09for fun,
09:10it should
09:11also
09:12be
09:13violent.
09:15Thank you for watching!
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