Pangasinan, Pampanga bid for Guinness records

The provinces of Pangasinan and Pampanga are both bidding for a title in the "Guinness Book of World Records" this year.

Alcala town in Pangasinan will make twin bids for Guinness record for the longest grill and the longest barbecue grill when it celebrates its fiesta on April 29.

Pampanga, on the other hand, will bid for the Guinness record for the longest tilapia grill on March 4 when it celebrates the 3rd Tilapia Congress at the Wow Hilaga theme park (formerly Paskuhan village).

Details of the tilapia grill project have yet to be finalized but Pampanga Gov. Mark Lapid said he has already applied for a permit from the local government of San Fernando City and neighboring Mexico town as the row of grills will start from Wow Hilaga and stretch through the national highway to Mexico town.

About 1,000 people have been invited to participate in the longest tilapia grilling activity.

Similar attempts in the past have failed to attract Guinness officials. The record bid for the biggest plate of "sisig" dish in Angeles City, the biggest Christmas lantern, the longest chain of longganisa have yet to make it to the world records.

But regardless of how Guinness officials respond to the tilapia grilling project, Lapid said the tilapia congress will definitely boost the local tilapia industry.

For his part, Alcala Mayor Manuel Collado told The STAR the other day that the current world record for the longest grill is only 33 meters. The town will put up a 150-meter long grill to wrest the title from Germany.

In the longest barbecue grill category, Dagupan City’s 2,000-meter long bangus (milkfish) barbecue grill put up in April 2005 is yet to be officially certified by Guinness as the new record holder.

Collado said the town will make a three-kilometer long barbecue grill using pork, fish and other vegetables for their attempt to grab the title. This will start from San Pedro Ili to San Vicente.

Preparations have been going on for a year now. In fact, the grills were finished a month ago by about 70 laborers who are all from this town, he said.

Collado said it was the idea of his townmates who mostly immigrants to the US to make this bid, a first-of-its kind in the province.

He said the event will be graced by no less than President Arroyo who accepted his invitation when she came to Pangasinan last Saturday.

The affair coincides with the first grand homecoming of Alcalinians.

There will be about 1,000 balikbayans who are coming for the said grand event.

With no cost at all to the municipal government, the project was made possible by Alcalinians abroad who thought of selling the grills at $100 each. This comes complete with P1,000 worth of pork barbecue and charcoal.

Collado said Alcalinians have already sold 975 grills as of this time and they still have until March 30 to sell all the grills.

Collado said the sponsors even donated three grills each to all the 21 barangays here so that people in the barangays could also participate in the merry-making. The town, which has a population of about 40,000, is expecting more than 10,000 guests to this grandiose affair.

About 3,000 kilos of pork are needed for the barbecue grill and about 1,000 sacks of charcoal, the mayor added.

Half of the funds to be raised by the activity wil l be given to a foundation which will handle health, education and livelihoodproject for the local folks.

"The townspeople here are very enthusiastic," Collado said.

While grilling, the people will be entertained by live bands, gift-giving and other gimmicks courtesy of the balikbayans, he said.

Collado added that it is heartening to note that his townmates based abroad are very willing to help them without expecting anything in return.

With the theme, "Biggang Ti Rang-ay Ti Alcala (Spark of Progress of Alcala)," Collado is optimistic the holding of the grand event will signal the march of the town to progress.

The affair, he added, has so many multiplier effects like immigrants sending money to their relatives here to renovate their houses in time for their homecoming. The mayor said almost every family here, particularly in the Poblacion area, has a relative either working or already based abroad.