• CHERYL G. CRUZ
This year’s Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival (BCIF) surpassed expectations, earning around P2.4 million in five days, despite the rainy weather, the Bacolod City Tourism Office (BCTO) said May 27.
This income exceeded the 2023 and 2024 figures of P1.9 million and P1.8 million, respectively, and chief tourism operations officer, Ma. Teresa Manalili, vowed to “do our best to make the BCIF even bigger in the years to come.”
“We hope to secure the support of the stakeholders. The festival is a celebration of our identity and pride,” Manalili said in a statement.
Due to the rainy weather, the Bacolod city government allowed BCIF concessionaires at Megaworld’s The Upper East to extend their operations for one more day, or until May 26, even as the festival ended last Sunday.
The extension was aimed at giving local entrepreneurs and small businesses the chance to earn more, the BCTO said. “Despite the weather, the spirit of Bacolod burned brighter than ever. The BCIF 2025 not only boosted tourism and local enterprise, it brought the community together in a colorful, flavorful, and unforgettable celebration.”
The festival, held from May 21 to 25, showcased Bacolod’s globally-recognized chicken inasal through a spread of activities at The Upper East, SM City Bacolod and temporary Manokan Country site, and at Ayala Malls Capitol Central.
Meanwhile, around 500 beneficiaries from St. Vincent’s Home for the Aged, St. Ezekiel Monastery, Bacolod Girls and Boys Home, Social Development Center, and the Holy Family Home, received food and chicken inasal as a gesture of solidarity and love.
This practice of distributing chicken inasal and other food to residents in various charitable institutions has been incorporated in the BCIF since 2023, when the celebration resumed after a three-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Alfredo Benitez had said the festival is “more than just food…this is a celebration of our heritage, our flavors, and the spirit that brings us together.” | CGC
