Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Exclusive Interview with Leandro “Biboy” Enriquez

Biboy recalls his earliest experience with chickens: “My first experience with chickens happened when I was nine years old. No one in my family took up the sport but the chickens my mother kept for her catering business were often a source of curiosity. I would often separate the kingly ones and make them fight with each other. By the time I was eleven, I already owned a “Talisain”, he recalled. “It was finally brought to a local cockpit and won my first win ever. Then in my teens, I started a bit of backyard breeding and taking weekend trips to La Loma cockpit mainly out of interest.”

In the year 1969, with what started out as hobby, he produced 50 to 60 birds that eventually increased in number annually. He decided to transfer to a one hectare vacated piggery property, which belonged to his parents in 1971. There he raised over a hundred stags. In the late 70’s when his production increased to 200 each year, he moved to a bigger farm that he used to lease in Antipolo, there he stayed for more than 14 years before transferring to his present farm in Tanay.

The farm is open to public and a subject of admiration not only by local aficionados but international cockers as well. Known American breeders from Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana and California have nice words to say whenever they visit the farm. The last couple of years have been busy for breeding. Biboy has decided to concentrate on developing and propagating top quality firebird bloodlines to compete in big-time cockfighting, not just for his benefit, but for other cockers as well. Yes, since last year, he has been sharing his prized game birds to those who are seriously into the game.

Here’s below the series of question and answer exclusively for Biboy Enriquez:

MD: Who is Biboy Enriquez?
Biboy Enriquez: I grew up where my parents still struggling on world war 2 in there business I grew up ordinary middle age family in Quezon City, and through the years the business of my parents flourished, I started enjoying better quality life in a way, and then I got involved in the hotel industry business. I put up a small hotel and its called Sulu Hotel and then two other large hotel including puerto Azul beach hotel, so I got involved there as a Vice President of the operation. And then on my own I co-founded a beauty contest called Mutya ng Pilipinas Miss Asia Pacific long time ago.
I also got the franchise of Ms World, I held it for 15 years before It was transferred it to Estella Araneta. And one of the hotels I was able to acquired a franchise of Playboy Club. And then the Star Gazer Disco through a friend, partnered with us Luis Ismail of Star Gazer and then later on become a Euphoria Disco. So my involvement was more on the lime light in a way and then when I sold my shares when my mother retired that time my brother-in-law and my sister bought me out, and then I stayed on Sulu Hotel. And then later on I got stressed because of the labour union na naging masyadong radical, so napasok kami or na infiltrate, Hirap ng patakbuhin ang hotel with the undesirable employee and very difficult to terminate kasi they are always protected by the Department of Labor. Even though I was very fair to my employees and generous, but on the occasion, the employees always win. The only thing is that the company has the money and there was a corruption involve in the Department of Labour, if the company wins the case they will not get anything that’s why majority of the cases are the employees always wins so they can collect money from the company. So this becomes stressful to me so I retired and put up a four hectare property farm instead, but before that I was already involve with gamefowl since when I was 8 years old. Nakahiligan ko lng because of my parents personal driver na mahilig mag manok sa backyard namin nag aalaga sya, but its just a native chicken for cockfighting and then that’s where it all started. And then when I was a teenager, there i got some good chickens for cockfighting in Laloma and later on it grew eventually as I learn the way of gamefowl breeding. I get a chance to be of friend with Mr Paeng Araneta, and he was the number 1 champions in Bacolod and considered to be the guru on this industry even in the conditioning, because of him I learned a lot of things.

Inside the Firebird Gamefarm.

