All roads for Visayas bloggers lead to Silay City today for the 2011 Philippine Blog Awards (PBA) – Visayas.  The PBA is a an annual event that aims to give recognition to outstanding blogs in the Visayas.

The PBA-Visayas will be be held at 2pm today at the Sen. Jose C. Locsin Cultural and Civic Center in Silay City. The program will feature the presentation of AVP documentary “Rediscover Silay” by Leo Vision and the performance of Kabataang Silay Rondalla. There will also be food tasting of the delicious treats from Merci Pasalubong and buy pasalubong right there at the venue.

A‘Lagaw Silay’ guided tour will be facilitated by Silay Tourism Office headed by Ver Pacete on November 13, 2011 at Balay Negrense Museum, Hacienda Adela Folklore Village, Fresh Start Organic Farm, and Silay Mangrove Eco-Park at Brgy. Balaring.

Those who pre-registered for the Heritage tour will meet at the steps of Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol at 8am on November 13 and will be picked up by the Silay City bus. A free lunch at the Balay Negrense was prepared by Fresh Start Organics and the Organic na Negros! Organic Producers and Retailers Assn. (ONOPRA).

If you want to be updated on the event, you can follow the Negros Bloggers on the following:

• Negros Bloggers on Facebook
• Negros Bloggers on Twitter
• 2011 PBA-Visayas Live Webcast

A visit to Bacolod City would not be complete without bringing home sweet delicacies such as piaya, biscocho, butterscotch, and tarts among others. Negros Occidental as the sugar capital of the Philippines has helped in the flourishing of the bakery industry in the province. There seem to be a pasalubong center opening in every corner of the city.

One company that has captured a large pie of the pasalubong market is Merci Bakeshop. The company started in 1995 as a small bakery supplying to a single store at the Libertad Market, Bacolod City. The Merci brand is owned by C.M. & Sons Food Products and was taken from the French word meaning “Thank you”.

From a single store, it wasn’t long before Merci added more branches within the city and started supplying to satellite dealers all over the province. The company has adapted very well to the demands of the market and soon evolved into a fast food restaurant serving delicious and affordable meals to Negrenses. Bottled water was soon added in their product line as a complement to their food business.

The growing influx of tourists in the province  encouraged the company to open Merci Pasalubong Treats in 2005, challenging head-on the already well established pasalubong centers in Bacolod City. Merci Pasalubong is known for their tarts, piaya, and biscocho in very attractive packaging. Merci continues to keep its loyal clientele by strictly maintaining high quality products. Operations are strictly controlled at their production and commissary plant in Hervias II, Bacolod City.

In addition to their quality products, Merci is also known for their savvy marketing strategies. They were the first pasalubong center to offer discounts to travelers. Their Travel Plus program gives 10% discount to travelers who will present any travel ticket upon purchase of Merci products.

The company has grown tremendously in the past 16 years that it now has 24 branches in Negros Occidental, 99 outlets and dealerships in the islands of Negros, Panay, Cebu and a branch in Metro Manila giving employment to around 300 people.

Much of the success of C.M. & Sons Food Products Inc. can be credited to its young and dynamic President and CEO, Mr. Jonathan Lo. The company recently received a Dynamic Growth (Model Entrepreneur) Award from the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its Achievement Awards 2011. The award was presented by VP Jejomar Binay during the Visayas Area Business Conference held in Bacolod City.

Merci beaucoup, Merci! Thank you for the sweet treats and for employing our fellow Negrenses!

Pasalubong Centers

Singcang (UTC Building), Araneta Street
Contact No.: (063-34) 707-1400

Mandalagan (Lopue’s Mandalagan), Lacson Street
Contact No.: (063-34) 709-1788

Ceres South Terminal
Contact No.: (063-34) 434-6113

SM City Bacolod (Beside Food Court), North Wing
Contact No.: (063-34) 468-0053

Gaisano City, Singcang (Ground Level)
Contact No.: (063-34) 435-0931

888 Chinatown Square (along Gatuslao St.)
Contact No.: (063-34) 709-0283

Robinsons Place, Mandalagan (Supermarket Entrance)
Contact No.: (063-34) 476-3363

Rosy Trading, Hernaez St. Libertad
Contact No.: (063-34) 434-7535

Bacolod-Silay Airport, 2nd Level Pre-Departure Area
Contact No.: (063-34) 476-1546

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Silay City ” Life is Sweeter here” from Leo Vision on Vimeo.

