DAVAO CITY, Philippines (PNA) – A businessman here will likely hit two birds with one stone with his plan to prepare crocodile “lechon” or roasted crocodile in this city’s dining tables – perhaps the first unique cuisine in the Philippines.

Philip Dizon, owner of the Davao Crocodile Park, one of the city’s finest tourism spots, was quick to defend, however, that the crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) that they will serve are not endangered.

Dizon first prepared crocodile lechon last Sunday at his farm, and to his surprise, many of his visitors liked it.

To date, his farm is receiving regular inquiries if they will be preparing more crocodile lechon.

He said they will likely roast another one on October 30 – as culmination of what he described as “Croctoberfest.”

With the day-to-day inquiries the farm is receiving about the lechon, he said they will probably sell crocodile lechon during special occasions.

Dizon said these reptiles are being cultured in their vast crocodile farm along the Diversion Highway of Barangay Ma-a, in this city.

“They are not endangered, they are endemic and one of the most expensive in the world,” Dizon said.

Aside from further placing this city in the tourism map for its unique crocodile lechon, it is viewed to become another business hit in the food sector.

The crocodile skin is also a possible lucrative export product with the current big demand for luxury goods around the world.

He pegged the skin (untreated) of one crocodile at $600.

The crocodile skin is being processed into luxury bags, among others, by Hermes and Louis Vuitton, and other European luxury bag makers.

He said crocodile meat is also facing shortage abroad, citing Australia to be importing crocodile meat from Malaysia.

For the prospect of exporting crocodile skin, Dizon is looking at three to four years from now to engage in the lucrative business due to high demand from the fashion sector.

If his crocodile lechon clicks, Dizon said he is eyeing to source crocodiles from other farms nationwide with his current farm producing about 200 hatchlings.

The Davao Crocodile Park boasts of its one of a kind zoo that houses crocodiles, birds, snakes, and monkeys, among others.

It all started from the enchantment of Dizon to freshwater and saltwater crocodiles.