The Bacolod City Tourism Office (CTO) apologized for the premature announcement recognizing chicken inasal as the city’s cultural property, Caesar Distrito, spokesperson of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, said.

Distrito said CTO head Ma. Teresa Manalili admitted that she misinterpreted the certificate of compliance she received from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts’ (NCCA) Registry of Heritage through email last May 23.

She clarified that the certificate of compliance for the registration of Bacolod’s chicken inasal as the cultural property of the city was not yet a recognition or declaration from the NCCA.

Distrito said the document is the first step prior to the granting of such recognition or declaration.

Manalili apologized for the announcement she made during the opening of the Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival on May 24.

Distrito said Manalili’s intention was “purely to share the news which is a significant and meaningful step in preserving the cultural of our beloved iconic food, Bacolod Chicken Inasal.”

“Her sharing was to acknowledge our efforts in cultural preservation,” he added./WDJ