ILOILO CITY — A city councilor is pushing for this city to hold a “National La Paz Batchoy” Day to highlight one of the traditional Ilonggo foods, which is batchoy.
During Tuesday’s regular press conference of the Sangguning Panlungsod (SP), Councilor Joshua Alim said the celebration seeks to “remember the long history of the old style dish on how it is cooked” that it has remained popular up to the present.
“Batchoy shall remain as an identity of Ilonggos,” he said, adding that it is also being served abroad.
Citing Luth Camiña of the Camiña Balay na Bato that serves Ilonggo cuisines, Alim said batchoy might have been influenced by two Asian races – the Chinese and the Japanese.
“This popular dish might have a chance to be known as one of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Dish. For me, it’s a good thing to give importance to our intangible heritage,” he added.
The proponent said he envisioned to establish a Guinness Book of World Record for having the longest and biggest batchoy serving.
His proposal was referred to the Committee on Tourism chaired by Councilor Candice Magdalane Tupas for study and appropriate action.
During the committee hearing, Alim said he might bring into the discussion the need for the La Paz batchoy to be registered with the Intellectual Property Office for patent.
He noted that the popular noodle dish is also served abroad but the taste of the Ilonggo batchoy is different.
Batchoy is a concoction of noodles with beef stock, crushed pork cracklings and innards, among others.
Its origin can be traced to Iloilo City’s La Paz district, hence the name La Paz batchoy.
Alim said he would like to propose that the event be held in May. (Perla Lena/PNA)
