I first met Mamie Lacson in 1976 when he was courting my Tita Nena in Tito Oscar’s house at 6th Street, Bacoolod City. I was 11 years oldthen. I thought that he was a doctor. Mamie was so neat. All white: white shirt, white pants, white shoes. Very clean. They got married in 1977, so now; I call him, Manong Mamie.

At age 13, I took interest in gamefowl. My first fowl came from one of our caretakers in the fishponds in Ilog, Negros Occidental. It was a 3-month old blue stag. I brought it to Bacolod and made him a cage, but the poor thing died when it caught its neck between the bamboo slats. I cried. Imagene, My very first fowl, and this happened! To appeace my young mind, my father told me that we will go to Manong Genray (Villanueva) for a broodcock, and to Manong Manong Mamie for a broodhen. My two uncles were known then in the bigtime circuits in candelaria, Bacolod and Manila.

At Manong Mamie’s farm, I saw Mr. Richard Bates and Harold Brown (of Red Fox Fame) talking. Bates was conditioning Harold Brown’s chicken, then. Manong Mamie was slicing apples and cheese for the cocks in traning. The chickens were from America. When informed of our purpose, he immediately showed me a large pen with about 100 hens in it. I chose 2 strasightcombed hens with green or blue legs. Manong Genray, on the other hand, came with a 3-time winner Hulsey cock. It was a mean manfighter, but I took him, along with the hens to start my gamefowl breeding.

My fowls multiplied fast until my parents told me that I should be on my own with regards my chicken. I save part of my school allowance just to buy feeds. I didn’t lose interest. I know that these fowls are good because they came from Manong Mamie and Harold Brown.

I became close to Manong Mamie sometimes in the 1980’s when they established Souther Ventures, an aquaculture business. Manong Mamie specified that I be assigned as Manager since our family already deals with the fishponds business, The group was composed of Genray Villanueva, Junior Villanueva, Lito Lacson and Manong Mamie. Manong Mamie helped me all the way.

One day, Manong Mamie asked me to repair his incubator in zaragosa, Maao, Negros Occidental. Since I am an agriculture graduate, he surmised that I must be knowledgeable about these. I fixed the incubators and explained to him the problems. When we left, he gave me a Grey broodcock of the Red Richardson line acquired from Oscar Akins. It was a straight cutter, not very flexible, but accurate. I asked Manong Mamie for hens again, to breed with the grey. The hens were of what they called Oca Grey and Harold Brown blend, which were reds with dark eyes. These were the pure Hatches at that time. This prompted me to do more breeding. I also joined several 3-cock derbies. In one derby, some friends who knew how my cocks fought (simple kicks and a few flies), matched them against bigtime contenders from Kabankalan and La Carlota. They thought that my chickens were dumb. I can just imagine their dismay when all my chickens won in that derby. I used simple training techniques and medications taught to me by Manong Mamie.

Later, I got a Claret brodcock and a Richard Bates hen from Manong Mamie, plus a Stag Derby winner fought in Manila. I bred them and fought 3 offsprings in a 3-cock derby. Nine cocks won in hackfights.

When insurgency cought on in Ilog, I had to move my chickens nearer the city. Manong Mamie gave me 2 trios and 10 hens as my foundaton stock. I had no idea then, but these were left nose Blueface Broodcocks. The hens had single marks meaning, they were pure hatch.

When I transferred to Lipa City in 1986, I brought along these foundation stock. I was able to raise 12 beautiful stags. One of them can fly higher than a man. We called him Kalumpangin. This cock was very brainy; no multiple shuffles; just one clean blow and you’re dead. If the oppenent will fly high, he will go higher. If the opponent is a grounder, he will also reamin on the ground. I sold this batchto Reming Hernandez of Ibaan. At first, I wanted to sell only 11 stags, 9 months old, for only P2,500 each. I tried to hide Kalumpangin, but a friend from Pampanga came and saw him. We sparred the stags. Mr Hernandez ended up buying 12 stags.

