WJ2 Cockfight Derby Explained: 3, 4 and 5-Cock Formats
A cockfight derby is a contest where each entry brings a set number of cocks (3, 4 or 5) to a series of paired fights, and the entry with the best tally wins.
Key facts and contents
- WJ2 Hackfight Meaning
- A hackfight is a single matched fight between two cocks, agreed on its own, unlike a derby entry where several cocks per team build up a tally.
- WJ2 Is Cockfighting Legal in the Philippines? What PD 449 Says
- Yes, in licensed cockpits only, on Sundays, legal holidays and local fiestas, as Presidential Decree No. 449 sets out.
- WJ2 Meron Meaning
- Meron and wala are the two sides of a fight in a licensed cockpit.
- WJ2 Plasada Meaning
- Plasada is the cockpit's cut: the commission deducted from a winning bet before it is paid.
E-sabong has been suspended nationwide since 2022 under Executive Order No. 9, signed on 28 December 2022, and that order does not touch a traditional derby held in a licensed cockpit. A cockfight derby is a contest in which each entry brings several cocks and the combined results decide the winner. This page defines the formats and the law behind them, and the wider e-sabong PAGCOR position is on the pillar page.
The word comes straight from the law: PD 449, Section 4(a), defines cockfighting as the game commonly known as “cockfighting derby, pintakasi or tupada”.
Cockfight derby formats at a glance
Each format is named for the number of cocks one entry brings. The comparison below shows the one feature that changes with that number.
| Format | Cocks per entry | Fights per entry | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 cock derby | 3 | 3 | Shortest event; each fight counts for a large share of the tally |
| 4 cock derby | 4 | 4 | A middle length; one lost fight can be made up |
| 5 cock derby | 5 | 5 | Longest event; the tally rewards a consistent team |
| Bullstag derby | Set by the organiser | Set by the organiser | Restricted to bullstags, the younger birds |
How a derby is scored
Scoring follows the same pattern whatever the format. Here is the sequence in plain terms:
- Each owner registers an entry of the stated number of cocks.
- Cocks from different entries are paired, normally by comparable weight.
- Each pair fights once, and the referee announces a winner, a draw or no contest, as PD 449 describes the referee’s role.
- A win adds to the owning entry’s tally, and a draw adds less than a win.
- When the fights end, the entry with the highest tally wins, and the organiser’s posted rules settle any tie.
The point value of a win and the tie-break rule belong to each derby’s posted rules, so read them at the cockpit or ask its organiser. This site gives no prize or entry figure, because none is fixed by law.
Format by format: 3, 4 and 5 cock derby entries
The table above is the short version. Each format has its own character, and a named example shows it: an owner with a 5-cock entry who loses the first fight still has 4 fights left, while a 3-cock owner has 2.
| Entry | Fights | Left after a first-fight loss |
|---|---|---|
| 3 cock | 3 | 2 |
| 4 cock | 4 | 3 |
| 5 cock | 5 | 4 |
3 cock derby
A 3 cock derby is the shortest of the common formats. Because an entry fights only three times, there is little room to recover from an early loss. Organisers like it for one-day events, since it needs fewer pairings than a larger format.
4 cock derby
A 4 cock derby sits between the other two. Four birds per entry give the owner one more fight to recover with, and the tally has more spread. Pairing the extra birds takes time, so the schedule runs longer than the three-bird version.
5 cock derby
The 5 cock derby is the longest format. Each entry takes five fights, which tends to favour the team with the more even string of birds. It is also the hardest to schedule within a single permitted day, so the organiser announces how the pairing will be run.
Bullstag derby
A bullstag derby limits entries to bullstags, the younger cocks. The scoring is the same as above, and the format count is set by the organiser. The restriction exists so that birds of a similar age meet each other.
Who may hold a derby under PD 449
PD 449 gives no separate licence for a derby. It allows cockfighting only in licensed cockpits, with these limits from Section 5(d):
- Sundays and legal holidays.
- Local fiestas, for not more than three days.
- Fairs, carnivals and expositions, for three days, on a local resolution and subject to approval.
Section 6 has mayors licence the cockpit, and Section 7 requires licensed gaffers, referees and bet takers to officiate.
| Who | Role in a derby | PD 449 section |
|---|---|---|
| City or municipal mayor | Licenses the cockpit | 6 |
| Cockpit owner or operator | Holds the derby on a permitted day | 5(d) |
| Gaffer, referee, bet taker | Officiate, each with an annual licence | 7 |
Words you will hear at a derby
A derby is called out in a small vocabulary, summed up here:
- Meron and wala label the two sides of each fight.
- Llamado and dehado name the favoured side and the underdog.
- Tabla is a draw.
The terms for the two sides of each fight are covered in the guide to meron and wala meaning, and the page on a single matched hackfight shows how a one-off fight differs from a derby entry.
FAQ
What is a cockfight derby?
A derby is a multi-fight event in which owners enter a team of cocks, each team's birds are matched against other teams' birds, and the results add up to a tally for each entry. The entry with the highest tally takes the derby.
What is the difference between a 3-, 4- and 5-cock derby?
The number is how many cocks each entry brings, so a 3-cock entry fights three times and a 5-cock entry fights five times. The more birds, the longer the event and the more fights feed one entry's tally.
Who may hold a cockfight derby?
PD 449 lists the cockfighting derby among the terms it governs and permits cockfighting only in licensed cockpits, on Sundays, legal holidays and local fiestas. The cockpit therefore needs its city or municipal licence first.
Is an online derby legal?
No. Executive Order No. 9 keeps e-sabong operations suspended nationwide, including live-streaming outside the cockpit and online or off-cockpit betting on live matches.