What is a 5 cock derby?

It is a derby where each entry fields five gamecocks and the entries are ranked on their record across the bouts. The number in the name is the number of birds per entry.

What is the difference between a 3 cock, 4 cock and 5 cock derby?

Only the number of birds each entry fields: three, four or five. More birds means more bouts per entry and a longer day.

Does a derby need a permit in the Philippines?

A derby is cockfighting under PD 449 Section 4(a), so it needs a licensed cockpit. An international derby also needs a permit from the Games and Amusements Board, per GAB's citizen's charter.

Is a derby the same as online sabong?

No. A derby is a live event in a licensed cockpit. E-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022, and EO 9 suspends streaming and online betting on live cockfights.

JILIWIN 5 Cock Derby: How Is It Scored and Licensed?

In this section
Fact	Value
JILIWIN Dejado Meaning at a Cockpit	Dejado is the cockpit term for the bird expected to lose, the underdog set against the llamado, the favorite.
JILIWIN Gaff Cockfighting and the Gaffer's Role	In gaff cockfighting, the gaff is the blade fitted to a gamecock's leg and the gaffer, called taga tari in Filipino, is the person who fits it.
JILIWIN Kristo Sabong and the Hand Signals	The kristo is the floor name for the bet taker at a sabong, the licensed person who calls the sides and matches bets with hand signals.
JILIWIN Rooster Fight Rules Under PD 449	A rooster fight is lawful in the Philippines only in a licensed cockpit, on Sundays, legal holidays and local fiestas of up to three days under PD 449.

E-sabong operations have been suspended since 2022, and Executive Order No. 9, signed on 28 December 2022 by President Marcos Jr., continues that suspension nationwide. A 5 cock derby is a live event in a licensed pit, and the page on when cockfighting is legal sets out the decree that governs it. Below you get the format, a labelled scoring example and the permits that apply.

What a 5 cock derby is

PD 449 Section 4(a) defines cockfighting as the game known as “cockfighting derby, pintakasi or tupada”. A derby is the multi-entry form: several entries each bring a set number of birds, and the birds are matched against other entries’ birds in separate bouts. The number in the name is the number of birds per entry.

So a 5 cock derby means five birds per entry, with five bouts to fill for each entry. Each bout is a rooster fight under the same venue rules as any other, and the pit must hold a licence.

A derby day runs in this order:

Entries register with the organizer and name their five birds.
The birds are weighed and matched against other entries’ birds.
The bouts are fought one after another, each with its own referee decision.
The results are added up per entry and the ranking is announced.

3 cock derby and 4 cock derby compared

The three common formats differ in one number, and that number shapes the length of the day.

Format	Birds per entry	Bouts per entry
3 cock derby	3	3
4 cock derby	4	4
5 cock derby	5	5

A 3 cock derby is the shortest of the three and a 4 cock derby sits between. A 5 cock derby asks the most of the gaffer, the referee and the pit schedule, because every entry needs five matched bouts.

How a derby is scored: a labelled example

Scoring rules belong to the derby’s published conditions, and they vary. This is an example with invented round numbers, not a rule. Suppose a win scores one point, a draw half a point, and the entry with the most points takes the top place.

Entry A wins three bouts, draws one and loses one: 3.5 points.
Entry B wins four bouts and loses one: 4 points.
Entry C wins two bouts, draws two and loses one: 3 points.
Entry B ranks first, A second, C third.

A tie on points is settled by whatever tie-break the derby’s own conditions name. Ask the organizer for those conditions before the event.

Who holds and permits a derby

An ordinary derby in a licensed pit needs the cockpit licence under PD 449 Section 6, plus licensed officials under Section 7. Those officials are the gaffers, referees and bet takers, so the roles in gaff in cockfighting apply to every bout.

An international derby adds a national permit. GAB’s citizen’s charter for cockfighting lists these steps for the permit to hold one:

File a letter addressed to the Chairman requesting a permit.
The Chairman forwards it to the Board Secretary for the Board’s agenda.
The Board approves the request and a Board Resolution is prepared.
Pay the permit fee and, for imported gamecocks, the import permit fee at the Cashier Section.
Receive the official receipt, resolution and permit, with an endorsement to the Bureau of Animal Industry.

GAB’s mandate page adds that it accredits cockpit officiating personnel and prescribes the guidelines for the Bureau of Animal Industry’s import permits for foreign-bred gamecocks.

What the law says about holding a derby

The decree speaks to a derby through these rules:

Section 5(d) limits cockfighting to Sundays, legal holidays and local fiestas of up to three days, and bans December 30, June 12, November 30, Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
A fair or exposition may host cockfighting for three days on a local resolution, but not within the month of a local fiesta and not on more than two occasions a year in the same city or municipality.
The bet side is covered by Section 4(c), and the person who handles it is the one described in the kristo at a sabong.
Section 5(f) allows no other gambling on the premises during cockfights.
EO 9 Section 1 suspends live-streaming of cockfights outside the cockpit and online betting on them.

Questions to ask before you attend

Before you go to a derby, ask the organizer these things:

Does the pit hold a current licence from the city or municipality?
Is the derby a local event or an international one, and if international, is the GAB permit posted?
What are the scoring and tie-break conditions?
Are the gaffer, referee and bet taker licensed for the year?

You must be 21 or older to take part in games of chance.

JILIWIN 5 Cock Derby Format and Permits