FIGBA spends an average of 14 million pesos annually for Secretariat operations which includes training, per diem, travel expenses and hotel accommodations of its working committee during banding and derby events. The working committee whose members were carefully selected by their respective associations undergo rigorous training every year to ensure that they uphold the guiding principles of the Federation. Banding activities are held twice a year, the Early Bird in January and National BAKBAKAN in April, where FIGBA uses up almost 1 million wing bands paid for by the Federation. The banding teams are deployed to band cockerels of other associations to avoid collusions and ensure strict compliance to the policies of FIGBA.

The BAKBAKAN banded cockerels is a popular source of stags for all stag derbies held throughout the country – an obvious proof that even FIGBA’s competitors acknowledge the integrity of the BAKBAKAN band. And FIGBA has not asked or requested to be paid for the use of these banded stags.

FIGBA promotes around 270 to 300 BAKBAKAN events each year with more than 8,000 entries vying for a guaranteed prize that grew over the years to more than 80 million pesos. A huge leap from when it all began. Participants keep on joining because they are assured of fair play, with matching of fights being conducted by regional matchers assigned by the Chairman of the Working Committee. After the bands and corresponding weights are encoded by the respective associations, data is sent to the central matching site of FIGBA where it is matched by computer and the resultant schedule of fights are sent back to the derby sites electronically.

Other than the actual expenses, the officers and presidents of member associations do not receive a single centavo for attending meetings and attending to the operations of their association sponsored derbies. While FIGBA spends for the bulk of operational cost for banding and derbies, FIGBA does not share in the proceeds of all derbies held by the association. FIGBA revenue is limited to its share in gate and plazada during championship in Manila. And in appreciation of the efforts of all association presidents, incentives are given at the end of the fiscal period commensurate to the results of their respective operation.

Currently, the Federation is grateful for the loyalty of its forty (40) strong member associations and two (2) pending applicants with a total membership of over 7,000 breeders.

What sets it apart? The fact that they live up to their battlecry of being PATAS, MAGALING, MARANGAL.