Guinness: Pinoy could be shortest man ever

Guinness World Records on Thursday bared the name of a 1-foot, 10-inch Filipino from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, as a new contender for the title of the smallest living man. Junrey Balawing, 17, has challenged the record of the current shortest man in the world, 18-year-old Nepalese Khagendra Thapa Magar, who measures 2 feet and 2.41 inches. “We’re intrigued by such a remarkable claim – if it’s true, it would make Junrey not just the Shortest Living Man but the Shortest Man who ever lived, beating Gul Mohammed of India (1957–97) at 57 cm, [or] 22.5 in," Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said on the Guinness website. While Balawing claims to measure 4.3 inches shorter than Khagendra, Glenday said the Filipino challenger should first undergo a stringent evaluation and breach the age of a minor. For the title of the shortest living man, Guinness World Records requires contenders to have reached at least the age of 18 and be officially measured thrice a day, both standing up and lying flat. In the current record holder’s case, a Guinness adjudicator flew to Nepal on the eve of Khagendra’s 18th birthday to measure him and certify the record. Glenday said, “Until we assess him [Balawing] in person, Khagendra remains officially the Shortest Man." In an interview with GMA News Online, Sindangan Mayor Nilo Sy said a world record by Balawing will augur well for his province of 87,720 people. “Masaya rin ako kasi mapa-publish ang bayan namin [I am enthusiastic because it means our town will be written about]," Sy said. The mayor also expressed hopes that the Balawing family will receive financial aid should the 17-year-old clinch the record, adding that seven out of 10 people in Sindangan are poor. People like Balawing suffer from a type of growth retardation usually called dwarfism.—Paterno Esmaquel II/JV, GMA News