Upland Food Gathering and Production Practice

UPLAND FOOD GATHERING AND PRODUCTION PRACTICE

by Antonio C. Antonio

January 27, 2014

In the Cordillera Region, there is a “unique but unlawful” delicacy.  (Sandali lang… I know that something seems to be wrong with my opening sentence.  Please continue reading…)  “Unique” because of the procedure or manner by which the food is prepared.  And this peculiar way by which this particular viand is prepared has also rendered it “unlawful”. 

This is “Pinikpikan”… a very common and “to die for” type of food that all Filipinos would choose to try no matter how illegal it may seem.  Pinikpikan is a chicken delicacy… but for crying out loud, so what’s so illegal about eating chicken?!  The owners and proprietors of KFC, Max’s, Andok’s, Baliwag and other fried chicken food chains should have all gone to jail if eating chicken was to be outlawed.  All of us, on the assumption that we have all eaten chicken, will all have to also march into our jail cells as accessories to the crime. 

Some foreign countries consider this practice inhuman… or, more appropriately, “inanimal.”  Foreign tourists, in particular, are forewarned and are very careful not to partake of this meal.

The crime is not so much with eating chicken per se.  It is the manner and procedure by which the chicken is prepared before cooking which is not too desirable.  Pinikpikan is prepared for cooking by beating a live chicken with a stick prior to cooking.  The beating results to bruises on the chicken’s flesh when its blood coagulates to the skin.  It is said that this bruising adds a distinct taste and flavour to the chicken after it is cooked.

This preparation procedure, however, violates a provision in the Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 1998 or Republic Act No. 8485.  A provision in RA 8485 states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to torture any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat any animal or to subject any dog or horse to dogfights or horsefights, kill or cause or procure to be tortures or deprives of adequate care, sustenance of shelter, or maltreat or use the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the Committee on Animal Welfare.”  In addition, Section 8 of RA 8485 provides: “Any person who violate, any of the provisions of this Act, upon conviction by final judgment, be punished by imprisonment of not less than six (6) months nor more than two (2) years or a fine of not less than one thousand pesos (PhP 1,000) nor more than five thousand pesos (PhP 5,000) or both at the discretion of the court.  If the violation is committed by a juridical person, the officer responsible therefore shall serve the imprisonment when imposed.  If the violation is committed by an alien, he or she shall be immediately deported after serving sentence without any further proceeding.”

Upland dwellers normally hunt wild chickens to be used for Pinikpikan but domestic chickens are now being raised to cope with the demand for this delicacy.

Just my little thoughts…

REFERENCES:

• Animal Welfare Act (http://www.paws.org.ph/animal-welfare-act-ra-8485.html)
• Pinikpikan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinikpikan)
• Pinikpikan Recipe (https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=pinikpikan+recipe&espv=210&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=6WKLUasysL14vM%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%25)