The purple crabs of Palawan – The Insulamon genus

05/17/2018 PhilLife Leave a comment

This stunning species of tiny, colourful crustacean has only been found in the Philippines, exclusively in the Palawan island group. Previously, only one species within the Insulamon genus was known. A study released in 2012 by Hendrik Freitag of the Senckenberg Museum of Zoology in Dresden, Germany has described four new species in the Insulamon Genus.

The four species discovered in 2012 range between about an inch or 2.5 centimetres to 2 inches or 5.3 centimetres wide and feature a striking purple colour on their shell.

Extensive investigations into the freshwater crabs in the area began back in the late 1980’s. At this time one species within the Insulamon genus was found – the Insulamon Unicorn. This means there’s now a total of five known species within the Insulamon genus found in the Palawan island group.

The biggest of the four new species Is the Insulamon Magnum followed by the Insulamon Palawenese and the Insulamon Johannchristiani. Then the smallest of the species is the Insulamon Porculum.

The Insulamon features and habitat

The species feature a distinct purple shell with red tips on its legs and claws. There are many theories as to why the crabs have developed the vibrant purple colour on its shell.

First, there is the possibility that it serves no purpose at all, it may have just evolved by chance. Another theory is that it serves as a visual signal for the crabs to recognise their own species. It is known that crabs can recognise and react to colour. This does add to the credibility of the shell colour having a signal function.

This theory could help explain colour variations between the Insulamon species. The large males within the species generally appear more reddish as opposed to the immature males and females who appear in a more violet tone.

The Insulamon species seems to be endemic to the Palawan island group. They are mostly found in small, lowland-forest ecosystems. The discovery of this species adds to the Philippines standing as one of 17 countries which are home to most of the earths animal life.

The Insulamon are semi-aquatic, they burrow along the banks of streams, as well as usually being found under boulders and roots. The crabs emerge at nights, entering the water to forage. They feed on dead plants, fruit and small animals.

The Insulamon face many threats to their existence. They are prey to reptiles, birds and other mammals, as well as local populations in remote areas of Palawan collecting them for food. The Insulamon also face threats to their habitat. This is due to deforestation relating to farming, mining and the construction of housing. They also face water pollution due to heavy industry operating on the island.

Culture

Cockfighting in the Philippines: The billion dollar industry and national obsession

05/14/2018 PhilLife 1 Comment

The spectacle of fighting animals has long been a part of human history. From bullfighting all the way down to cockfighting, the fighting has existed across many cultures in some form. In many countries, however, animal fighting, particularly cockfighting has been banned due to its violent and cruel nature. Despite this controversial standing, for many, it’s still seen as a competition just like any other

In the Philippines, cockfighting has climbed to a whole new level. Cockfighting in the Philippines is a booming Billion-Dollar Industry that has not only captured the heart of the entire nation, but also the world at large.

Popularly known as Sabong, cockfighting isn’t just legal in the Philippines (yes, that’s right, cockfighting in the Philippines is totally legal), it’s also a national obsession. The popular cockfighting competition takes place in approximately 2500 dedicated stadiums across the country where an estimated 30 million roosters are killed each year. Much to the dismay of animal rights organizations in the country, who continue to oppose the practice.

But this has not dampened the spirits of the fans. Watching the sport is more or else seen in a similar vein as watching football during the weekend. But who can blame them? Watching things/people fight has a certain gravity to it.

Sabong – A 6000 year old tradition

Sabong is more than just entertainment. The sport is considered as a very important culture to the Philippines people. Cockfighting in the country dates back 6000-years ago, which could have a played a big role in its legalization. In fact, the sport is considered to be the country’s national sport, second to basketball.

Cockfighting is a billion-dollar industry in the Philippines

Sounds too hard to believe, right? Well, beyond the cultural and other traditional aspects, cockfighting has become a lucrative sport. As of now, cockfighting in the Philippines is estimated to be worth billions of dollars. It’s an industry that generates astonishingly massive revenue.

There is a lot of money to be made on bets. In other countries like America and Europe, bets are made on football games, horse races, car races, and even soccer games. In the Philippines, the majority of bets are made on cockfights. The only difference is bets are made by word of mouth and through precise hand signals—there are no betting counters or any tickets sold.

