Animal Rights movement and Traditional Cockfighting: A case study of selected residence in Alawihao Daet Camarines Norte A thesis proposal Presented to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences Camarines Norte State College In Partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Sociology Jeffrey C. Cerilo 2023 Table of contents 1. _________________________________Background of the study 2. _________________________________Background of the study 3. _________________________________Background of the study 4. _________________________________Definition of term 5. _________________________________Significance of the study 6. _________________________________Objectives of the study & Scope and delimitation 7. _________________________________ Chapter 2 RRL/S Cockfighting as sports 8. _________________________________ Animal rights 9. _________________________________Cockfighting & criminal activity 10. _________________________________Culture and Religion of cockfighting 11. _________________________________ Labeling Theory 12. _________________________________ Labeling Theory 13. _________________________________ Theoretical framework 14. _________________________________ Methodology, Data collection procedure, Population of the study 15. _________________________________ Sampling technique, Ethical consideration Chapter 1 Background of the study Cockfighting is a form of gambling where money is involved, a lot of people tolerate the said activity and it can be seen everywhere, however “Cockfighting is an age-old practice in which two or more specially bred birds, known as gamecocks, are placed in an enclosed pit to fight for the primary purposes of gambling and entertainment. A typical cockfight can last anywhere from several minutes to more than half an hour and usually results in the death of one or both birds” (The facts about cockfighting, n.d.). According to Gonzales (2021) Philippine cockfighting started 6,000 years ago, however Ferdinand Magellan’s chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta first witness the modern cockfighting in 1525 in the kingdom of Taytay Palawan and documented it, additionally cockfighting is still legal and popular in the Philippines and a billion dollar industry, currently Philippine has approximately 2,500 stadiums across the country where about 30 million rooster fight and die every year In history the treatment towards animals was given attention and study by the early social scientist, “Up until the 17th century, philosophers regarded animals as being quite distinct from human beings; human beings had rationality whereas animals had none. This meant that animals had only instrumental value and could be used in any way that human beings desired. During the Enlightenment, philosophers started to realize that the distinction was not clear, animals had some rationality. Bentham (1823) pointed out that rationality was not the important factor; animals could suffer and that was what mattered; animals had intrinsic value. Also, during the 19th century, as part of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, it was seen that states of suffering and states of pleasure could also be adaptive. Although the foundation was now in place, the emergence of modern animal welfare science was delayed through the first 70 years of the 20th century by Behaviorism, which eschewed any consideration of subjective experiences. It took a controversial book by a layperson, Ruth Harrison, to stir both the scientific and philosophical community into developing theories of animal welfare and a book by an ethologist, Donald Griffin, to make it acceptable to study the feelings of animals” (Duncan, n.d.). The Animal Welfare Act of 1998 is a significant law in the Philippines that aims to protect the welfare of animals. It prohibits acts of cruelty towards animals, such as maltreatment, torture, killing, and neglect. The law also regulates the sale, transport, and handling of animals to ensure their welfare. Violators of this law may face penalties, including fines and imprisonment (Attorneys of the Philippines, 2023). In 1974, the Cockfighting Law was passed. It acknowledged sabong as “a popular, traditional, and customary form of recreation and entertainment among Filipinos” that should be “a vehicle for the preservation and perpetuation of native Filipino heritage and, thereby, enhance our national identity.” According to cockfighting the Cockfighting Law of 1974, also known as Presidential Decree No. 449, was a law in the Philippines that banned cockfighting in certain locations and imposed penalties for those who violated the law. The law prohibited cockfighting within 200 meters of a school or any public place, including markets, alleys, and streets. It also prohibited the holding of a cockfighting derby without a license from the mayor or provincial governor. Any person caught violating the law would be punished with imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to 2,000 pesos or both. The law also authorized the confiscation of all equipment used in illegal cockfighting events, including the gamecocks themselves. The purpose of the law was to ensure the safety and well-being of the public and to prevent the proliferation of illegal gambling and other criminal activities associated with cockfighting. Despite this law, however, cockfighting remains a popular and widespread activity in the Philippines, particularly in rural areas. According to Agcaoili et. al, (n. d.) In the Middle Ages, Persian brought cockfighting to Greece, however most experts believe that the tradition itself originated from Southeast Asia. During 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 449 creating the “Cockfighting Law of 1974” which governed the establishment and operations of cockpits in the country. As stated in the law, cockfighting is a vehicle for the preservation of Filipino culture which may enhance the national identity. On the other hand, cockfighting is a controversial issue since it violates animal rights as a form of cruelty to animals according to Kjonnas (n. d) The established movement for animal protection started in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Bills against animal cruelty were passed in England and several American states. In the mid1800s the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals formed, and anti-vivisection (animal research) movements appeared. Definition of term Culture: Tradition: Deviance: Animal rights: Animal welfare: Symbolic interaction: Labelers Labeled Significance of the study This study will show how our society deals with animals