For subscribers
Letter From Masbate
For these Philippine cowboys, rodeo is tradition and livelihood, not just a Wild West import
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
A bull rider tries to balance on top of a raging bull during Rodeo Masbateno on April 14 in Masbate, Philippines.
ST PHOTO: ANGIE DE SILVA
- Harold Indapan won the Philippine National Rodeo Finals in Masbate, a unique Asian rodeo capital. The festival reflects the island's Spanish ranching heritage and livelihood.
- Launched in 1993 to revive Masbate's cattle industry, the festival faces funding issues, scaling back events. It also sees women increasingly competing in previously male-dominated activities.
- Rodeo Masbateño faces criticism from animal welfare groups like PAWS, citing "unnecessary suffering." Organisers and participants defend practices as essential for safe cattle handling and ranching.
AI generated
MASBATE – The bull bursts out of the gate before the crowd can catch its breath.
For a split second, bull rider Harold Indapan holds steady, his left hand locked around the rope, his right hand raised free. The fringe on his denim jeans sways in rhythm with the bull beneath him.