Searching for a good documentary online about Silay City, I found a comprehensive video detailing a story about Silay’s origins and how it prospered as a cultural center of Negros Occidental. The video is by Leo Vision, a photo-video service based in the City of Bacólod. Apart from the Silay City Documentary, I also found tourism documentary videos of the Cities of Sipalay and Kabankalan which not only satisfies the eyes but hunger for learning. This is a wonderful contribution of Leo Vision in the land that nurtured their business. Leo Vision is not primarily a history and/or documentary-making enterprise but a business, a business of capturing your moments special.

Originally, the company was established as a home-based photo-video business by Gary Lake Manzanida Liza. His touch in video and photography runs in his family since his father, George R. Liza, was in charge of the video presentations in the TV Station of RPN-8 in Bacólod. If you are curious of why the name “Leo”, that is because Leo is the zodiac sign of Gary Lake and is proverbial since the company tops among the jungle of photo-video services in the market. The company specializes in the following services:

1. Digital Wedding Photography
2. Digital Wedding Video Coverage
3. Pre Nuptial/Post Nuptial Photography
4. Same-Day-Edit
5. Onsite Editing
6. AVP (Slideshow of Photos)
7. AVP (Slideshow of photos with interview and location shoot)
8. Portrait Studio Set-up at the Reception
9. Photography (Children’s Party/Baptismal/Party Events/Interment)

“Your moments, your story, your legacy of life on photograph and video…” is their mission but they not only capture your moments but make these moments special and lasting. A quick look in their YouTube and Facebook niches reveal a lot of quality videos and images that will be a delight with your special someone. Leo Vision is not just like any other video services, it is a trusted name not just locally but nationwide with a number of big conglomerations and famous personalities seeking their specialized services. To name a few, among the companies and entities they have serviced are:

1. Victorias Milling Company (AVP’s and documentaries)
2. Negros Navigation, Philippine Sugar Technology
3. Philippine Centennial Celebration in Cebu
4. Sarabia Optical Centennial Celebration(AVP)
5. St. Rafael Development Corporation (TV commercials)
6. Colegio de San Agustin-Bacolod
7. Office of the Congressman Charlie Cojuanco (documentaries)
8. Ms. Masskara Pageants from year 1996-1998 to year 2000-2002 organized by the Masskara Foundation

Their team are experts in the field so you are assured of quality services for your story to tell. You may reach them via Tel. Nos. (034) 434-2643, 707-2360, 476-2067; Mobile: 09209190371/09208770139 or Email: leovsionph@yahoo.com; info@leovision.com.ph. Leo Vision is a silver sponsor of the Philippine Blog Awards Visayas in Silay City and will be covering the whole event on Saturday, November 12, 2011, 2pm.

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The author blogs in his home website RepúblicaNegrénse.com

In a world that is beginning to be health conscious, organic products have seen an increasing demand. The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental led a call for a widespread organic farming to make Negros Island the organic food bowl of Asia. This call did not go unheard for a company started up with a selection of organic products that answers needs from food, beauty and household cleaning. I first heard of Fresh Start Organics last Negros Trade Fair when the Association of Negros Producers launched their organic products in line with the province’s initiative. The ones in charge for the booth of Fresh Start was kind enough to entertain my queries with a matching cup of coffee. No good-mannered Negrénse gentleman can ever refuse a good cup of coffee especially when its a good one. My first taste with Fresh Start’s coffee is the famous Mt. Kanlaon Blend which the province used to be known for but brought back alive by Fresh Start. This Mt. Kanlaon blend is 60% arabica and 40% robusta which is mild in coffee standards but very aromatic with the mountain and organically grown arabica beans. What caught my taste is the Negrénse Native Coffee which is purely robusta beans. If you are a coffe lover, you would most probably recognize robusta as a potent blend of caffeine goodness. No matter how strong it is though, Fresh Start’s muscovado was able to tame the taste.