At age 10 or 11 months, they were fought. The first 8 won their respective fights. The 9th lost, the 10th won and 11th drew. They exhibited simple style of fight – salto. I thought to myself, “Why didn’t Manong Mamie give me the shufflers and hard hitting lines?” I thought then that multiple shuffling was good. People who saw how stags fought thought so, too. “Pasalto-salto lang.” Some of the stags won unscratched. These fowls must be very precious by today’s standards. Their style is much sought after now a days.

I complained to Manong Mamie, “I need fowl that show multiple shuffle and those which are quick on the draw.” Don’t worry.” He said. He sent me a 4-year-old Marion Rose broodcock that really showed the fighting style I wanted. However, it also shuffled the air. Since Monong Mamie gave me the rooster, I bredit. He also sent hens with black eyelids. From these fowl, I had lots of winners. One won 9 times, another 7 times. Others were also multiple winners. None lost.

Manong Mamie also gave me a Blueface line. Mr Boy Luz got 4 male chicks, 4 or 5 months old. One became a 6-time-winner, another, 5 times, and two had four wins each. They were simple fighters, but accurate in the air. One hit, and you’re dead.

From all these, Manong Mamie and I got closer. Evertime I visited his farm, he’ll offer me chickens. I got at least 25 broodcocks from him. At most, I paid only for five and the remaining 20 were for free. I was over-whelmed by his chickens every month; I called to ask him what he wanted. Be it dogs, (Manong Mamie loved dogs. Pitbull, Doberman, Labrador, and any breed he fancied.) Or fish like tilapia from the lake, or bangus, I sent them over.

One time in Lipa, he came. We went to Boy Lechon and order 1/2K of tilapia and a serving of lechon. He didn’t mind the pork. Instead, he ate 6 pieces of tilapia and when he saw that half of my tilapia was left, he ate that, too. He really loved tilapia. We were more than uncle and nephew. He was a second father to me.

In one of my visits to Bacolod, Manong Mamie, with his family and friends, went to our fishponds to have lunch with my mother and me. He joked a lot. We server talaba, sugpo, bangus and tilapia. I asked Manong Mamie. “Can I celebrate my birthday at your farm in Mambucal?” he agreed. Mother reminded me that people in the farm will also be waiting for me, but I said, “I’ll have 2 celebrations, then. One in the fishponds, and the other in Mambucal, but Mambucal will come first.

When June 17, my birthdate arrive, there were 10 of us in a jeepney off to Mambucal with the shrimps, tilapia and bangus, and a whole pig (for lechon). Manong Mamie welcomed us, and we started roasting the pig. When the pig was done, I remembered the people waiting for me in the farm. I said, “Let’s divide the lechon so that we can bring the other half to the workers.” Manong Mamie said, “Leave the leachon alone.” He took a porcelain plate stick in into the side of the roasting pig, cut off a crunchy skin bigger than the plate along with the meat, and said, “If I will be given 15 minutes more before I die, what I’ll do is eat a lot of Lechon!” I didn’t know what came over me, but I suddenly felt ill in my stomach when he said that.

At mealtime, I saw a red cock which has a dark face tettered nearby. I asked manong Mamie if we could spar the rooster. He said that it was marked left in. By now, I have sort of memorized his marking system that I knew it was pure. When we sparred the rooster, it was super! It shuffled from any angle and in any position. “Will you sell that to me?” I asked. “No,” he said. “There are only 2 of them. Brothers. No line of these has ever been sold,” he explained. I tried to press him for it, but still he would not sell. He said, “Just drop by the house before you leave for Manila.”

On my way to manila, I went to Manong Mamie’s house in Bacolod. He pointed to a box and said, “There. In the box…” when I looked in the box, there was the red left in cock! My idol rooster! My tears rolled. I ask Manong Mamie, “How much?” “None” he replied. He told me to breed it and just give him some offsprings in return. He wanted me also to condition them and fight then. Thus, I named the cock “SuperDeal” of all the broodcocks I had from Manong Mamie, this is the only one on which he made a deal with me. I felt very honored. Once in Lipa, I sparred the cock, but he seemed a bit “off” by then. After 2 months, his superb qualities came back, and he sparred as expected. I was able to produce 32 heads out of this rooster. More on this later.

