STA. MARIA, BULACAN, Philippines?This festival was not meant for the weak of heart.

A three-kilogram giant chicharon (pork skin crackling) in front of this town?s plaza must have sent cholesterol levels shooting up on Tuesday when the Chicharon Festival was staged to celebrate one of Sta. Maria?s leading industries.

Fortunata Lorenzo, municipal planning and development officer, said the chicharon was cooked in a vat of two large cans of lard.

Chicharon was also a major part of costumes worn by participants in the street dancing competition. A festival of dishes using chicharon as an ingredient was among the highlights of the celebration.

More than 30 establishments are engaged in chicharon production and distribution in Sta. Maria. Mayor Bartolome Ramos estimated the industry to be worth P3 million.

Among the industry innovations is the ?microwavable? chicharon created five years ago by Gerardo Torres.

Festival organizers distributed about 30 kg of bite-sized chicharon to spectators.