Cagayan town girds for Guinness feat

SANTA ANA, Cagayan — It’s all systems go for this coastal town’s Guinness bid for the world’s longest flying fish grill this Tuesday.

Santa Ana, Cagayan’s northernmost town and the seat of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, will attempt the Guinness feat as the highlight of its five-day Viray Festival.

The festival kicked off with a grand fluvial parade last Friday. Also launched that day was a two-day adventure race that brought participants to the tourist spots of northern Cagayan — from Aparri to scenic Palaui Island.

Mayor Vic Rodriguez said the Guinness attempt would involve more than four tons of flying fish to be cooked on a three-kilometer long charcoal grill.

He said iron grills would be lined up from the Palawig Bridge to the Zinungan Bridge in Barangay San Vicente.

The mayor’s wife, Pinky Rodriguez, who is spearheading the five-day festival, said other activities include a carabao parade, street-dancing, and indigenous games dubbed Kannawidan nga Ayayam.

The annual Viray Festival is a thanksgiving event for the townsfolk’s bountiful sea harvest. It is named after the viray, an indigenous wooden banca used by the town’s early settlers to transport goods.

Santa Ana boasts of white sand beaches and delectable export-quality giant crabs and lobsters. It is also a place to see dolphins, sea turtles, humpback whales, and other endangered marine species.

The town, about four hours away from the capital city of Tuguegarao, has been dubbed as the "Subic of the North." Game fishing aficionados, both local and foreign, trek to the town yearly for competitions.