Masbate: Cowboy Country

MANILA, Philippines - Masbate’s cattle industry has been in existence since the 19th century. During that period, there was an extensive transformation in Masbate’s landscape from one covered with forest to one covered with grassland. This paved the way for the rise of the cattle industry in the province. In fact, Masbate supplied cattle meat to Manila, Cavite and other nearby provinces.

As the number of ranches started to increase, so did the number of cowboys. This explains why rodeo is deeply ingrained in the culture of Masbate. Rodeo is almost an automatic occurrence where there are ranches and cowboys.

With the aim of institutionalizing rodeos in the province, a group called Rodeo Masbateño Inc. (RMI) created an annual rodeo competition, the Rodeo Festival. RMI also supervises the Rodeo Festival’s technical officiating arm called Volunteer Rodeo Officials and Organizers of Masbate (VROOM). The organization’s credibility has earned invitations to officiate rodeos in other parts of the country.

RMI initially envisioned the Rodeo Festival as a means to promote Masbate’s cattle industry. Through the years, the festival has served this purpose and contributed so much more: it became a potent way to promote Masbate as a tourist destination. In the last three years, Masbate has become one of the top tourist destinations in the Bicol region, next to Camarines Sur and Albay. This can be largely attributed to the Rodeo Festival, which has also become a homecoming event for Masbateños.From being an event exclusively for ranchers, it has involved people from all walks of life, participating in various ways.

“Of the many contributions of the Festival to our beloved province, I consider as RMI’s greatest legacy, the assurance that the rodeo tradition will live on because we have exposed the younger generation of Masbateños to this vibrant culture,” said Manuel Sese, one of the founding members of RMI.

The Rodeo Festival 2016 is ongoing until April 17 at the Grand Rodeo Arena in Masbate City, the only permanent rodeo arena in the country. The National Rodeo Finals  on April 12-17 attracts the best cowboys and cowgirls in the Philippines and showcases top-notch animal handling skills and techniques.

Now on its 23rd year, the Rodeo Festival keeps getting bigger and stronger. There will be 12 competing teams for this year’s professional category and 14 for the school category. Both the professional and student teams compete in eight main events, namely: cattle lassoing wrestling on foot, steer lassoing on horseback, steer wrestling from horseback, casting down, two-person carambola, four-person carambola, bull riding, and load carrying.

There are also special events like bronco riding, bull riding for women and team penning competition.Aside from rodeo being part of the culture of Masbateños, one of the main reasons for the longevity of the festival is its reputation for the safety of animals. The Rodeo Festival strictly adheres to Republic Act 8485, the Animal Welfare Act of 1998. RMI has a resident veterinarian, Hernando Durongon, the only certified rodeo veterinarian in the Philippines, to ensure that participating animals are in good condition before, during and after the festival.

According to Leo Gozum, the long-time festival director, rodeo originated from day-to-day ranch practices. Thus, he claims that rodeo is essentially an elaborate display of the science of animal handling. For Gozum, rodeo is synonymous to animal safety because the sport itself is anchored on animal welfare protection.RMI ensures that the annual Rodeo Festival is always a complete experience for local and foreign visitors. Aside from the much-awaited National Rodeo Finals, there are other events such as nightly celebrations, a pageant for cowgirls, the traditional cattle drive, a barn dance competition and many more.

“We invite our fellow Masbateños to continue to support the festival and to contribute in whatever way they can. This festival is for the Masbateños, by Masbateños. Let us welcome our visitors and show them our warmth, hospitality and joyful spirit,” said Igmedio Emilio Camposano, RMI board member.