In its entirety, the days that came up in August, 2007 were rather hectic and marked with excitement because by then as far as the CVBA officers and members were concerned at that stage – all roads lead to the 3 stag, 7 stag and 5 stag derbies – which were then closing in. The frequency of board meetings were therefore stepped up for many valid reasons, among them were issues regarding pit and derby rules that needed thorough review thus amendments thereto and modifications expedient to the purpose were introduced and embodied into the rules.
As the days of September ushered in and started taking on its path, CVBA's state of affairs got more intensified amid wholehearted assurances of participations from the members in general. Days moved on and wee elements of uncertainties still hanged on the balance in relation to the derbies' ultimate outcome. What with the wicked disparage CVBA recently took... the small potatoes image – remember? Not to mention the sudden death of Dongres (Lucino Resando) a staunch CVBA member who was then just felled by treacherous bullets of an assassin in Manila. Will all of these take its toll?
September 18th... the big day or the time of reckoning. It was the day where the proverbial moment of truth has to finally come. Many could hardly believe the number of entries that September 18 & 20 3-stag derby reaped as a total of 145 entries finally came forth for the final tally. In that 2-day challenge most of the fights were fought by spirited stags in scrappy and fiery fashion. After the dust settled 13 entries earned the championship. All told that derby was a humdinger of an event, to say the least, because the crowd was huge it almost filled the complex to its rafters.
Forthwith, the more crucial and nerve-wracking 7-stag derby was up and just around the corner. The frenzy and wild excitement generated was however not as intense as those of the 3-stag because by then the President and the rest of the Board had already prefigured the turn of events. So as fate would have it, 165 entries joined the prestigious Sept. 25-29 7 stag Php 1.5 million derby. By and large the much revered 4-day stag contest moved on in clock-work accuracy save for some petty run-ins committed by some overbearing wannabes which were however put out as it started.
The eventful 7-stag derby was hotly contested by a good number of our modern-day gladiators. For the most part of that derby, stags that were pitted for combat simply looked intimidating in their stance as well as awesome in their shape and configuration. Fights rarely ended by time-lapse as each fighter had spunk, toughness and might in each and every punch it delivered. Moreover pluckiness or gameness were likewise evident almost throughout as there were times when a fighter, although uncoupled, downed and ¾ dead, could still – through grit and stamina – muster a mean close quartered shuffle to eke out a draw or even a win.
Of course not all participants came with gritty and impressive-looking fighters. Quite a few showed up with roosters classifiable under the garden variety – the gangly, poorly shaped and mediocre type – who more often than not were recipients of losses.
As the fights wore on throughout the grueling 4 day stretch, pretenders to the throne dwindled down to one – Atit Ong... who handily finished off his last opponent to gain the championship. Therewith he was there and then handed the Php 700,000 prize check and trophy.
In all likelihood the days that followed as I imagined, couldn't be anything less than ecstatic for Atit Ong... perhaps even basking on his laurels in cloud 9. For him nothing could be more reassuring as being on the verge of winning a back-to-back Breeder of the Year as at that point no one scored a perfect 10 other than he.
The 5-stag Oct 25-26 no-pot derby is CVBA's last leg competition out of which the Breeder of the Year finally emerges. Thus who else would be at heaven's door and would have the mindset of a champion breeder than those who scored 9 to 10 pts? Well then the derby proceeded as expected but lo! and behold! Has luck, breaks of the game, or providence suddenly deserted the front-liners or the leaders? Because as the contest wore on those who were seeded to win the Breeder of the Year swiftly eroded their chances through heartbreaking losses in rapid succession!
To wrap up the 2007 stag derby events, the breeder who finally capped the 2007 Breeder of the Year award was unheralded Edgar Aliviado with a total 12 pts and was closely followed by another unseeded player Col. Perfecto Bonjoc with 11.5 pts. As for Atit he was unbelievably shut out in that 5-stag derby with nary a point to show.
The Bakbakan 3-stag elimination derby was staged on Nov. 8, 2007 and 82 entries from all over the CVBA region showed up. Nothing could be more rewarding than having such hefty number of entries. Hence CVBA was ajudged by NFGB to have the highest number of entries among all associations under its fold. The entry of Dr. Du got a perfect 6 pts in the elimination and semi-final rounds, He proceeded to Manila for the finals and eventually almost won the 2007 Bakbakan National Stagfest on account of earning 9 pts out of 10.
The 2007 CVBA Christmas party was one for the book. It was held at the plush Casino Espaňol on the 14th of December. In it food was great, expensive drinks flowed, entertainment was exceptional, merry-making was aplenty but most of all the awards and trophies were presented to the meritorious awardees – among them the Leadership and Management award that went to no one but President Victor A. Sierra and the Breeder of the Year award which was accorded to Edgar Aliviado.
CVBA is an acronym of the CENTRAL VISAYAS BREEDERS ASSOCIATION. It is an organization of gamefowl breeders that constitutes a diverse makeup of members whose individual stag output ranges from 25 to over a thousand heads a season. The gamefarms of members are predominantly settled in the cities and localities of Cebu province while a good number are located in the regions of Negros, Bohol, Leyte, Samar, Misamis and Zamboanga.