Complimenting their coffe products are the numerous selection of jams like calamansi, passionfruit, yacon, purple yam, sweet potatoes, mango and many more fruits organically grown in their farm at Silay City. These fruits grow well and are rich in flavor since no chemicals were added with the cooler climate, being situated on the mountain foothills. Their free taste of jams included a selection of breads and crisps made of the usual wheat to the innovative carrots and sweet potatoes. Among those I found on their bottled fruit selection is the sour fruit called batwan. Batwan is a rare treat in Manila but very much abundant in the Visayas area but it is only in Negros where this fruit is used extensively. This type of mangosteen is hard to grow in some climates which may be the reason to its rareness in Metropolitan Manila. Negrénses use batwan as a souring agents in our various cuisines like cansi, sinigang and a lot more food too many to detail. The curious twist to their organic products is their line of beauty products which goes well with the never failing principle that natural is always the most beautiful. An even stranger fare is their line of kitchen cleaners that I only encountered at Fresh Start. To satisfy your curiosity or to fill your needs of organic products, you may contact them at (034) 441-1490. Fresh Start is a silver sponsor for this year’s Philippine Blog Awards Visayas in Silay City.

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The author blogs in his home website RepúblicaNegrénse.com

Celebrate 113 years of Independence in the very place where it started!!!

When the Spanish civil guards in Silay under Lt. Maximiano Correa signed the Acta de Rendicion or surrender papers on that fateful 5th of November 1898, our revolutionary leaders and the people of Silay who joined the struggle for freedom were not aware that the Spanish garrison in Silay was one of the first to officially surrender to a revolutionary government.When Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898, there is no existing document recognizing the proclamation. Note that the Spanish Government never signed any terms of surrender with the Tagalog government. There was no representative from the Spanish government present in Kawit. The revolutionaries of Luzon technically haven’t won their independence from Spain.

In fact, Philippine Independence Day in the past was celebrated on the 4th of July, the day the United States of America granted our independence shortly after World War II. It is not until the time of the late Pres. Diosdado Macapagal that Independence Day celebrations were moved to June 12.

Silay was dubbed as the Cradle of Freedom in the history of the Negros revolution. Our town was the first in Negros to break away from Spanish colonial rule that triggered a string of uprisings in the different towns in the island that eventually led to the fall of the capital, Bacolod the next day (November 6).

The signing of Lt. Correa of the surrender papers in Silay on November 5, 1898, officially recognizes the revolutionary government as legitimate. The next day, the governor of Negros, Col. Isidro de Castro, formally surrendered the island to the leaders of the Negros Republic (Negros was already a republic before the Philippines became one at Malolos in January 23, 1899) in Bacolod. A month later, on December 25, 1898, the last Governor-General of Spain in the Philippines, Don Diego de los Rios surrendered to the revolutionaries of Panay in Iloilo.

Yes, Spain only surrendered to two revolutionary governments in the Philippines – Panay and Negros. Silay will figure prominently because it was the first town to officially gain independence, technically in the Philippines.

Barangay  Banago was  declared  champion  in  the  32nd MassKara Festival  street  and arena dance competition Sunday night (Oct. 16), besting 14 other groups that competed in the barangay category.

Choreographed by William Bangcaya, Banago also won the special awards for Best in Concept and Best in Live Rhythm.

Headed by barangay captain Arnel Benjamin, Banago’s mask designer was Ronelo Mabilog, while its costume designers were Mabilog and Joseph Ferdinand Silva.

Barangay 17 was first runner-up, Barangay Tangub—second runner-up, Barangay 23—third runner-up, and Barangay Alijis—fourth runner-up.

Choreographed by Frederick Endrada, Barangay 17 was also adjudged Best in Choreography. It was also first runner-up and Best in Choreography last year.

Barangay Alijis, whose mask and costume were designed by Emiljune Bantolo, also won the Best in Costume and Best in Mask awards.

Banago, one of Bacolod’s biggest barangays, will receive P100,000 as cash prize. Barangay 17 will get P75,000; Barangay Tangub—P50,000; Barangay 23—P30,000; and Barangay Alijis—P20,000.

Banago will also get the P20,000 as LBC Prize for Best in Live Rhythm, while the rest of the 14 live bands will get  P2,000 each as consolation prize.

The Best in Live Rhythm is a new award as this is the first time the festival streetdancing used live music.

The Top 3 winners have been invited to perform in Salute to Bacolod program on Oct. 18, 7 pm. at the Bacolod City Government Center.

The awarding of streetdance winners will be on the closing rites on Oct. 19, 6 p.m. at the Bacolod Public Plaza. (PR)

Photos by James Toga

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The 32nd MassKara Festival that opened October 1 is expected to increase tourist influx to Bacolod City throughout the 19-day festival.

Acting Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, in his message during the opening ceremonies last Saturday at the public plaza, said the MassKara Festival has evolved from a simple dance parade to what it is now — world-class.

