Cotabato town vies for 'grilled corn' record

They came. They saw. And feasted on what organizers hope will be declared as the world's "longest grilled corn." Making a collective bid for recognition in the Guinness Book of Records, residents of Banga town in South Cotabato lined up Thursday at a six-kilometer stretch of highway and began grilling corn on top of fiery charcoals. Local officials said Banga, which townsfolk pride as the "Corn Capital of the Philippines," already dwarfed the country's previous grilled corn record of Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan which had a 300-meter line. School children gamely roasted the corn as their mothers and grandfolk looked on. Lead organizer Vice Mayor Alex Garcia believed that even though Guinness has yet to recognize Banga's effort, the event was already a rousing success. "As far we are concerned, the activity was triumphantly done," he said. The grilling extravaganza, however, was marred by a three-hour delay as organizers distributed corn and other materials longer than expected. The Banga government spent P100,000 for the actual grilling, P50,000 to buy the corn, P30,000 for the charcoal and P20,000 for the the construction of bamboo grills. Banga's average corn yield is 25,600 metric tons per cropping season, or a yearly harvest of 76,800 metric tons (MT). Records show that 61 percent of the town's 24,034 hectares is planted to corn, 28 percent to rice and 11 percent to high value crops such as asparagus and papaya. Congress has yet to approve the "corn capital" monicker for Banga, host of the Second National Corn Congress this year. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap stood as guest of honor of the corn congress, also highlighted by the inauguration of a P23 million post-harvest facility. Yap encouraged Banga residents to continue tending their farms as corn can be used in the production of biodiesel. Banga is a first-class town in South Cotabato, with a population of 69,131 people in 14,101 households. - GMANews.TV