BACOLOD CITY is in a “die of shame” situation because of chicken inasal.
It is being “grilled” after the City Tourism Operations committed a “super mali” that directly and indirectly embarrassed the “Super City” to the whole world.
And while City Tourism Operations chief Tere Manalili is licking the wounds inflicted on the image and credibility of Bacolod, an official statement from Caesar Distrito, acting as spokesman for Mayor Albee Benitez, didn’t help.
The statement acknowledged the error in the announcement that chicken inasal has been recognized as a “cultural property” of the city by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), further fanning the “conflagration” caused by “miscommunication” between the City Tourism Operations and NCAA.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Rewind: On May 24, during the opening of the 4th Chicken Inasal Festival at North Capitol Road in Bacolod, it was announced that NCCA already recognized chicken inasal as a cultural property of Bacolod City.
“Hard copy to follow later” kuno.
The announcement sounded credible because it was done in front of city officials led by Mayor Albee, Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 6 director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez, the media, and the madlang pipol.
Of course, elated by the “breaking news”, Mayor Albee and Councilor Em Ang, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s committee on history, culture and arts, gave their respective comments to the media mixed with pride and honor.
Qualifying it as the “big news of the day”, Bacolod journalists reported it on May 25 in national, regional and local dailies. It even hogged headlines on social media.
CORRECTION
But on May 28, Manalili called the attention of the media re: correction from the NCCA.
Manalili apologized and asked media to straighten the fact that chicken inasal wasn’t declared yet as a cultural property of Bacolod.
Rather, what NCCA issued to Bacolod on May 23, 2024 was just a certificate of compliance for submitting all the requirements needed for a cultural inventory on chicken inasal.
Bacolod submitted those requirements, including Ang’s City Ordinance No. 1012, or “An Ordinance Declaring Chicken Inasal as Cultural Property of Bacolod City”, on December 15, 2023.
A “certificate of compliance” is totally different from a “certificate of recognition”.
And let it be known that Iloilo and Ilocos, among other areas, are also claiming that chicken inasal originated from them and not from Bacolod.
MALAPROPISM?
Now, there are efforts to play down the wrong announcement, framing it as just a malapropism.
But no, what happened wasn’t just a malapropism or that the media misheard what was announced.
Rather, what was announced was really “super mali”.
Oxford Dictionary says malapropism is the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.
Example: Flamingo to be uttered as flamenco. Different spelling and meaning, but sound almost the same.
In the case of the chicken inasal, “recognize” is certainly far different from “compliance” – different spelling, sounding and meaning.
FACTS AND STORIES
A line uttered by then-American writer Joseph Campbell comes to mind: “People forget facts, but they remember stories.”
The story of Bacolod chicken inasal is “beyond glamor” and delicious taste. Seeking official recognition for it as a “cultural property” is quite noble.
But premature announcement anchored on “severe miscommunication” is a big no-no./PN
