Rock bands rev up SMB nat'l beer drinking tilt

CEBU, Philippines - Popular local bands and a trio of hot girls revved up the crowd at the Parkmall parking area in Mandaue City for the 11th installment of San Miguel Brewery Inc.’s National Beer Drinking Contest grand finals. 

Cebuano rockers Powerspoonz, plus Manila bands Brownman Revival and Itchyworms jumpstarted the event which was hosted by local AM radio jock Papa Joe and GMA 7 Cebu’s Darlaine Cruz. After the bands got everyone in a party mood, the beer-chugging competition began with delegates from various regions across the nation facing off and trying to beat or replicate last year’s record of 56.6 seconds nailed by delegates from South Luzon Area’s Puerto Princesa. 

Considered the most prestigious beer drinking contest in the country, more than P2 million worth of cash and San Miguel Beer promotional items were given to the winning teams. The fastest group composed of five members which called themselves the Naunsyame Team from GMA North won a whopping cash prize of half a million pesos for getting the lowest official time of 53.8 seconds. First runner-up was the Samahang Masikap sa Barangay from Palawan South Luzon Area who clocked in 57.1 seconds, thus bringing home P200,000. The finalists from Visayas called the Arangkada la Castellana Team finished second runner-up with a time of 59.1 seconds, and got P100,000 cash prize. 

The nationwide SMB National Beer Drinking Contest was officially kicked off last August with a media edition held in Cebu (where The Freeman workers participated), Metro Manila, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Davao. 

SMB’s Trade Promo and Marketing Manager Bobby Z. Miñosa said that they chose to hold the grand finals here in Cebu for the fourth straight year because we have the highest reception in terms of crowd turn-out. 

After the fastest beer-drinkers were declared, the sexy singing-and-dancing girl group Mocha Girls — made up of their leader Mocha Uson, former band singer Jhane Santaguiel and former EB Babe member and Cebuana Mae dela Cerna — turned up the heat with their revealing numbers on-stage, while the audience members were downing their cold cups of SMB.