30 restos join 2nd Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival

BACOLOD CITY — Some 30 local restaurants serving this city’s famed grilled chicken joined the 2nd Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival on Saturday.

Home-grown inasal (roasted) joints such as Chicken Deli and Lion’s Park, and stalls in Manokan Country, were among those that took part in the grilling of 3,000 chicken pieces on 300-meter charcoal grills lined up along Araneta Street starting at 4 p.m.

Councilor Cindy Rojas, chairperson of the festival committee, said the turnout of the participating establishments this year indicates the growing chicken inasal industry of Bacolod.

About 25 vendor-restaurants joined the festival’s debut last year.

“We are going to target more establishments next year. We will increase the length of the grilling station. We will also have more chicken pieces,” she added.

Rojas said Bacolod wants to make chicken inasal a must-eat local dish for tourists.

“We want our friends from outside the Philippines who visit Bacolod to have chicken inasal as part of their first meal in the city. Chicken inasal is synonymous to Bacolod. When you say chicken inasal, the first city that comes to mind is Bacolod,” she said.

This year’s festival benefited the senior citizen residents of the city, who availed of 3,000 chicken pieces distributed during the event.

Officers and members of the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of Bacolod also joined the boodle fight with Rojas, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, and Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya.

Food kiosks were also set up in the festival site for those who want to dine on chicken inasal.

“This is a very important activity because Bacolod is known all over the world for our very delicious chicken inasal. It is a tourism attraction,” Gasataya said.

The lawmaker added his colleagues in the House of Representatives even ask him to bring chicken inasal for them when he goes to Metro Manila to attend the sessions.

The weekend festival also featured the Fantasy Chicken Costume Competition and Sawsawan Contest, as well as Zumba street party and live band concert.