Yesterday, Palm Sunday, concerned members of FIGBA called our attention on a certain post in social media bashing the officers of BAKBAKAN for refusing to band an officer of Barkadahan. In the spirit of fairness and transparency, we are issuing this official statement in order to clarify misleading pronouncements of his sympathisers.

The general membership of FIGBA, in its last general assembly held on 11 March 2016, unanimously agreed to band cockerels of local members regardless of other wingbands attached to it EXCEPT THOSE OF THE PRIME MOVERS/OFFICERS OF COMPETITOR ORGANIZATIONS. It is quite unfortunate that certain personalities would go as far as projecting an underdog image just to promote their organization at the expense of BAKBAKAN. The decision not to band officers of competitor organizations was made collectively by the general membership of the Federation for the simple reason that you cannot serve two competing organizations at the same time. FIGBA allowed and continues to allow banding of local breeders with multiple wing bands. However, if you are already an official of one organization, why on earth would you want to join your competitor? Isn’t that a clear conflict of interest? If you promote your own organization and announce in social media that yours is the better one, why are you so bent in having your cockerels banded by BAKBAKAN? Could it be because BAKBAKAN banded stags are more in demand because of its integrity and they sell much better than your bands?

We all love the sport and there is so much room for all of us without having to pull one another down. Stop your crab mentality. We have been very lenient with members of local associations because we understand that they only want to enjoy the sport and at the same time earn a little extra when they win, after all that’s what makes this sport so much exciting and fun. But, it’s a totally different story when you are a prime mover of our competitor and yet you want to be banded by us. Don’t you believe in the integrity of your own band that you have to attach BAKBAKAN band to sell your chickens? For the record, none of the prime movers of FIGBA has ever been banded by any other organization for delicadeza. And to some of those who openly sympathized and even bashed BAKBAKAN, aren’t you included in the list submitted by your local associations for wingbanding this season? To whom do you pledge your loyalty then? If you are not for the Federation, then you are clearly against it.

Let us all act as true gentlemen and stand by the Federation we have worked so hard to put on the highest echelons of the industry. To quote excerpts from our covenant of unity and loyalty, “we affirm our belief in the organization, principles, values and advocacy of the Federation and shall remain its loyal and committed officers and members. We further affirm our belief in our collective strength and vigorously defend the interests of the Federation against all challenges.”

Ang tunay na sabungero ay maginoo. And we stand our ground, dahil ang BAKBAKAN ay patas, marangal at magaling!