JL4 Explains What Is Tupada: The Unlicensed Cockfight
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.
- 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 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 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.
The question of what is tupada matters more after 2022, because 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 suspension to continue. That order leaves traditional cockfights licensed under existing laws alone, and the tupada sits on the other side of that line. Start with our sabong in the Philippines explained overview if the terms are new.
What is tupada in everyday Filipino use
In everyday use a tupada is a cockfight held outside a licensed cockpit or outside the allowed days. People use the word for an informal match in a yard, a field or a barangay corner, in contrast with a derby at a licensed arena. Section 4 of PD 449 does list tupada among the names for cockfighting, so the word alone does not tell you whether a fight is lawful.
| Term | Everyday sense | In PD 449 |
|---|---|---|
| Tupada | A cockfight outside a licensed cockpit or outside the allowed days | Listed in Section 4 as a name for cockfighting |
| Derby | A cockfight event at a licensed cockpit | Listed in Section 4 as a name for cockfighting |
| Pintakasi | A cockfight named in the same list | Listed in Section 4 |
Why a tupada is illegal under PD 449
Section 5(d) says that, except as the decree provides, cockfighting is allowed only in licensed cockpits during Sundays and legal holidays and during local fiestas for not more than three days. A tupada that takes place outside a licensed cockpit has no permission from that rule. The recitals of Executive Order No. 9 say the same thing in short form: PD 449 prohibits holding cockfights in unlicensed cockpits.
That is the answer to why a tupada is illegal where a licensed cockpit derby is not. Three tests decide it:
- Is the fight held in a cockpit licensed by the city or municipal mayor?
- Is it held on an allowed day, such as a Sunday, a legal holiday or within a fiesta of not more than three days?
- Is it free of the barred days: December 30, June 12, November 30, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Election or Referendum Day and registration days?
A fight that fails the first test is outside the decree’s permission, whatever name people give it.
Tupada versus a licensed derby
The difference is the frame, not the birds. A licensed derby runs with licensed officials, a gaffer who arms the cocks, a referee called the sentenciador, and a bet taker or promoter, all licensed yearly under Section 7. You can read how those roles share a vocabulary in our piece on llamado and dehado terms.
| Feature | Licensed derby | Tupada outside a licensed cockpit |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Cockpit licensed by the city or municipal mayor | No licence behind it |
| Days | Sundays, legal holidays, fiestas of up to three days | Outside the allowed days or places |
| Officials | Licensed gaffer, referee and bet taker | No Section 7 licences |
| Under PD 449 | Allowed | Not covered by the decree’s permission |
The bettors in a crowd often rely on gestures, which our page on sabong hand signals between bettors and the kristo describes.
What the penalties say
Section 8 of PD 449 punishes violations of the decree and of its rules, in two bands.
- Owners, operators, gaffers, referees, bet takers and those who allow other gambling on the premises: prision correccional in its maximum period and a fine of two thousand pesos.
- Any other offender: prision correccional or a fine of six hundred to two thousand pesos, or both.
The decree gives no penalty beyond Section 8, so none is stated here.
The recitals of Executive Order No. 9 also mention PD 1602, which prescribes stiffer penalties for those taking part in illegal or unauthorised cockfighting activities. Read the text of each if you need the exact terms.
FAQ
What does tupada mean?
In everyday Filipino use a tupada is a cockfight held outside a licensed cockpit or outside the allowed days, often an informal one. Section 4 of PD 449 also lists tupada among the names for cockfighting.
Why is a tupada illegal?
PD 449 allows cockfighting only in licensed cockpits, on Sundays, legal holidays and during local fiestas, with limited exceptions. A fight outside that frame has no permission under the decree. The recitals of Executive Order No. 9 note that PD 449 prohibits cockfights in unlicensed cockpits.
Is a tupada the same as a derby?
The words overlap in the decree, which defines cockfighting as the game or term cockfighting derby, pintakasi or tupada. What changes the legal position is the venue and the day, not the word.
What is the penalty for an illegal tupada?
Section 8 of PD 449 sets the penalties, in two bands depending on the offender. Executive Order No. 9 recites that PD 1602 prescribes stiffer penalties for illegal or unauthorised cockfighting activities.