Bets usually range from 10 to 100 dollars for the spectators sitting in the cheap seats and from 1000 to 10000 dollars to the VIP bleachers seated next to the ring. Betting is an integral part of the process, many Filipinos regularly bet on fights hoping to attain an extra income.

Besides the betting, selling gamecocks is a multimillion business. Americans travel all the way to the Philippines to sell their fighting roosters. It’s quite a lucrative business since, according to The United Gamefowl Breeders in the US, a good number of its members raise hundreds of gamecocks where they make around 1000 dollars or up to 2500 dollars for a single rooster.

Clearly, it’s a game that has attracted loads and loads of investors, which has, in turn, contributed to a boost in the country’s economy.

The roosters’ eligibility for participation

To participate in the competition, the cocks must be properly trained by their owners. The training usually involves teaching the rooster proper fighting skills. The owner must also feed the roosters with a strong, healthy diet, especially one that contains vitamins, and supplements. Vaccines and antibiotics are incorporated as part of the roosters’ growth life.

After a fight, the owners often slip cayenne pepper up the roosters’ anuses in a bid to revive them. However, most cock owners are resorting to faster and more effective methods of reviving their birds like steroids and other energy enhancing drugs.

The World Slasher Cup Cockfighting Super Bowl

The World Slasher Cup is the cockfighting Super Bowl, which is basically a 5-7 day series of about 648 cockfighting matches that are held in downtown Quezon City, Manila. Famed as the coliseum where Joe Frazier battled it out with Muhammad Ali, the 20,000-seat arena now hosts thousands of cockfighting fanatics.

The stadium features several screens which broadcast the fight. Inside the ring are two referees with the fighting cocks. As the game continues, thousands of spectators become increasingly immersed in the spectacle.

The fighting roosters are extremely aggressive. Each fighter is brought inside the ring and “touches gloves” with the opponent. They are then taken to the corners of the ring. The first whistle blow by the referee signals the start of the first round. As the spectators cheer on, the roosters jump on each other with their sharp claws, this is soon followed by clouds of feathers flying through the air.

Bringing excitement to the cockpit

To make the fights much faster and more aggressive, the roosters are fitted with sharp 3-inch blades that are generally attached to their left legs. The main purpose of the sharp blades is to strike the opponent and then finish the job with their beaks. The trainers often train their birds to attack with their legs and feet first before making the final, killer blow. Besides making the fights faster and aggressive, the blades are attached to make the matches “more interesting and fun for the trainers/owners and gamblers.”

To make the bird even more aggressive before the fight, the trainers often spit on the cock’s head in order to anger it before going into the fight. During the fight, the more powerful and aggressive bird will forcefully rip away some of its opponent’s features. If the blade doesn’t do extensive damage on the opponent, the opponent will live to fight another round.

Right before the second round, the fighters only get a 15 seconds recovery period. The short recovery time is often given to leave no chance for the injured birds to regain their strength. If one bird is severely injured, it will only take a few blows to kill them during the subsequent round, making the fights even faster and more fun.

When the fight comes to an end, bets are exchanged as the spectators cheer on. Most fights take approximately 15 minutes. The fast-paced matches are accompanied by noise from the spectators, which can be deafening.

The wrap-up

While some consider cockfighting as a “disgusting and outdated practice”, it’s a popular sport and past-time fun activity for the people of the Philippines. Considering cockfighting is a billion-dollar industry, most have hailed it as a great source of revenue for the country. Watching the game can be disturbing for some, it still maintains massive support from a large sector of the population.

Click here to read more about the vibrant culture of the Philippines

History

The mystery of Pre-Colonial Philippines

05/02/2018 PhilLife 1 Comment

When someone talks about the history of the Philippines, the conversation generally begins with the arrival of the Spanish. Few people recognise the nation even existed, let alone had a system of governance and was even quite prosperous before the coming of the Spanish and other colonizers.

The land had a rich culture with a people who had established themselves in rather unbelievable ways. Pre-colonial Philippines has been quoted by some historians and other rather influential people as being one of the most progressive societies to ever exist to this moment.