regarding on cockfighting, it benefits others including Society: knowing different perspectives in our society regarding cockfighting will widen the knowledge and understanding about the justification of every individual on how they perceived animal rights and cockfighting as a collective ideology that construct our society. Government: This study will give awareness or guide to make a ethical treatment or either enhance peace and order or promote government income and cultural identity. Parents: cockfight as a form of violence and animal cruelty will give awareness to parents to guide the thoughts of their children from cockfighting. Concerned citizens: Awareness of the citizen regarding on cockfighting and animal rights will serve as a guide on how they treat animals without breaking the norms of animal rights or animal welfare. Future researcher: the result of a study will benefits future researchers in order to enhance the knowledge and information about the topic. Objectives of the study The objectives of this study are the following: 1. To understand how animal rights movement and cultural cockfighting influences the residence in Alawihao Daet Camarines Norte specifically its aims to answer the following question: • Why does cockfighting or sabong gives negative perception on residence? • How does animal rights affect Alawihao residence? • How does animal rights movement affect traditional cockfighting? 2. To explain the impact of animal rights movement on residence and 3. To know how they perceived cockfighters or themselves engaging in that particular activity or sport. Scope and delimitation This study will explore the perspectives of residence in Alawihao Daet Camarines Norte towards animal rights and cockfighting, it also involves their experiences with regards on animal rights that shape their views on how they see cockfighting. Chapter 2 Related literature and studies Cockfighting as sports Before rooster get into cockpit arena first it should go through proper training of fighting skills to be qualified in the game, the cock or chicken are paired together depends on their physical qualities such as height, weight and wingspan, after paring the cock, a gaff or local term as “tari” and a leg band are attached on the leg of the cock, cock and the owner are assigned to a specific side “meron” and “wala” , the arena has a two area the VIP area ( very important person) and the area wherein regular participants watch. Due to pandemic, cockfighting is being shut for two years, dynamically cockfighting is a significant activity since million of dollars are bet on matches every week, when cockpits reopened, regulators wary of spreading the coronavirus through excessive crowd interaction ordered operators to install betting machines, so winners could collect their money from the cashier instead, “to revive the sport and get revenue flowing into government coffers drained by the Covid-19 response, former president Rodrigo Duterte issued permits to seven outfits to operate online cockfighting. Known as e-sabong, fights were held in empty arenas and streamed 24 hours a day, allowing people to place minimum bets of 200 pesos (US$3.40) per fight on their mobile phones SCMP, (2022) Animal Rights According to Orzechowski, (2020) animal rights is a complex issue however most of countries around the world has no laws protecting the rights of the animals or laws that acknowledge the existence of these rights although this right exists it does not recognize in most of the country. The ultimate goal of the animal rights movement is “to place animals “beyond use” of human beings, putting an end to exploitative industries and practices including laboratory testing, whaling, and puppy mills “. As stated in this article there is a lot of approach to achieve this goal such as Grassroot advocacy involving public demonstrations, as well as documentaries and other educational tools have long been deployed as methods of raising public awareness of the suffering endured by animals at human hands, as well as familiarizing the public with the concept of animal rights. In Philippines, animal rights is not fully recognized since generally people violated it, however there are laws in the Philippines concerned on animals which is animal welfare act of 1998, although, these rights prohibited and lessen deviant act towards animals, the said law has an exemption as being stated in republic act number 8485 section 6, “the killing of any animals other than cattle pigs, goat, sheep, poultry, rabbits, carabaos, horses, deer and crocodiles is likewise hereby declared unlawful except in the following instances: “ “(1) When it is done as part of the religious rituals of an established religion or sect or a ritual required by tribal or ethnic custom of indigenous cultural communities; however, leaders shall keep records in cooperation with the Committee on Animal Welfare;” Cockfighting and criminal activity According to ASPCA, (n.d), cockfighting is closely connected to other crimes such as gambling, drugs and acts of violence, cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states and is a felony offense in 42 states and the District of Columbia. The possession of birds for fighting purposes is prohibited in 39 states and the District of Columbia, and being a spectator at a cockfighting event is illegal in 43 states and the District of Columbia, however, aside from being cruel to animals it is also considered as national game obsession in the Philippines, gambling is the norm of cockfights, the primary reason the fight occur because of the large sums of money involved cockfight related assault home invasion and even murders are not uncommon, it attracts people to get involved in a range of criminal activity. Being addictive to this kind of activity can cause crime and other illegal activity, “the disappearance earlier in the year of 34 cockfighting workers, who are feared dead, and reports of gamblers being driven to financial ruin revealed the seedy side of e-sabong. Some punters reportedly killed themselves, while a woman was arrested for allegedly selling her baby to pay off debts. Under growing pressure from the public and lawmakers, Duterte reluctantly shut down online cockfighting soon before his term ended in June” SCMP, (2022). Cultural and Religious cockfighting Cockfighting is deeply rooted in Philippines way back from the Spanish government wherein it is being legal because they earned from the license that they issued, furthermore during 1861 the government assigned festive regarding on cockfighting as Filipino pastimes mostly men are involved on the spot Camaya, (2020) however