JILILUCK Cock Derby: 3-Cock, 4-Cock and 5-Cock Formats
A cock derby is a tournament in which each entry fields a set number of cocks, and the format is named for that number: 3-cock, 4-cock or 5-cock.
Key facts and contents
- JILILUCK Bullstag Explained
- A bullstag is a gamecock in the age class between a stag and a full cock: past its first season as a stag, not yet a mature cock.
- JILILUCK Is Sabong Legal in the Philippines? Cockpit Versus Online Stream
- Is sabong legal?
- JILILUCK Tupada Sabong
- Tupada sabong is a cockfight.
- JILILUCK Ulutan Meaning
- Ulutan is the pairing of two gamecocks of matching class and build before a fight, so that each match is fair to both owners.
- JILILUCK Wala Meaning
- Wala is one of the two sides in a cockpit pairing, the opposite of meron.
E-sabong operations have been suspended since 2022: Executive Order No. 9, signed on 28 December 2022 by President Marcos Jr., continues the nationwide suspension and leaves traditional cockfights in licensed cockpits outside it. A cock derby is the tournament format those licensed cockpits still run, and the confusion usually comes from the format names. Start from the cockfighting law that governs cockpits, then use the tables below.
What a cock derby is
A cock derby is a tournament of paired fights. Instead of a single fight on its own, an entry brings a set number of birds, each bird fights once, and the entry is ranked on its results.
PD 449 Section 4(a) says cockfighting means the commonly known game or term “cockfighting derby, pintakasi or tupada”, or its equivalent terms in different Philippine localities. The derby is therefore one of the named forms in the decree itself, and the tupada and how the law treats it is another.
| Part of a derby | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Entry | The group of birds one owner or team brings |
| Bout | One paired fight between two birds |
| Format | The number of cocks per entry |
The formats by number of cocks
Derby formats are named by how many cocks each entry fields. The entry fee, prize and weight limit belong to each derby’s own rules, so none is quoted here.
| Format | Cocks per entry | Bouts per entry |
|---|---|---|
| 3-cock | 3 | 3 |
| 4-cock | 4 | 4 |
| 5-cock | 5 | 5 |
Counting is plain arithmetic: one bird, one bout, so the format’s number is also the number of bouts an entry plays.
3 cock derby
A 3 cock derby has each entry field three cocks. A worked example with round numbers chosen for illustration: entry A wins 2 of its 3 bouts and entry B wins 1, so entry A ranks ahead.
How an entry is scored, step by step:
- Each cock fights its paired bout, set by the pairing.
- A win counts for the entry, and a loss counts against it.
- Wins are totalled across the entry’s birds.
- The entry with the most wins leads, and the derby’s posted rules settle ties.
The 4-cock and 5-cock formats score the same way over four and five bouts, which only changes how many wins an entry can reach.
Where the law stands
PD 449 Section 5(d) allows cockfighting only in licensed cockpits on Sundays, legal holidays and during local fiestas for not more than three days, and Section 5(f) says no gambling of any kind is permitted on the premises of a cockpit during cockfights. Section 7 requires licensed gaffers, referees and bet takers or promoters.
For the full picture of what is lawful and what is suspended, read whether sabong is legal in the Philippines. Under Section 1 of Executive Order No. 9, live-streaming of cockfights outside cockpits is suspended, and so is online or remote wagering on them.
| Text | Section | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| PD 449 | 5(d) | Licensed cockpits only, on set days |
| PD 449 | 5(f) | No gambling of any kind on the premises during cockfights |
| PD 449 | 7 | Licensed gaffers, referees and bet takers |
| EO 9 | 1 | Streaming outside cockpits and remote wagering are suspended |
FAQ
What is a cock derby?
A cock derby is a tournament of paired fights in which each entry brings a fixed number of birds. PD 449 Section 4(a) names the derby as one of the commonly known forms of cockfighting.
What is a 3 cock derby?
It is a derby where each entry fields three cocks. Each bird fights one bout, and the entry is scored on how many of those bouts it wins.
Paano ang puntos sa derby?
Karaniwan, ang entry na may pinakamaraming panalo ang nangunguna, at ang tabla ay inaayos ng mga patakaran ng derby. Read the derby's posted rules for the tie-break.
Can I watch a derby through an online stream?
Live-streaming of cockfights outside cockpits is suspended nationwide under Section 1 of Executive Order No. 9.