What's New in La Carlota Pasalamat Festival?

Let's Go La Carlota! The city of beauty and dance!

La Carlota Pasalamat is an annual thanksgiving festival of the Mangkasanon, the native of La Carlota for a bountiful harvest they have in the whole year. It was conceptualized by the late La Carlota City Mayor "Nonoy" Jalandoni who introduced his signature samba beat for the festival.

La Carlota is popularly known as the drum-beating city of beauty and dance, home of the oldest and most prominent sugar mills in the province, fierce fighting cocks, a dream for nature lover, and birthplace of the three world [boxing] champions.

Tribu Pan-ay - Dinagyang Festival Champion Anew

Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro National High School with its astounding performance in January 22 Ati-atihan contest of the Dinagyang Festival this 2012 retained the grand champion title.

Tribu Pan-ay also amassed various special and minor awards like Best in Performance, Best in Choreography, Best in Music, Best Musical Director, Best Costume Designer and Best Choreographer.

While Tribu Lunok of the Iloilo City National High School was the first runner-up, and Tribu Ilonganon of Jalandoni Memorial National High School,  second runner-up.

Worst Fire Hits Iloilo City While in Dinagyang Revelry

While the city of Iloilo was celebrating its annual Dinagyang Festival, Sunday, January 22, the fire which came from unattended flat iron in Renato Rosales' house at Zone s, Brgy. Tanza-Timawa gutted the 565 houses, the local news said.

As per the initial investigation report of the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP), the fire which started past 5 in the afternoon. razed most of the houses in the nearby villages of Tanza-Esperanza and Malipayon. Firefighting lasted  for six hours.

President Benigno Aquino III and sister Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz expressed their sympathy to the city government and the fire victims. They phoned Iloilo City Mayor Jade Patrick Mabilog Monday and pledged financial assistance to the victims.

Negros Farmers Organic Festival Harvests Millions

The week-long 6th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival earned Php2 million in gross sales, said Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. who spearheaded this year's festival under its Negros First Development Agenda.

The farmer festival was held on Dec. 16 to 20, 2011 at the Provincial Capitol grounds.

Twenty-five top chefs and restaurateurs, which 17 were Manila-based, joined the CookFest, to demonstrate their special menus using local and organic ingredients.

The chefs considered the Negros Island as a major source of organic products for they cannot find them by bulk or with consistent supply in Luzon for their respective restaurants in Manila, said Ramon “Chin-chin” Uy Jr., president of Organik na Negros! Organic Producers and Retailers Association.

La Carlota Festival of Lights and Music 2011

Sked of Nightly Cultural Presentation

Every 15th of December of every year is the opening of festival of lights and music of  La Carlota, 45-minute travel from Bacolod City.

A nightly Christmas musical presentation which runs till 31st of December, delights you as you spend your time at the public plaza of La Carlota.

Different religious sectors, schools and NGOs take turn to entertain you of their Christmas cantata, tableau, song and dance while you take a sip of cold drinks, a burger and  a popcorn with your family members, relatives and friends seating in a plastic chairs provided by the City.

Visiting the plaza at every night in this Christmas seasons, you will enjoy so much by appreciating the different illuminated trees around the plaza. Different sectors of the community have their own trees to maintain. They are lighted up by Christmas lights of different colors, style and built.

2011 Bacolod MassKara Queen: 'Strong, Adaptable, Friendly'

Nikki, Bacolod MassKara 2011 Queen

MassKara Queen is “strong in all adversities in life, can easily adapt to different situations, ... and can go along very well with people coming from different strata of society,” confidently described Alexis Danica Drilon when Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia asked her in a question and answer portion of the search.

Nikki, the fond name of Ms. Drilon outshone other 9 MassKara Queen candidates, and won six of the 12 “minor” awards.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia proclaimed Nikki the 2011 MassKara Queen. She was very articulate in expressing herself.

Six minor awards received of Drilon were  Miss Negros Navigation and Miss Super Ferry, the Lifestyle Bacolod Magazine’s Choice, Miss Samsung, Miss Photogenic, Best in Festival Costume (courtesy of Supercat) and Best in Fantasy Make Up.

2011 Bacolod MassKara Winners

Barangay Alijis was adjudged as the Best in Costume and Mask in special category award.

While Barangay Banago was the 2011 champion in the just concluded 32nd MassKara Festival street and arena dance competition Sunday night (Oct. 16), topping other 14 groups that in barangay competition category.

The Champion

The choreography was introduced by William Bangcaya. Ronelo Mabilog designed the mask. Joseph Ferdinand Silva and Mabilog designed the costume. Barangay captain of Banago was Arnel Benjamin.

Banago also received Best in Concept and Best in Live Rhythm awards.

Barangay 17 came as 1st runner-up. Frederick Endrada was their choreographer. Last year this barangay won first runner-up and Best in Choreography.

Bacolod MassKara Celebrates New Icons

Today opens 32nd Bacolod MassKara Festsival along with its theme: "Celebrating the new icons of Bacolod" at 7 p.m., at Bacolod public plaza.

The lighting of the 19 giant mask-lanterns in the plaza commences the annual activities. Then the lighting of bandstand lights ensues.

These mask-lantern entries are crafted by the inmates of 19 district jails all over the province to participate at the 1st Priso Mask-Making Competition in partnership of SMFO with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Acting Bacolod Mayor Jude Thaddeus leads this year's MassKara Festival.

Sometime in 1980 the MassKara Festival was born amidst the MV Don Juan sea disaster that claimed the lives of many Negrenses including prominent families, and the tremendous drop of prices of sugar in the world market. Bacolod Mayor Jose Montalvo, as a victim of the sea tragedy, where he lost four members of his family, took the lead in deciding to a festival of smiles for Bacolod at that time was also known as the "City of Smiles."

Tourism officials and the city’s artists led by Art Association of Bacolod president Ely Santiago, and civic groups also joined the Mayor Montalvo in holding the said festival.

The initial festival was a declaration of the people of Bacolod that no matter how tough and bad the times were, Bacolod is going to pull through, survive, and in the end, triumph. Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, then head of the Tourism Office in Negros Occidental, nurtured the festival through its early years and was chairman for several years. And now, as chief executive of the city, he continues to entice local and foreign tourists, particularly Balikabayans to come to Bacolod for the MassKara.

Happy celebrating Bacolod MassKara! Long live MassKara!

Bacolod MassKara Festival 2011: 'The Dawn of Masskara Rhythm'

Exciting, challenging and distinct this year Bacolod MassKara Festival. It's the dawn of MassKara rhythm.

Live drums and percussion instruments will be used in barangay category. "First in the 32-year history of the festival," said Rudy Reveche chairman streetdance committee.

“It’s actually the dawn of the MassKara rhythm. It will be exciting, and a challenge for all (participating groups), since we have to be distinct from other cities,” Gerry Grey, music committee chairman disclosed in a press conference.

Bacolod MassKara Festival 2011: What's New?

Designed & Illustrated by Feril

The Bacolod MassKara Festival 2011 has come up with a new logo which is a mixed mass or conglomeration of spectrum of colors, the mask, the hair of the mask, the headdress of the mask, and the public plaza bandstand.

The logo was designed and illustrated by Daryl Feril, a student of La Consolacion College-Bacolod with the direction of veteran Bacolod visual artist and fine arts professor Bamboo Tonogbanua.

Tonogbanua described the significance of every object in the design. Thus, the spectrum of colors represents the festival is famous for. The combination of the glamorous but realistic portrayal of the mask and the vibrant colors of the MassKara festival are the symbols of the festival itself.