in other country cockfighting is part of the religion (Balinese Hinduism) the cock fighting use as ceremonies and temple cleansing, they believed that the blood of the lost cock drive away evil spirit Adelaide, (2023) Theory This study is anchored on the labeling theory or social reaction theory of many social scientists ( Becker 1974, 1963; Erikson 1962 Kitsuse 1962; Prus and Grill, 2003 ) This theory is a version of symbolic interactionism, it stated that through interaction we give or impute meaning and definition regarding on something based on our experience, in connection with deviance, it is subjective therefore we interpret that an act either deviance or not based on our experience that shapes our views on how we see an act either it is right or wrong, according to this theory deviance is a collective action of people wherein it emphasize the interaction of deviant and other people since interaction is a big factor that influence every individual that resulted into how people perceived an act, the interaction is being governed by the imputed meanings for action and reaction of people that involves in interaction therefore if the response is negative it is deviance if the response is positive it perceived as non deviance, according to Kitsuse, (1962) “form of the behavior of person do not differentiate deviants from nondeviants ; it is the responses of the conventional and conforming members of the society who identify and interpret behavior as deviant which sociologically transform persons into deviants”. Furthermore from that people learn an act through primary and secondary deviation , Primary deviation refers to the initial stages of deviance, where an individual engages in behavior that violates social norms, but still considers themselves to be a conforming member of society whereas secondary deviation, on the other hand, refers to the continued and increased engagement in deviant behavior after being labeled as deviant by society. This can result in the individual feeling alienated from society and developing a deviant subculture with others who also engage in similar behaviors. Although animal rights is not yet fully conventionally considered, little by little there is a movement that describe or give meaning to the action of how we should treat animals, this movement influence individuals regarding on how they see animal fighting such as cockfighting, therefore the animal rights serves as labeler wherein cockfighting is being labeled as deviance arguing that it is a form of cruelty to animal that is against on their standard way of treating animals. Because of the negative effect of cockfighting as a form of gambling, it is being perceived or labeled by other people as deviant, however not all people perceive it the same especially the people engaged in cockfighting that commonly normalize the said activity or sport . The labeling theory interpreted deviance as a dynamic process that an individual’s perception of deviant can be change through symbolic interaction, as animal rights movement occur with having different way of approaches in achieving their goal the symbolic interaction happens in a way that people watches documentaries, public demonstration, and emotional tools used by animal rights advocates to raise the public awareness of the suffering injured by animals at human hands just like the bloodsport of animals, however numerous people are being obsessed in the said activity which perceiving it as a normal scenario of entertainment for them since it is being viewed as traditional and a practice, in the Philippines it is considered as legal as long as the said activity or sport has a permit issued by the government or from the municipality therefore it is not considered as criminal offense but considered deviant for animal rights advocates and for individuals that sees and has negative response on the said sport. Chapter 3 Methodology The researcher uses qualitative approach, the goal of the study is to know the perspectives of the residence on cockfighting thus it investigates and conceptualize human experience as it expressed in writing conducting the study will also use interview method wherein participants narrate their subject interest. Data collection procedure Data will be collected through a semi-structured interview. Semi-structured interviews are used in qualitative research to allow participants to express their experiences and perspectives in their own words. The researcher will conduct individual interviews with each participant using an interview guide that includes open-ended questions to explore the perspective toward cockfighting. Population of the study The respondents of the study are cockfighters and non-cockfighters residence in Alawihao Daet Camarines Norte who knows cockfighting with ages of 28 and above, 20 participants must interview to gather sufficient data for the study. Sampling technique The researcher will use a purposive sampling technique to choose the right participant that has the quality, knowledge, information, and characteristic that is relevant to the research questionnaires. Ethical considerations Ethical consideration will be addressed in the study. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants before the interviews. Participants will be informed about the purpose of the study and their rights as participants. Furthermore, confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained throughout the study and all data will be stored securely. Research questionnaires 1. How does documentaries, emotional videos and other similar things regarding on animals influence you as an individual? 2. Do you consider cockfighting as negative activity of human? Why? 3. What is your reaction on those people who love cockfighting? 4. In what way do you think cockfighting affect the lives of people? 5. Why do you think cockfighting should or should not legalize? 6. How and why did you get involved in cockfighting ? 7. How does cockfighting helps you as an individual? 8. How do you see yourself doing this kind of activity? 9. What can you say to those people saying that cockfighting violated animal rights? 10. Why do you think cockfighting should still legalize? Bibliography Humanesociety, (n.d.) The fact about cockfighting https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/facts-aboutcockfighting#:~:text=Animal%20suffering%20and%20cockfighting&text=Regardless%20 of%20how%20exhausted%20or,forced%20to%20continue%20to%20fight Gonzales R, (2021) Journey of the Barong Tagalog, Addendum Part 5: Cockfighting in 19th Century Art. 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