Retired teacher from Kalinga harvests giant singkamas from her garden

A retired teacher from Tabuk, Kalinga got the surprise of her life when she harvested a giant singkamas from her garden.

According to Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," the singkamas, called jicama or Mexican turnip in English, weighs almost eight kilograms and looks like the size of a basketball.

The teacher, Cresencia "Mama Ising"" Sannadan, said she has never seen a singkamas as big as that. She also told the story of her planting vegetables.

"I was frustrated asking for senior pension so I made up my mind to work and work and work and forget the pension. I planted all different kinds of seeds in my garden," she said.

So how exactly did the singkamas grow that big?

Nobleto Sagun, a local agriculturist, said he believes the singkamas harvested by Mama Ising probably has a lifespan of three years.

"Pagkatapos mamuhay 'yan mamamatay 'yung mga shoots niyan. Magpapanibago nang mga dahon. Ang tendency niyan, lalaki din 'yan," he said.

"Itong lupa fertile at saka may pagka-sandy kaya umabot nang ganyan kalaki," he added.

Mama Ising is now based in Canada, but she said she plans to preserve the singkamas and showcase it in a fiesta.

Meanwhile, a singkamas found by an Indonesian man in 2008 is the current Guinness World record holder of the heaviest jicama with 21 kilos.

—MGP, GMA News