Then later on I involved in promoting derbies, and I became a popular as a promoter, doing so but I’ll make sure that the fight is always fair, even though i have my entry but I decided not to participate because its my promotion, so that there’ll be no participant to complain about. And Nene Araneta in Araneta Coliseum wanted to host or to promote international derby sa Araneta Coliseum in 1988 it started, so ako young inembita dahil alam yang malaki ang hatak ko so I was the one of the co-promoter along with Jong Santiago, so twice a year each co-promoter tig dalawa kaming sponsored american entries or american cockers na well known nang sa ganun maka draw in kami ng mga participants and because I was in the Hotel business at malapit ung Sulu Hotel sa Araneta Coliseum dun na tumira lahat and in the evening I will invite them all at the cocktail lounge so that they can have their chicken-talk discussion, drinking, etc. I became friends with many. Twice a year there’s an International Derby and this was they called it before and now its World Slasher Cup and that started 1988 and then later on I think that was 1992 we set apart and George ‘Nene’ Araneta promoted the World Slasher Cup alone. And then we formed again another association called U-Cup and we also have most of the big players and there we have a new cockfighting in Mandaluyong and then until this sports grow bigger and bigger in the Philippines because it was being televised. My farm was in Tanay Rizal, I was leasing a property in Antipolo before and I also have the breeding area in Common Wealth Avenue inside Don Antonio Heights and then my range was in Antipolo and later on I wanted to have a permanent farm and then I found and bought my own farm in Tanay Rizal, it was 4 hectares and that was almost 27 years ago. That four hectare farm gradually grew because I bought all of the adjacent farms and now I have a 26 hectares farm and I think I still need a few more hectares to make it 30. The growth of cockfighting in the Philippines are unbelievable, it becomes more and more, the demands are too high and the fights are way more interesting and beautiful to watch maybe because of the pot money involve was becoming bigger so the excitement of the cockers are being lifted so everyone wanted to be a cockers too. Now, I am happy with my farm having 48 employees and to make sure that they are also happy they are part of the profit sharing of the farm as well so therefore they will have this malasakit and their loyalty to me. I provided them a concrete houses with free water and electricity, and I am very close with their children I felt like I am being part of their family too, they have recreation area like table tennis, basketball court and now I started to make their own fitness gym.

Firebird Gamefarm view from the inside.

The production of Firebird Gamefarm rapidly grows as well, this year’s production target are about 3,800 harvested but I was hoping to reach about 4000. Estimated harvest for this year’s target is 3800 males and around 2300 harvested females and that is for this year (2018) and i don’t know what will happen on the coming years, but it will continues to grow as long as my employees are committed and happy, there’s loyalty and hardwork and that is very important because they are part of the business, there’s none to steal or any sort of illegal activities because they are well paid and their focus and attention are always there.

MD: Do you think cockfight will gone at some point?
Biboy Enriquez: No, i think it will continue to grow unprecedented to an unprecedented levels and there will be a revolution in case the government will try passing a law to ban, magkakagulo mga tao and I don’t think they will do it because a lot of politicians and in the government are in to it, and that’s how they are become closer to the masses and they rub elbows when they are going to the cockpit and that’s why they are able to garner more votes when in election, and that’s why they are also participating in cock fighting. They are so many challenges in this game or in this sports I always say that this thing could prolong your life because when you are in the farm you force yourself to wake up early so there’s an exercise, there’s clean air, and the challenges at the start are the selection of the breeding materials and what to mate each other their different bloodlines, then after that, we make it sure that the chicks health are raise healthy and since then there is a vaccination program, feeding guide and deworming period so that’s another challenge to make them really healthy in the competition you have to raise them with strong bones good balance. And then, after that the conditioning part is a big challenge as well specially when you have a fight and that is called pointing you have to make sure that they become sharp during the time of their fight and those are the challenges, plus the thrill and excitements, there are ups and downs and it will teach you to accept and I am a person can accept defeat which we can also used this in our daily lives, in business or whatever endeavor he may go to. you know, you need to accept defeat and be humble in your triumph and be a man. Its a noble sports, people become honest and its a fair game. Those who tried to cheat and once they are known they are banned into cockfighting and in the cockpit and its a shame on them and this is a gentleman’s sports I may say. And you meet more people, at my old age I meet new friends, my contemporaries because of the breeders associations, the people coming to the farm and all that.

