Bayambang, Pangasinan has once again made history.
Thunderous applause, deafening shrieks and sheer joy enveloped the history-rich town the night of April 5 after the formal announcement was made that its latest entry as the Tallest Bamboo Sculpture (Supported) of St. Vincent Ferrer or the tallest statue made of engineered bamboo successfully landed a spot in the Guinness World Records.
It was adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar who brought the piece of good news to all Bayambangueños during the unveiling of the 50.23-meter (164 ft. 9.56 inches) tall statue at the St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park that Bayambang now holds the Guinness World Record for the tallest supported bamboo sculpture. No wonder, everyone was in a jubilant mood in the town’s celebration of its 405th founding anniversary and the marking of 400th year of St. Vincent Ferrer Parish (1619 to 2019). The occasion also coincided with the commemoration of the 600th death year (1419 to 2019) of the saint also known as the pastor of builders.
The colossal statue, made of steel frame and engineered bamboo cladding, stands tall at the center of the two-hectare emerging spiritual hub situated in Barangay Bani. According to Dangarikar, Bayambang did not attempt to beat a world record but set a unique record for “a sculpture of this scale.”
He, too, shared that it was already his seventh time to set foot in the Philippines and Dangarikar said that every time he comes here, “you never fail to amaze me” because even though he had expected to see a sculpture to be big, Dangarikar did not foresee “it was that huge and beautifully built.”
It was said that over 600 people meticulously worked together for more than 10 months to build the statue of gargantuan size. Believe it or not, its right hand alone already weighed more than a ton. That’s why, careful planning was vital to achieve perfection and zero casualty. JQS Builders, headed by architect Jerry Suratos, Engr. Aaron Villafuerte and Jericho Roble, was in charge of site development planning and detailed design of the sculpture using 3D polygon technology. Design and fabrication of steelworks were handled by Far East Industrial Supply & Co., Inc. (FEISCO) and RAA Architects Engineers Consultants while Palafox Associates took charge of the comprehensive land use plan.
Local and foreign tourists were amazed at the sight of the statue that epitomizes the fervent devotion of the townspeople to their patron St. Vincent Ferrer. Soon, pilgrims and devotees will flock to the Prayer Park and Bayambang will become a promising religious spot and tourism destination like the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag in Pangasinan and the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The St. Vincent Ferrer statue was the brainchild of former Pinoy Big Brother housemate and actress Nina Jose, who is now the wife of town Mayor Cezar Quiambao. Together with Kasama Kita sa Barangay Foundation, hermano and hermana mayors Dr. Henry Fernandez and wife Julie, Nina’s great idea of putting Bayambang once again in the pages of Guinness World Record became a reality.
This is the town’s second Guinness record. The first was set in 2014 for the longest barbecue grill (eight kilometers), beating the record of Turkey.
Bayambangueños present to witness the affair validated what Mayor Quiambao said that the project was funded by the said foundation and no single centavo was spent from the municipal coffer.