17 Oct 2009
"Tagay" tuba tasting event to break Guinness Record on Sunday
by JOEY A. GABIETA

TACLOBAN CITY - A world-breaking effort for a good cause.

This will be the aim of this Sunday's "Tagay!" that is expected to draw huge crowd and break the standing record of the world's largest wine-tasting event.

And taking the center stage for this event is the "tuba" undoubtedly the region's most well-known wine, sourced from the coconut tree, itself a huge industry with millions of people in the region depending on it as their source of income.

Representative Florencio Noel of the An Waray, who is behind the event, maintained that it is not only to boost the wine-making industry of the region and land a page at the Guinness Book of World Records.

The lawmaker said that this Sunday's event to be held at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park at the Candahug, Palo, will also serve as venue for the people in the region to donate victims of the two devastating typhoons that hit Metro Manila and Luzon early this month.

All the participants will be asked to donate, be it in cash or in kind, during the afternoon event, Noel said.

"Originally, we have wanted to make the event as lively as we can but in the light of the calamity that hit Metro Manila and Luzon, we have decided to tone down by asking the participants to donate instead," Noel said.

Noel noted that many of the victims of "Ondoy" and "Pepeng" were from Eastern Visayas, the main base of the An Waray party list group.

The "Tagay!" event was originally designed as an attempt to break the world record of the most number of persons in a wine tasting event set in September 15, 2006 at Plaza de Toros, Arande de Duero wherein 5,100 Spaniards participated the event.

Around 7,107 participants, which represent the number of islands in the country, are expected to join the event, Noel said. The projected number of participants is expected to increase, he said.

During the event, all the participants will take a small amount of tuba.

The event will be held at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park in Palo, Leyte, the exact location where the legendary American general Douglas MacArthur landed 65 years ago which led to the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese invaders.

Noel said that several groups and local officials in the region have pledged to join the event which is expected to surpass the record. Delegates from the International Wine Society will witness the event, he added.


Source:
http://leytesamardaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8966&Itemid=233