MD: How systematic are you when it comes to recording?
Biboy Enriquez: ’m very systematic about that, I used females employees to do this task, because they are brilliant on this and their being meticulous. In fact, one good example of this is Ms Robie, she’s one of the first lady gaffer she’s the one tying the knife at the cockpit and now she became popular and a celebrity at the moment. They are about 9 or 10 lady gaffers now involved when it comes to tying the knife of the gamefowl, which is good because there is a participation of the females. And also back in to my recording, the egg collector was also a female just to minimize corruptions and then its fun to have a female employees because when there is a visitor in the farm they can able to mingle easily and they will offer you a coconut juice exclusively comes from our farms. Otherwise, if all males on my farms I will get bored later on (LOL) but if there’s females, there’s more to have fun with them, you can joke around with them sharing laughters, there’s fun and its nice to have them. Females are multi-tasking because that’s the way they are, and there was this doctor who told me that the reason why the females are good with their hands because they used two parts of their brains (left and right brains) but us guys we normally used the one part. that’s why females can do many things than men. Specially when tying the knife you need to have a good and gentle hands to execute it properly. In recording females are more meticulous than men.

Biboy Enriquez and the first lady gaffer of the Philippines Robie Yu Panis.

MD: How do you stay humble through all of your success?
Biboy Enriquez: Well, I was grounded. From my childhood I was an ordinary kid playing in the neighborhood and I understand how the poor people feel and think so i grew up that way, so I haven’t change them and because of this hobby it already brings me to expose to different kind of people so I stayed that way.

MD: How many bloodlines you’re breeding at the moment?
Biboy Enriquez: Well, If I am not mistaken I have about 10 different bloodlines but its a proven bloodlines that originate from the states, once in a while I still importing from the state and there a few that I would like to get from like an exchange program from a well known breeder and have a particular bloodlines that I wanted to have and I will give in return for what he wants from my bloodlines then that way we both improved, If you are selfish you will not likely go up because you think you have the best, you need to have an open mind. And then the proven blood line, the high demands bloodlines I make sure I can make three families out of them of that particular bloodlines, so I will not lose that blood. I do line breeding, in-breeding and then cross them out. The feeling of becoming a breeder is just like a chef, you try to find the best ingredients. You’re clooning your fighting machines the way you want them to fight and they fight uniform as well, so that’s a big challenge

Biboy’s White Kelso Blood line

MD: Your White Kelso is one of your highest percentage of winnings, can you tell us more about it?
Biboy Enriquez: Yes, that’s right, their color and blood are so dominant. What i meant about dominants, they are the vicious ones and then they grow bigger. Their fighting styles, they really stretched when they hit whether they are up or down and they are a bit heavy and brainy as well. And it was an accident that it came from a red kelso, a throw-back of a red kelso, there’s one female who turned out white, and i was surprised and shocked why this white came out and i castigated my breeder and said “Are you sure about this one and you didn’t make a mistake? and he said ‘Yes sir’ I have no idea as well. And then going back to the records to the past book that i subscribe from the states long time ago and Cecile Davis the farm handler of Walter Kelso in 1956 if i’m not mistaken, there was indeed a throw back white Kelso and it won a lot for them. Mainly because Kelso has four blood lines, there’s a white hackle. So there was this throw back that happens every now and then. So I maintained it and I was able to get another white family from a retired basketball player, Dennis Espino a “Slim Benoist White Kelso” he got an imported trio from Patrick, but doesn’t like white chickens so he bought that one from Patrick and he wanted to have a red kelso on my side but he saw that i have a White so he offered to his White and I exchange to him with my red kelso. And it turned that my white Kelso are the most winningest of all my blood lines.

Biboy’s achievements

MD: Is there any advice you could give to young breeders that just getting started?
Biboy Enriquez: Start small, learn the ropes and have the right facilities… they should invest to a good bloodline because that is very important, there are so many chickens around now and you need to have a superior proven cocking ability and gameness of the fighting style and so gradually you increase. The same thing how i did it, otherwise when you get burned you have big expenses, and you will lose. So this is what I have to say to the breeders who just started…
Visit some of the farms and be friends with the breeders because they will have a lot to share to you. Talked to them, ask many questions. for sure they will be more happy to share what they have

Photo-grab on Robie Yu Panis and Biboy Enriquez Facebook Page account with permission.

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