PH22 Pintakasi in Sabong: Fiesta Cards Compared to Derbies
Online e-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022, and the pintakasi is a live-cockpit format: a festive day of fights with on-the-spot matches, different from an ordinary Sunday card and from a registered derby.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| PH22 E-Sabong Suspension | Online e-sabong was suspended nationwide in 2022: a spoken order on 3 May 2022, then Executive Order No. 9 of 28 December 2022, which keeps all e-sabong operations suspended while licensed cockpit fights stay lawful. |
| PH22 Casador in Philippine Cockpits | Online e-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022, so the casador works only in licensed cockpits: the casador is the matchmaker who pairs fighting cocks, while the kristo calls the bets and the sentensyador rules on the fight. |
| PH22 Sabungero | Online e-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022, but the sabungero lives on in the licensed cockpit: a sabungero is a cockfighting enthusiast, and the cockpit assigns the casador, kristo, sentensyador and mananari their own jobs. |
A pintakasi today exists only in a licensed cockpit, because e-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022. The stop began with a spoken order on 3 May 2022, delivered in a taped broadcast. Executive Order No. 9 of 28 December 2022 then formally kept e-sabong operations suspended.
For the venue rules behind it, see the cockpit arena law that governs every pintakasi. The rest of this page separates three things people blur together: the ordinary cockpit day, the derby and the pintakasi.
What a pintakasi is
A pintakasi is a festive day of cockfights in which cocks are matched on the spot. Owners bring birds, a matchmaker pairs them, and the card builds as the day goes on.
The format is loose by design. Nobody needs a registered line-up in advance, which is what sets it apart from a tournament.
- Owners arrive with birds on the day.
- A matchmaker pairs birds of a similar size.
- Fights run one after another until the card ends.
The casador’s matchmaking job is the engine of this format, because the card exists only as fast as matches are made.
Pintakasi compared with an ordinary day and a derby
The three formats share one building and one law. They differ in how the day is organised.
| Format | How it is organised | Typical occasion |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary cockpit day | Regular card on a permitted day | Sunday or legal holiday |
| Derby | Registered entries in a set format | Scheduled event |
| Pintakasi | Matches made on the day | Fiesta or fair |
You read pintakasi and derby as the same word
A derby is planned around registered entries, and a pintakasi is built on the day. If a page uses them as synonyms, check what the entries and matches actually describe.
The fiesta link and PD 449’s three-day limit
The pintakasi’s tie to fiestas comes straight from the law. Section 5(d) of PD 449 allows cockfighting in licensed cockpits during local fiestas for not more than three days.
The same section covers a provincial, city or municipal agricultural, commercial or industrial fair, carnival or exposition for a similar period of three days. Outside those windows, the decree allows cockfights on Sundays and legal holidays only.
| Occasion | Maximum span | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Local fiesta | 3 days | 5(d) |
| Fair, carnival or exposition | 3 days | 5(d) |
Holy Thursday, Good Friday and election days are on the prohibited list, so a fiesta that overlaps one of them cannot hold a fight that day. A town with one cockpit under Section 5(b) fits its whole festive card into that building.
Who is in the pit on a pintakasi day
A pintakasi uses the usual cockpit cast. The sabungero roles table lists the matchmaker, the bet taker, the referee and the gaffer, and each of them still needs the licence PD 449 requires.
| Seat | Task on the day |
|---|---|
| Matchmaker | Pairs birds as owners arrive |
| Referee | Oversees each fight |
| Bet taker | Works the crowd between fights |
What changes is the pace. With matches made on the day, the matchmaker and the referee carry more of the card than they do on a quiet Sunday.
The online version of any of this ended in 2022, and the e-sabong suspension record lays out when and why.
FAQ
What is a pintakasi in sabong?
A pintakasi is a festive day of cockfights in a licensed cockpit where cocks are matched on the spot, as opposed to a derby with registered entries. It is a live-cockpit event.
How is a pintakasi different from a derby?
A derby runs on registered entries and a set format. A pintakasi is looser, with matches made on the day, and it is usually tied to a fiesta or a similar occasion.
How long can a pintakasi last?
PD 449, Section 5(d), allows cockfighting during a local fiesta for not more than three days, and the same three-day limit applies to a fair, carnival or exposition.
Is there a pintakasi online?
No. E-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022, and Executive Order No. 9 keeps it suspended. A pintakasi means a licensed cockpit.
Related guides
| Guide | What it covers |
|---|---|
| PH22 E-Sabong Suspension | e-sabong suspension |
| PH22 Casador in Philippine Cockpits | casador |
| PH22 Sabungero | sabungero |