Gagamboy Project is dead in the water, for now
A spider caught from the fields of Nueva Ecija is housed in this apartment box. It will be used for the seasonal arachnid fights.
Just when I’m at the final week of doing my final projects for my Diploma in Photojournalism course at the ACFJ, bad news greeted me in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan. One of the photo stories that I am working on got raided and the men think that I was the one who told the police. The Gagamboy Project is dead in the water. For now.
During the summer months, spider fighting is one of the popular past times for boys and men. The latter usually do this backyard tournaments where modest amounts of cash change hands. Yes. It’s illegal gambling that has caught the attention of policemen in the area.
A short wooden table with a thin stick suspended about a foot high serves as the arena where spider fights happen.
Since last year, I’ve been meaning to do a photo story on spider fights in Cebu but it wasn’t arachnid season and thus, it was just in my list of projects. While shooting in Bagong Barrio earlier this month, it was happenstance that I learned about this one and proposed this to my adviser for inclusion as one of my final project.
Unfortunately, when I went back today to continue work, I was told that the men would not want to be interviewed and photographed anymore since they were raided with four held in jail. The bad thing is that they think I was the one who tipped the police. One lady advised me:
Huwag ka nang pumunta doon. Baka mabugbog ka pa. (Don’t go there anymore. You might get mugged.)
Utter disappointment.
Spider fights happen in just seconds when one of the arachnids fall from the stick. These men gamble big amounts and police has a reason to raid them.
It’s just four days before our on-campus schedule, the final week of our course as well as defense and I’m at a loss on what stories to do as a replacement. I really can’t continue with this since I still lack some vital information and some shots and my security is not guaranteed. Oh well, I’ll defer this story for the meantime and do some quick thinking on what I will cover.
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My flagellant image is Editor's Choice in the National Geographic Magazine May 2010 issue.
Sidney
15 April 2009Wow! That was really an interesting subject. I knew about those fights but I thought it was just a children’s game. I am really surprised adults are betting on this. I am even more surprised that such a harmless game is considered as a felony and that you can go in jail for it.
That is really bad news… the pictures you posted here are very good and interesting.
But yes…this looks like a dangerous assignment at this stage…
Sidney
15 April 2009Since you are from Cebu (and it is very popular there) you should really continue this project there (even if this is not for school).
This is really National Geographic material.
estan
15 April 2009well, for now, i’ll have to shelve this one but i really want to continue this some other time sidney.
Cathy Quiogue
15 April 2009hi Estan!
i commiserate with you. it looked like a very promising project and yes the few pictures here look great. i hope you find an equally compelling project to replace this.
looking forward to seeing good things from you.
estan
15 April 2009cathy, sidney, i’m proceeding with the project after all! but it will only be based on the images I have. I’ve posted about it
Daniel
15 April 2009i’ve never heard of spider fights. this is extremely interesting.
do you know how the process works? same family of arachnids vs eachother…or different spiders agaisnt eachother?
Great photo by the way…captures the moment perfectly
estan
15 April 2009Daniel, there’s really no distinction on the type of spiders as long as you put it in the “ring”