• CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Bacolod Chicken Inasal (a unique Filipino grilled chicken dish) has been recognized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as a cultural property (for food) of Bacolod City.
The NCCA has issued a certificate of compliance to the City Government of Bacolod that the chicken inasal is a cultural property of the city, Bacolod Tourism Operations Officer Ma. Teresa Manalili relayed the news to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez during the opening of the 3-day Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival (BCIF) at the North Capitol Road on Friday.
Also at the opening were Department of Tourism VI regional director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, and other city councilors and department heads.
Rodriguez also joined the longest piaya grilling event by BongBongs, which was initiated by Megaworld at The Upper East before the official opening of BCIF.
“When you eat chicken inasal it is connected to the tag line ‘City of Smiles’,” she said, adding that one would certainly smile after eating the delicious chicken inasal. When we are outside the region, when you speak of chicken inasal the first city that comes to your mind is Bacolod.
Benitez on the other hand, said chicken inasal is considered among the list of the top 50 chicken dishes in the world.
“We are very proud that it (chicken inasal) has become our cultural property. As you can see, there are different recipes used to prepare it,” he said, noting that some were marinated in beer by different hotel chefs in Bacolod, during the chicken inasal food tasting and beer pairing event at the opening of the festival.*
