Albay man posts new chili-eating record

LEGAZPI CITY -- Hail to the new Sili King!

Armando Martillana, 40, of Daraga town, makes it to the Guinness Book of World Records after devouring 550 pieces of chili in three minutes in the sili-eating contest that highlighted Albay's Magayon Festival over the weekend. He outdid Ereberto Gonzales, 29, the previous record-holder who consumed 350 pieces of sili last year.

Martillana easily took the top prize as Gonzales failed to hurl a challenge as doctors found him with high blood pressure. The plausible reason: Gonzales ate a hundred pieces of sili in an interview with a TV crew reportedly a day before the contest.

Actually, another sili eater, one Greto Nacion, could have easily beaten Martillana, having devoured 650 pieces of the hot stuff, locally known as sambalas or siling labuyo, but he vomited and was found not to have chewed the chili, a violation of contest rules.

For his feat though, Nacion, last year's second placer, was given a consolation prize of P500. Martillana, for his part, got P50,000 cash.

A total of 15 men signed up for the contest, but only eight actually showed up. Second placer was Ramon Nique, 40, who ate 450 pieces of sili, followed by Jesus Morota, Romeo Bolloso and Saturnino Taduran, 200 pieces each; Cesar Astor, 198; Santiago Torres, 176, and Tomas Gumiliano, 100.

About 5,000 people watched as the contestants, wearing denim pants, white t-shirts and chili-shaped paper caps, downed red and green sili packed in small plastic containers, as the soundtrack of the movie Rocky filled the air.

Before the contest, the sili eaters had their blood pressure checked and were given antacids. But as they devoured container after container of sili, their faces turned pale, their eyes moist with tears and they perspired heavily. Some could not help but vomit.

At least seven of them, including Martillana, later had to be rushed to the hospital for acute gastroenteritis. They were released after a few hours.

Sili (scientific name: Capsicum Frutescens Linn) contains capsaicin, a white crystalline compound responsible for the burning sensation.