WJ2 Meron Meaning: Meron and Wala in a Licensed Cockpit
Meron and wala are the two sides of a fight in a licensed cockpit.
Key facts and contents
- WJ2 Cockfight Derby Explained
- 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.
- 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 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 meron and wala are words from licensed cockpits, the in-person kind the order leaves alone. Meron meaning is simple: it names one of the two sides in a fight, and wala names the other. This page defines the pair, the related cockpit words, and who does what, with the legal frame on the e-sabong PAGCOR page.
Meron and wala: the two sides of a fight
In Filipino, meron means there is, and wala means there is none. In a cockpit the two words became labels for the sides of a fight. A fight has exactly two cocks, so it has exactly two labels, one each.
| Word | Literal sense | In the cockpit |
|---|---|---|
| Meron | There is, has | One side of the fight |
| Wala | None, has not | The other side |
The labels are a way to refer to a bird without naming its owner. They do not say which bird is stronger, and they do not predict the result.
How the sides are decided
The cockpit’s officials assign meron and wala before each fight, and they announce the assignment to the crowd. Bettors do not pick the side labels; they respond to them. The method differs between cockpits, so each cockpit’s own custom governs.
The officials involved are the ones PD 449 defines in Section 4: the bet taker or promoter, the gaffer and the referee. Section 7 requires each to hold a city or municipal licence renewed every year on their birth month.
- The two cocks are matched and gaffed.
- The cockpit’s officials label one side meron and the other wala.
- The labels are announced before the fight starts.
- The referee announces the result afterwards, naming the winner, a tie or a no contest.
Sabong words you will hear near meron and wala
Several short words travel with the pair. Learning them makes a licensed cockpit’s announcements easier to follow.
| Word | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Llamado | The favoured side |
| Dehado | The underdog side |
| Tabla | A draw |
| Sentenciador | The referee, as named in PD 449 |
| Taga tari | The gaffer, who arms the cocks |
| Pintakasi, tupada | Terms PD 449 lists as equivalents of cockfighting |
These sabong words show up in the legal definitions as well. Section 4(e) of PD 449 has the referee announce the winner, a tie or “no contest game”.
Mananari: the person who arms the cock
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mananari | The person who fits the tari on the cock’s leg |
| Tari | The gaff or blade |
| Taga tari, gaffer | PD 449’s names for the same role |
The mananari fits the tari, the gaff, on a fighting cock’s leg. PD 449 calls the role the gaffer, or taga tari, a person “knowledgeable in the art of arming fighting cocks with gaff or gaffs”. Arming the bird is part of what the referee watches, since the referee oversees the proper gaffing.
The gaffer must hold a licence renewable every year from the city or municipality, under Section 7. Reading the decree’s roles side by side is the quickest way to understand who does what, as set out in the page on whether cockfighting is legal in the Philippines.
Sabong betting hand signals
Inside a licensed cockpit, wagers between spectators and the bet taker are often called out with hand signals instead of words, because the crowd is loud. The signals are local custom, so they vary from one cockpit to the next, and no law fixes them. Nothing here teaches a signal or a stake; it only tells you what the gesture is for.
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Signal | Local custom, varies by cockpit |
| Receiver | The licensed bet taker |
| Purpose | Recording a call in a loud crowd |
The bet taker, under Section 4(c), calls and takes care of bets before the fight and, afterwards, distributes won bets after deducting a certain commission. The commission is the subject of the plasada meaning page.
Why the words stay in the cockpit
Meron and wala belong to the licensed, in-person cockpit. Executive Order No. 9 suspends live-streaming of cockfights outside the cockpit and online or off-cockpit wagering, so these words have no online use that the law permits. If a website uses them to invite you to bet from home, the order’s Section 1 is the text to read.
| Setting | Status |
|---|---|
| In-person licensed cockpit | Outside the suspension |
| Live-streamed cockfights | Suspended |
| Online or off-cockpit wagering | Suspended |
FAQ
What does meron mean in sabong?
Meron is Filipino for there is, or has. In a cockpit it names one of the two sides of a fight, and wala, meaning none, names the other. The names label the sides; they do not predict the winner.
How are meron and wala decided?
The cockpit's officials assign the labels before each fight, and practice differs from one cockpit to another. The assignment is announced to the crowd, and bettors do not choose it.
What is a mananari?
Mananari is the person who fits the tari, the blade, on the cock's leg. PD 449 calls the role the gaffer, or taga tari, and requires the gaffer to hold a city or municipal licence.
Can I use meron and wala to bet online?
No. The nationwide suspension of e-sabong under Executive Order No. 9 covers live-streamed and online or off-cockpit wagering on cockfights. These pages explain vocabulary only.