Fancy some lechong buwaya?
Lechon is a well-loved delicacy among Filipinos and there are many variants, including chicken, pork ... and crocodiles?
As reported by Kuya Kim on “24 Oras” Tuesday, guests of Leopoldo Guitones were taken aback because he prepared lechong buwaya for them for his 70th birthday party.
Weighing 40 kilos with a length of six feet, the whole lechong buwaya was shared among 100 guests.
Kuya Kim said crocodiles were safe to eat if these were prepared and cooked well. Jane Oquias, Davao Crocodile Park’s marketing officer, said these animals were quite nutritious.
“(They are) low in [calories]. Good for mga nagda-diet pero in moderation pa rin. Iinit yung katawan niyo kasi natural aphrodisiac siya,” Oquias said.
Meanwhile, only one of the two crocodile species in the Philippines can be butchered for eating.
“Ang Philippine Freshwater Crocodile is critically endangered so bawal po iyon i-commercialize,” said Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center’s information officer Deseree Abalo.
“Saltwater Crocodiles lang po ang pwedeng katayin for meat or skin,” she said, adding capturing crocodiles from the wild for consumption was prohibited.
“Dito sa atin sa Pilipinas, may mga crocodile farm na licensed to commercialize saltwater crocodiles.”
Guitones’ lechong buwaya was from Davao Crocodile Park, which assured that they would not be preparing the dish without a permit.
“At least a month before mag-request na [ang customers] tapos after two weeks, at saka na malalaman [if] approved,” Oquias said, adding that crocodile lechon cost roughly PHP30,000. – Franchesca Viernes/RC, GMA News