By Nanette Guadalquiver | Philippine News Agency
Declared as the “largest building in the shape of a chicken” by Guinness World Records, the “Manok ni Cano Gwapo” inside the Campuestohan Highland Resort in Barangay Cabatangan, Talisay City, Negros Occidental is the newest tourism icon in the province.
The 115-foot hotel structure, which depicts a rooster, is a nod to the province’s multi-billion game fowl industry, with a number of fighting cock farms located near the resort.
“Why I adopted the rooster design? My answer is very simple. Our fighting cock industry is second to sugar. When the sugar industry slumped and threatened our livelihood, it was the fighting cock industry that rose above the challenge,” owner and former Bacolod City councilor Ricardo Tan said during the blessing and inauguration Saturday.
He said “Manok ni Cano Gwapo” is being positioned as a landmark destination in Negros Occidental by the Department of Tourism (DOT).
According to the Guinness World Records, “the largest building in the shape of a chicken measures 34.931 meters (114 feet, 7 inches) in height, 12.127 meters (39 feet, 9 inches) in width, and 28.172 meters (92 feet, 5 inches) in length,” as verified on Sept. 8.
Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines-Western Visayas president Paolo Segubre and Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers-Negros Occidental president Jessica Puey stood as independent witnesses during the actual measurement of the structure, which took 456 days to finish from June 10, 2023.
“Now, the 115-foot, six-story structure, with 115 steps of stairs and 15 hotel rooms, is ready to accept guests,” Tan said.
Jennylind Cordero, DOT-Western Visayas Chief Operations Officer, said Campuestohan Highland Resort is one of only 20 out of more than a hundred resorts in Negros Occidental that have met the standards for accreditation.
