Bukidnon's horse-fighting 'sport' criticized in S. Africa

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine officials in South Africa cried fowl over an article published in a newspaper there about a foreigner’s experience in a horse-fighting tournament in Bukidnon. In a statement on Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria, capital of South Africa, was swamped with letters after the article was published in the Weekend Argus on February 23. Philippine officials were disdained when the resource person, Andrew Plumbly of the Network for Animals, suggested: "If people want to help stop these tournaments they should write to the embassy in London and tell them that they will not visit these islands." Danny Penman’s article, entitled, ‘Tournament of Blood: The Sheer Horror of Horse-fighting,’ detailed his first-hand account of the “bloody" tournament in Don Carlos, Bukidnon. In response to the article, Ambassador to South Africa Virgilio Reyes, Jr. wrote the editor of the Cape/Weekend Argus and informed him that the Philippine government does not tolerate cruelty to animals. Reyes denounced the article as being “grossly unfair" after it asserted that horse-fighting is ‘hugely-popular’ in the southern Philippines. The ambassador, in his letter to the editor, cited Republic Act No. 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, which bans horse-fighting although it is an important tradition to some tribes in the country. "The law has been successful in preventing horse-fighting as a part of major festivals in Mindanao where the event used to be a feature," Reyes said, adding that the “Philippine government does not condone cruelty to animals, and continues its efforts to stop this illegal practice." Barbaric Penman’s article drew angry responses from all over the world when it was published earlier at the online news site The Daily Mail on Feb 18. “This is unbelievable - completely barbaric and has no place in a civilized world. It makes it even worse that even though it is illegal, the authorities couldn't care less. It says a lot about the people of the Philippines as far as I am concerned," said Heather from West Midlands, England. Rachel from the US described horse-fighting as “the most disgusting, inhumane, terrible, sadistic sport I've ever seen." A certain Mm from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia said that the tournament of horse fight is appalling and barbaric. “Appalling, disgusting and barbaric. Well done Network for Animals and Andrew Plumbly for bringing this to everyone's attention. Hope something can be done to bring an end to this sick spectacle," Mm said. – Mark J. Ubalde, GMANews.TV