4 or 5 years before he died, after strings of championships in stag derbies and the International, Manong Mamie’s fame started to decline. At his peak, famous people in Bacolod and Negros visited him. There are days when at least 10 people will pass by his house for a chat. He was really famous, then. But when his derby wins went down, the people also started diaappearing. Maybe it was god-sent. Manong Mamie narrated. “During my peak of fame, you can’t make me utter a little prayer, god must be remainding methat fame is fleeting.” Down but not out, Manong Mamie, instead of defying the will of god, humbled himself and surrendered to the load. He joined coulple for Christ and server during mass as the church of Our Queen of Peace in Bacolod City. He was also encouraging me to join in, because the whole clan has renewed their spiritual well being. I resisted at first, claiming that I am not that religious. But soon, I alos submitted myself to god, and joined the Neo Catechetical Way, here in Lipa. Thie made Manong Mamie very glad.

What touched me in my close association with Manong Mamie happened when he died. Aptly, I suppose, it was on Good Friday. At 10 in the evening, my cousin, Mark Vargas, called from Bacolod to tell me that Manong Mamie died. “Don’t fool me with this kind of joke,” I said angrily. “Its true,” said the other end. I asked,”where?” “Inside the Church of the Queen of Peace. He was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament in preparation for the communion, when he succumbed to a heart attack.” All I can do was weep.

All my life, I have not seen a death so grand and beautiful. Manong Mamie was born on December 25, Christmas dae. That’s why he was named Emmanuel. He died on a Good Friday, the same day that Jesus Christ died. And in front of the Blessed Sacrament, at that! Nobody, not even the Pope or Priests can duplicate this. Fame might have left Manong Mamie, but not the Lord. God gave back this fame in a very wonderful manner, by honoring him with the time of his death!

On the day of his burial, the church was full of rich people. During the mass, all of a sudden, a truckload of people arrived. They were in tattered clothes, some were disabled. You can see thet they are poor. They must be the ones Manong Mamie really helped during his lifetime. They all went to the coffin, looked at Manong Mamie, and cried. I can only imagine how happy Manong Mamie must have been at that moment.

From then on, I saw what happiness God has given Manong Mamie. I can’t explain the kind of joy I felt for him. He remainded me of his life’s lessons and purpose even with his fowls.

With regards the left in broodcock he gave me, he explicitly said no line of this should be sold or leave me hands. He wanted me to conditions and fight Super Deal’s offspring. I conditioned 2 stags, about 10months old each, and fought them agaist 2 year old opponents is a hachfight. They both won. One was unscratched, and the other was wounded. I thought that my “deal” with Manong Mamie was no longer in force since he has already died. I sold the reamining 30 stags to Col. Prieto and to Sta.Rita Cockpit owner, Tetek Villena. They conditioned the fowls and fought them. They lost a lot. All were hit, eigther on the head or the neck. One was almost a sure winner when suddenly; it got hit on the neck! Col. Prieto and my friend, Tetek, lost 24 fights in all. I got worried. I asked myself, “Why?”

Then, it dawned on me. Super Deal! I flew at once to Bacolod and went straight to Manong Mamie’s grave and apologized. “I am sorry, Manong Mamie,” I said to him. “ I broke my promise. Please, forgive me.” Just then, my cellphone rang and my friend Tetek informed me that they are going to fight 6 of the remaining stags. After a few days, he told me that the stags all won.

I wonder. Can a dead person help his roosters win in the pit? Is Manong Mamie’s soul still guiding me? It will be a great joy for me, if he does. If only I can bring back the years when he was still with us. I know now that he really loved me.

In one of his interviews, he said, “Someday, you will find out how precious your chickens are.” He continued, “ I have already reached my goals as a gamefowl breeder. And that, for me defies ecstacy.”

I wish that someday, I will also be able to say the same.

The Fightingcock
Volume XII
Number 1