Spider fighting

Matchbox serving as a 'stable' for fighting spiders in between derbies

Spiders suitable for spider fighting are almost always adult female orb-weavers from the genus Neoscona. Only the spiders coming from this genus are called damang or kaka (or in English as "derby spiders" or "fighting spiders"). The most commonly utilized species is Neoscona punctigera, but other species used include: Neoscona aldinei, Neoscona ampoyae, Neoscona facundoi, Neoscona lipana, Neoscona marauoyi, Neoscona nautica, Neoscona rumpfi, Neoscona shereeae, Neoscona theisi, and Neoscona vigilans.[1]

The spiders are usually caught in trees and bushes in the early morning or during dusk when the spiders come out to spin webs.[4] After capture or in-between fights, the spiders are stabled in used matchboxes.[4] These matchboxes usually have separate cells to house several spiders. The cells are normally made from discarded cardboard or a single blade of coconut leaf bent several times inside the matchbox. Some trainers assemble a "langsaranan" where the spider is released to a plant enclosed by a net or a plastic bottle with tiny holes.

Most spider fights are done with a single piece of dried coconut leaf midrib (usually taken from a broom made from such midribs; Cebuano: gungi, Tagalog: walis tingting) or bamboo. Spiders are placed at both ends and encouraged to move toward each other and fight. The sticks are thin enough to ensure that the spiders have no choice but to meet. It is held by one child who ensures that the spiders do not escape by alternately switching grip from one end to the other. How a fight ends is agreed upon beforehand. Fights to the death will end with one spider being bitten, paralyzed, and swiftly wrapped in silk. Non-lethal matches end when one spider falls from the stick (once or several times, depending on the agreement). Occasionally, the child holding the stick may need to quickly intervene in a non-lethal fight to prevent the winning spider from eating the losing spider.[4][5]

More formal fights, called "kaka derbies" are held in an arena made of two poles connected by a tight string. Underneath is a padding (usually polystyrene foam) to ensure that the spiders are not injured in case they fall down. A fight that includes large sums of money normally has a referee similar to cockfighting.

The practice is now generally discouraged since it affects the educational performance of school children.[6] Top fighters can fetch up to 100 pesos (US$ 2),[5] making the sport lucrative for children. They could spend so much time hunting and training spiders that lessons and homework are neglected. Adults also play the sport but in a way similar to cockfighting. Derbies are also held and bets could go as high as 50,000 pesos (about US$1,000).[5] The cheaper maintenance cost of raising spiders compared to raising fighting cocks caused some players to switch to spider fighting.[7]

Ordinances against the sport are now in effect in some cities.[4][8] In the Negros Occidental province, spider derbies are treated as a threat to public morals. The Bacolod police provincial director issued an order warning residents of participating in a form of illegal gambling.[5] The police also say that spider fighting in itself is not illegal as a pastime, but it will be considered illegal once people place bets on the fights.[9]