Unlike other sports, sabungeros come from all walks of life; cutting across social status, generation, political and religious divides. Some say that there are even more cockpit arenas than there are churches here in the Philippines. That is why some considered cockfighting as the national sports, rather than basketball. Afficionados considered this sports as a form of recreation that indeed brings the community together and cements long lasting relations between spectators. They says it is far better than drinking, for you always have the chance to win, while in drinking you have nothing but lose. But for animal rights activists, the sport is enough to make the skin crawl and the blood boil. Critics describe it as a reprehensible abuse of animals, while enthusiasts say it's easily the country's national sport.
Spectators consider first the fighting cock's pedigree and winning record before placing their bets. Bets varied largely from few hundred pesos to even a six figure range, all tracked by the arena's resident bet takers called "kristo". He is expected to keep tabs on who's betting on which cock, and to collect the winnings for the winners. All these are done without any written records, nor receipts or tickets, but simply by means of mental calculations and memory. About ten percent of the winnings go to the arena's management as its fee for organizing the cockfight, and a small percentage is given by the winner to the "kristo" for handling his bet. Everyone has to honor his bet lest he be banished from the cockpit, a fate worse than death for the truly rabid sabungero.
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