By Alec Go
The government of Kalinga shared on Wednesday evening, Feb. 15, a historic feat for the province for its largest gong ensemble and banga (pot) dance that both made it to the Guinness World Records.
The “Call of a Thousand Gongs, Dance of a Thousand Pots” activity was joined by 3,440 Kalinga male gong players and 4,681 Kalinga women pot dancers.
In a post, Kalinga’s provincial government said that the announcement for the record was made at around 9:00 p.m. by Guinness World Records official adjudicator Kazuyoshi Kirimura.
Strict Guiness criteria was used to screen the performance of gong players and dancers.
“The province would like to extend its gratitude to all the participants who endure the long hours and rain for this historic achievement. You made this possible,” the post read.
The performance is part of the activities to celebrate the 28th founding anniversary of the province. Another attempt for the largest gong group record was made by the province in 2018.
The Wednesday event was graced by Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez Jr., where he was formally adopted as a son of the province by the name “Dalutag.”