Iligan execs see world record in used clothes

ILIGAN CITY—Officials expressed confidence that Iligan City would set a world record for the most used clothes gathered for a charitable event.

Residents donated a total of nearly 12 tons of used clothes as the deadline lapsed last Friday for gathering used clothes for the campaign “One City, One Project, One Goal, One Heart, One Day, One Record,” or 11-11-11.

Melvin Anggot, city information officer, said the three-day campaign started on Tuesday.

By 11 p.m. on Friday, he said, the city campaign was able to collect a total of 11,754 kilograms of used clothes.

The clothes were weighed at the city plaza.

He said city officials were confident that the Guinness Book of World Records would strike off Spain as holder of the record on heaviest used clothing collected.

In 2010, Spain managed to collect only 6,880 kilograms of used clothes.

Anggot said Iligan City’s campaign yielded 76,650 pieces of used clothes.

Spain’s record, according to Anggot, was surpassed as early as 4:30 p.m. Friday when residents and other donors turned over 8.5 tons of used clothes. By the time the deadline ended, the donated clothes weighed nearly double than what Spain had collected, he said.

“I was so amazed by the sense of volunteerism of the people,” said Councilor Michelle Sweet.

Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz said the city’s attempt at another world record showed that anything can be achieved with unity.

“The binding of strength attained a common purpose,” he said.

Cruz said once the attempt has been officially recognized by Guinness, the used clothes would be distributed to the poor on Christmas Day.