A brief look at the history books reveals a land where there was a very rich culture of agriculturalists, innovators and empowerment beyond comparison. So, what was the culture like before the Spanish colonized this land? It is vital to note that the name Philippine is attributed to Dominican Priest and Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos who named the Philippine Islands after Phillip II in 1543. The name was automatically adopted henceforth.

This piece is, however, about the rich culture the country had before colonization. Here are a few points to note, therefore, about pre-colonial Philippines.

Their women were very powerful

A look at the pre-colonial Philippines reveals a society where there was a lot of equality when it comes to gender. Women were just as powerful as men in terms of family hierarchy, societal placement, leadership and even professionalism. The women had a lot of say on how the family unit operated from making key decisions such as the number of kids to have and their spacing. They also solely decided the names of their kids.

In certain instances, women were even thoroughly revered by men because of the power and influence they yielded. It was a common sign to see men walking behind women as a show of respect. As well, just like men, women owned and inherited property, had equal opportunity in almost all professions and craftsmanship and also led their respective territories.

They had good foreign relations especially with the Chinese

Pre-colonial Philippines generally had very good relations with foreigners. They traded with the Arabs, Chinese and even Indians. History reveals that the trading expertise of native Filipinos gave them a name halfway across the world. Their trade was, however, not outstanding with the Chinese. People could consider them trade buddies because of the level of trust between the two.

It is said that the honesty of the Philippines greatly surprised the Chinese and improved their trade relations. So much was the trust that at times the Chinese would leave their goods at the ocean shore and come back for their traded items late on whereupon the Filipinos would surrender the returns without question. This made the Chinese the greatest trade partners of the ancient Philippines.

Their tribes were either highlanders or lowlanders.

The indigenous Filipinos include several tribes that existed way before the coming of the modern Filipinos. These tribes have been traced almost 50,000 years back according to archaeological evidence. It is important to notice that there are 2 major subdivisions for the 134 indigenous Filipino tribes. They were either highlanders or lowlanders. After colonization, the lowlanders were majorly influenced in terms of culture erosion by the colonizers. The highlanders, however, maintained the majority of their culture even during and after colonization. This was majorly influenced by the inaccessibility of the highlands that discouraged the colonizers.

The majority of the indigenous people of northern Philippines are referred to as Igorot while those found within the mainland Mindanao are called the Lumad. The tribes co-existed peacefully and engaged in many activities amongst themselves which strengthened their relations as well as that of foreigners. The tribes and sub-tribes also intermarried and visited each other to ensure they correlated well.

Their differences were more of a strength than a weakness which helped them in improving their general operations and life as a whole. While there were 134 ethnic groups in the Philippines, 135 languages still exist till now and one is known by the majority, if not all of the Philippines population. This common language is Tagalog and is currently used as the national language.

Several professions already existed

The ancient Filipinos were a predominantly an agricultural society with large tracts of land having both animal and crops. This made them self-sufficient in terms of food. Do not, however, be fooled that they were only agriculturalists. They had very many other professions that saw them create a well-rounded society. These professions included mining, seafaring, hunting, weapon making, smithing and even textiles.

This made them produce a lot of items that they could use and trade in. This as well made them one of the richest and most-skilled pre-colonial settlements known to man. Many foreigners came to settle within the Filipinos because of their skill-set and their friendly and honest lifestyle.

Islam was the major religion

Islam is said to be the oldest single religion to ever exist in the pre-colonial Philippines. This is attributed to the trade relations between the ancient Filipinos and Muslim traders from The Persian Gulf and other surrounding areas. This happened in the 14th century and quickly spread to the rest of Philippines with a major concentration of Muslims
in the southern region of Mindanao.

The greatest warriors in terms of fighting against the west and general colonization were the Muslims with most of their clerics such as Rajah Sulayman who was the Muslim Rajah (leader) of Maynila, staging fights that have gone down history as some of the longest resistance against colonizers. Islam is currently a religion practised by 6% of the Philippine population in the modern day, with Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism taking a big chunk of the current Philippine population.

It is evident that the average ancient pre-colonial Filipino was a person with a strong and rich culture, well-endowed intellect with a high level of professionalism and skill. With such large tracts of well-endowed land, an honest society with equality, religion, and diversity that was embraced rather than shunned, one could argue that life must have been better during pre-colonial time than now, but that is just an issue up for debate.