Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
8-2025
Abstract
There are few more devout than a gambler. By his nature, he believes in something bigger than himself—be it faith, chance, luck, fortune, or some other greater power. The Philippine tradition of cockfighting, or sabong, is known for its established position in Philippine culture and the superstitious nature of the sabungero. In his 1977 book In Defense of Cockfighting, Nid Anima even goes as far as to claim that the Philippines is the cockfight Mecca of the world. In spite of the contradictory implications, there is a deep religiosity at work here, which makes the sabong unique in the Southeast Asian region. Moreover, cockfighting still has deep-rooted ties with gambling, despite state-sanctioned restrictions and regulations, and Anima attests that, “In every cocker, there is a gambler” (77). In 2018, the Journal of Behavioral Addictions published a study on how religiosity may predict disordered gambling, headed by Hyoun S. Kim. It premised that “religiosity primes people to place their faith in good fortune or a higher power” and that individuals “who are high in religiosity may be more at risk of developing gambling fallacies, as they may believe that a higher power can influence a game of chance” (Kim et al, 2018). In many ways, acts of faith are a gamble. This paper explores these themes of religiosity and gambling in Ren Galeno’s Sa Wala, particularly the implicit exchange between the devout and the object of their devotion, signified by acts of worship and sacrifice. In this way, the graphic novel is a horrific exploration of Philippine faith. Philippine faith is a different beast altogether. It is far removed from the continental Catholicism brought over to the archipelago by Spanish colonialism. In his 1992 essay, Niels Mulder refers to this development and evolution as the Filipinization of Catholicism. There is an element of mysticism in Philippine Catholicism that allowed for its easy assimilation during the time of the Spaniards, and the undertones of that mysticism remain to the present day. It is this intersection of faith and mysticism that allows for the ready acceptance of the extraordinary events throughout the course of the graphic novel. Set away from the metropolitan center of the Philippines, Sa Wala portrays a decentralized perspective of Philippine culture. Its title is a direct reference to the underdog, or ‘dejado’, and the practice of indicating the favorite, the ‘llamado’ with a hat, signifying his status as ‘meron’ (having), and his opponent’s to ‘wala’ (having nothing). When one has nothing, then one has nothing to lose. The graphic novel centers those in the periphery. Mocked by his fellow sabungeros for his long string of bad luck at the cockpits, Anding Faustino takes a mysterious rooster back to his home. In his bid to remove himself and his family from the margins, Anding risks more than he realizes in this fantastical and gruesome exploration of risks and rewards.
Recommended Citation
Catimpo, E. C. B. (2025). A game of chicken: Exploring religiosity, gambling, and acts of worship in Ren Galeno’s graphic novel Sa Wala (Nothing to Lose) [Conference presentation]. Critical Island Studies 2025 International Conference, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea. ArchIum Ateneo.