Conceived in April 2004, CVBA was dreamed up by a group of individual breeders whose basic design was putting together a breeder’s association to which membership would be a conglomeration of small, medium and large scale breeders. On that concept it was ascertained that CVBA’s covenants would not be too taxing to its members in general, for which reason only the annual 7-stag derby is compulsory for all to engage with.
In June 24, 2004 after a progression of organizational meetings, CVBA was incorporated with the SEC under the non-stock classification with 15 members comprising the Board of Trustees – who elected Victor A. Sierra to the position of Chartered President.
In August 2004 the elected officers and members were formally inducted at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel by cocking luminaries Ricoy Palmares and Mayor Juancho Aguirre who happens to be President and Vice President of NFGB (National Federation of Gamefowl Breeders) respectively.
In September 20, 2004 a test of mettles came about as CVBA, despite being in its infancy, staged a 3-stag derby. The move mainly took into account participants to pit their stags banded by other legitimate associations. The turnout was very encouraging since thee were more than 60 entries who vied in that contest. That derby spoke for itself and it was then that CVBA was perceived to be on stream – fresh and vibrant at that and headed for a bright future.
The year 2005 unfolded with greater promise by way of a CVBA sponsored 5-cock derby whose outcome was likewise a success. By then the growth of its membership doubled up as seminars on breeding, farm management and conditioning, under the auspices of top professionals of various Veterinary Pharmaceutical and well-established feed companies followed through. It was also during this year that wingbanding of cockerels first commenced - as a prelude to the upcoming 2005 stag derbies.
Indeed the 2005 stag derbies came to pas with flying colors because as expected the 3-stag tune-up derby, the 1 Million peso 7-stag in particular, and the 4-stag derby were impressively joined in by members and non-members. Moreover, in November of the year, CVBA sent a bevy of delegated entries to the 2005 National 9-stag "Bakbakan" derby that was held at the Araneta Coliseum under the "guest" participant category (CVBA's application for membership with NFGB was then under process). That derby saw a remarkable upshot for the delegated entries as the overall result was far from unfulfilling. Infact, one of the CVBA entrants that of Trustee Alving Ong, Narrowly missed the championship.
All told, the year 2005 splendidly winded up with Trustee George "Jojo" Oquias winning the most coveted Breeder of the Year award.
2006 opened up with headways coming in by leaps and bounds through the following; first the luxuriantly renovated and well-appointed New Talisay Tourist Sports complex came to be the Home of CVBA; then CVBA was formally accepted as bona fide member of NFGB Board; last but not least CVBA saw a phenomenal growth of its membership coming in at 136.
As foreseen the 2006 Stag derbies took place with greater impact because the power of numbers as well as the quality of breed came into play. Further to, the CVBA's 3-episode stag derbies were now more keenly joined in b non-members. The 2006 stag derbies proceeded without hassle as they were, by and large, methodically carried out by then Derby Committee chairman Bebot Monsanto. In conclusion, the derbies referred to be altogether well-defined and orderly - panning out, on the average, a record 8-10 fights done in an hour.
The 2006 Breeder of the Year went to member Abet Ong who edged out the closest contender by the skin of the teeth. Indeed, in summing up, most of the stags in the 2006 trilogy of stag derbies were fought with intense ferocity wherein most of the battle stags showed its engrained gameness as each one savagely fought to the end.
Looking back, the year 2006 gave a very impressive account for CVBA. It waa in that year where it gained genuine recognition from NFGB by way of it having been assigned the pivotal task of:
Conduction the NFGB's regional "Bakbakan" stag derby elimination round that was carried out at the New Talisay Tourist Sports Complex.
In consortium with another Cebu based breeder's association, CVBA co-sponsored the holding of the semi-final round of the 2006 "Bakbakan" stag derby that was held at Gallera de Mandaue.
Today in 2007 or a month before the 3-stag "tune-up" derby unfurls, all of the 140 CVBA breeders are busy sprucing up their fighters using the most appropriate conditioning methods on hand - with the end in view of ultimately winning the most coveted CVBA Breeder of the Year Award.
EPILOGUE
The phenomenal ascent of the CENTRAL VISAYAS BREEDERS ASSOCIATION (CVBA) from an underrated and oft-relegated Cebu-based gamefowl breeders association did not come in a silver platter. Within the 3-year stretch, CVBA persevered and had to painstakingly work its way up across pot shots of spiteful criticisms from some dark quarters of our cocking world. The very reason why CVBA triumphed amid its seemingly insurmountable odds is the underlying tent of its very creation... the combination of backyard breeders into fold.
Though diminishing in frequency, CVBA is still patsy to some uncalled for derisions as up until lately it was subject to a satirical wit in a cocking periodical - having been referred to as nothing but "small potatoes". Well, everyone knew that those remarks were the works of a jaundiced hand who by implied admission realized that finally CVBA had got it made.
Nevertheless, to all and sundry, CVBA is game to the core... it will never turn its back on challenges more particularly on unprovoked assault as it advocates the old cocking dictum "Let the roosters do the talking".
