JL4 PD 449 Cockfighting Law, Section by Section
The PD 449 cockfighting law of 9 May 1974 is what traditional cockfights still run under while e-sabong stays suspended since 2022.
- JL4 Llamado Dehado
- Llamado dehado are terms from the licensed cockpit, since e-sabong has been suspended since 2022: the llamado is the favoured bird and the dehado is the underdog.
- JL4 Sabong Hand Signals
- Sabong hand signals belong to the licensed cockpit, since e-sabong has been suspended since 2022: bettors use them to tell the kristo which side they back and in what denomination.
- JL4 Answers Is E-Sabong Legal
- E-sabong is not legal to offer or bet on: operations were suspended nationwide on 3 May 2022, and Executive Order No. 9 of 28 December 2022 directs that the suspension continue.
- JL4 Sabong Arena
- A sabong arena is the licensed cockpit of PD 449, the one lawful place for a cockfight now that e-sabong has been suspended since 2022.
- JL4 Explains What Is Tupada
- What is tupada in everyday use: a cockfight held outside a licensed cockpit or outside the allowed days, unlawful under PD 449 just as online sabong has been suspended since 2022.
Before the PD 449 cockfighting law, one fact frames everything: e-sabong operations were suspended nationwide on 3 May 2022, and Executive Order No. 9, signed by President Marcos on 28 December 2022, directed the continued suspension. That order leaves traditional cockfights licensed under existing laws untouched, and PD 449 is the decree that governs those cockpits. The rest of this page reads the decree’s own text, with the wider context on our sabong Philippines overview.
PD 449 cockfighting law at a glance
Presidential Decree No. 449 was done in Manila on 9 May 1974 and is titled the Cockfighting Law of 1974. Section 2 gives its scope: the establishment, operation, maintenance and ownership of cockpits. Its recitals call cockfighting a popular, traditional and customary form of recreation, and say it should neither be exploited as an object of commercialism nor made a tool of uncontrolled gambling.
Section 3 sets out three policy goals:
- To control and regulate cockfighting as a national recreation, relaxation and source of entertainment.
- To provide additional revenue for the tourism programme.
- To remove and prevent excessive and unreasonable business and profit considerations in running cockpits.
What PD 449 allows
| Subject | Section | What the text says |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | 5(a) | Only Filipino citizens not otherwise inhibited by existing laws may own, manage and operate cockpits |
| Number of cockpits | 5(b) | One per city or municipality; two where the population is over one hundred thousand |
| Regular days | 5(d) | Licensed cockpits, on Sundays and legal holidays, and during local fiestas for not more than three days |
| Fairs and expositions | 5(d) | Three days by resolution, with approval of the Chief of Constabulary or an authorised representative |
| Tourists and charity | 5(e) | A single three-day period a year per province, city or municipality, on authorisation |
| Licensing | 6 | City and municipal mayors issue licences, subject to approval of the Chief of Constabulary |
| Officials | 7 | Gaffers, referees and bet takers or promoters need a licence renewed every year in their birth month |
The Chief of Constabulary is the decree’s own wording for the approving authority. The recitals of Executive Order No. 9 also cite the Local Government Code of 1991 for local governments authorising and licensing cockpits. For what makes a venue licensed, see our page on the cockpit arena.
What PD 449 limits
Section 5(d) closes the fair and exposition exception with two provisos and a list of days. No cockfighting on the occasion of a fair, carnival or exposition is allowed within the month of a local fiesta, or for more than two occasions a year in the same city or municipality.
- December 30 (Rizal Day).
- June 12 (Philippine Independence Day).
- November 30 (National Heroes Day).
- Holy Thursday.
- Good Friday.
- Election or Referendum Day, and registration days for such election or referendum.
Section 5(c) places cockpits in the areas a zoning law or ordinance prescribes. Where there is none, local executives must see that no cockpit is built within or near residential or commercial areas, hospitals, school buildings, churches or other public buildings. Section 5(f) bars gambling of any kind on the premises during cockfights.
Section 4 definitions: cockfighting, derby, pintakasi and tupada
Section 4 tells you how to read the decree’s words. Cockfighting “shall embrace and mean the commonly known game or term cockfighting derby, pintakasi or tupada”, or its equivalent terms in different Philippine localities. For how tupada is used in practice, see the tupada meaning page.
| Term | Section 4 definition, in short |
|---|---|
| Bet taker or promoter | Calls and takes care of bets before the fight, then distributes won bets after deducting a commission |
| Gaffer (taga tari) | Knows the art of arming fighting cocks with gaffs on either or both legs |
| Referee (sentenciador) | Oversees gaffing, judges the cocks’ condition, and announces the winner, a tie or a no contest |
| Bettor | Bets with other bettors or through the bet taker, and may own a fighting cock |
PD 449 penalties under Section 8
Section 8 punishes any violation of the decree and of the rules issued under it by the Chief of Constabulary.
- For a financer, owner, manager or operator of a cockpit, or a gaffer, referee or bet taker, or anyone who allows, promotes or takes part in other gambling on the premises: prision correccional in its maximum period and a fine of two thousand pesos, with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.
- For any other offender: prision correccional or a fine of not less than six hundred nor more than two thousand pesos, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Section 9 repeals Sections 2285 and 2286 of the Revised Penal Code and inconsistent rules. Section 10 makes the decree take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette is complete.
FAQ
What is PD 449?
Presidential Decree No. 449, dated 9 May 1974, is the Cockfighting Law of 1974. Section 2 says it governs the establishment, operation, maintenance and ownership of cockpits.
What penalties does PD 449 set?
Section 8 sets two bands. Financers, owners, managers and operators of a cockpit, gaffers, referees and bet takers face prision correccional in its maximum period and a fine of two thousand pesos, as do those who allow other gambling on the premises. Any other offender faces prision correccional or a fine from six hundred to two thousand pesos, or both, at the court's discretion.
Does PD 449 cover online sabong?
The decree itself speaks of cockpits and cockfights, and says nothing about live-streaming or remote betting. Online and off-cockpit e-sabong is addressed by Executive Order No. 9, which suspends it nationwide.
Who may own a cockpit under PD 449?
Only Filipino citizens not otherwise inhibited by existing laws may own, manage and operate cockpits. The decree encourages cooperative capitalization.