LAOAG CITY, Jan. 25 — This booming northern Philippines metropolis called “Sunshine City” is gunning for a global title–to capture Guinness Book of World Record for the longest ‘boodle fight’.
Laoag is readying to stage the said boodle fight in open public as part of the forthcoming month-long Pamulinawen Festival here this February 2015.
Boodle fight is a military style of eating indoor or outdoor where the people stand in front of long dining tables and use their bare hands as they partake assorted food dishes properly arranged and spread on top of fresh banana leaves.
To achieve the target, city organizers and participants are now eager beaver to stage a 5-kilometer stretch of the boodle fight in an effort to break the current Guinness Record of 2.3 kilometer-long boodle fight held by Camarines Norte in Bicol region.
“The intention is to set a world record that will promote not only this beautiful city but also its industious and friendly people,” Ramon Formantes, chief of the city government media office said.
The City Hall has tapped the support of non-government organizations (NGOs) and barangay officials in organizing the first public boodle fight in Laoag.
The chain of boodle fight will start in Aurora Park near the Laoag City Hall and will snake through the villages where the people will gather en masse in front of the kilometric dining tables and then simultaneously will partake with the prepared food in a community feast.
“The boodle fight will prove that regardless of status in life, all people can get to eat harmoniously on one dining table sharing the same food, standing and using bare hands,” Laoag Mayor Chevylle Farinas said.
Boodle fight is also commonly associated with the Filipinos’ core value of “Bayanihan” which refers to the spirit of communal unity and cooperation.
The said quest for a world record in boodle fight will also jibe with the celebration of Laoag’s 50th anniversary as charter city on June 19.
This year’s Pamulinawen Festival will carry the theme “Timeless” which describes the city’s unending and unfailing beautiful culture.
Part of the celebration in the annual festival includes national sporting events such as mountain biking, 4×4 race and triathlon to be participated in by different national and international sports enthusiasts. (Cherry Joy D. Garma/PIA)