He thanked festival organizers and the sponsors for bringing the MassKara to a level where it is now known throughout the world.

“We are hoping that in this 19 days of celebration, we could bring Bacolod to the forefront of the tourism industry,” Sayson said.

He explained that Mayor Evelio Leonardia requested him to express the mayor’s greetings to the people of Bacolod on the opening of the festival, and to explain that he could not come because he is in Indonesia to represent Bacolod and the Philippines in the meeting of five ASEAN countries.

Also present at the opening rites were Councilors Homer Bais, Roberto Rojas, El Cid Familiaran, and Al Victor Espino.

The plaza has turned into a virtual MassKara park with the lighting up of the bandstand and the 19 giant mask-lanterns.

The mask-lanterns are entries of the inmates from 19 district jails all over the province to the 1st Priso Mask-Making Competition in partnership with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

As part of the Petronas Day of the festival, which also falls on the opening day, Petronas Energy Philippines president and chief executive officer Carlos Corpuz and senior manager Elbert Munasque distributed gifts to the BJMP jail wardens in recognition of their participation to the festival.

The opening ceremonies were capped by fireworks display, afterwhich, the 1st MassKara dance showdown, in partnership with GMA TV, held an elimination round for 20 competing dance groups. Ten finalists will compete on the grand finals.

Festival director Eli F. J. Tajanlangit said the 2011 MassKara festival is “writing history.”

For the first time in 32 years, he said, the MassKara streetdancing competitions will use live, original music, composed, scored, arranged and performed by our barangay-based musicians and choreographers.

Three MassKara landmarks, designed to be photo opportunity sites for visitors and tourists are also mounted: a MassKara Billboard of Lights, along Araneta-Gonzaga Streets; a lighted Bacolod public plaza bandstand; and the Majica MassKara installation at the Bacolod Government Center which will be unveiled on Oct. 7, he said.

Tajanlangit said three major activities are being added this year: the 1st Priso Mask-Lantern Making Competition, the 1st MassKara Dance Showdown, which is designed to popularize different forms of MassKara dancers, and the 1st MassKara Preview, also in partnership with GMA TV, which is a fashion show of the costumes that will be worn during the streetdancing competitions on Oct. 15 and 16.

This year is also the second time that the MassKara Festival is partnering with the Diocese of Bacolod for the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary on Oct. 9. Prior to that, we are holding Living Rosaries for nine days leading to it, he said.

The MassKara Queen Coronation Night is set Monday, Oct. 17, at the University of Saint La Salle coliseum, and the next day, Oct. 18, we shall hold “Salute to Bacolod!” at the Bacolod Government Center, he said.

The festival will end Oct. 19 with grand awarding rites at the Bacolod Public Plaza, during which we will also hold the grand finals of the 1st MassKara Dance Showdown, he said.

This year’s theme “Celebrating the New Icons of Bacolod” is a way of recognizing the new structures, landmarks, institutions, and personalities that have dramatically transformed Bacolod into what it is now, Tajanlangit added. (PR)

It’s official.  The Philippine Blog Awards – Visayas will be held in the heritage city of  Silay, Negros Occidental on November 12, 2011. Mayor Jose “Oti” Montelibano has graciously agreed to host the event in cooperation with the Negros Bloggers led by president, H. James Toga of the Negros Daily Bulletin. The core group had their first of many weekly meetings last Thursday, October 6, 2011 to plan for the activities during the event.

The nominations for this year’s Philippine Blog Awards are extended up to 3PM of October 15, 2011. Acceptance of nominations is extended up to 3PM of October 19, 2011.

For more information and updates, please visit the Negros Bloggers and PBA website. Click on this link to pre-register for PBA-Visayas.

We hope to see you in the event!

The official theme, logo, and website of the 2011 MassKara Festival were unveiled yesterday at the Business Inn, while the orientation for streetdance competition and Electric MassKara float parade competition is set tomorrow, Friday.

This year’s theme, “Celebrating the New Icons of Bacolod,” gives emphasis on the new places and structures that have risen in our city in recent years that prove how far Bacolod had gone in terms of progress and development, festival director Eli Francis Tajanlangit said.

“This year’s MassKara Festival will focus on these new icons—landmarks, structures, institutions, and even personalities—that have dramatically transformed Bacolod in recent years,” he said.

Some of these new icons are, but not limited to, the Bacolod City Government Center, the Pope John Paul II Tower, SM City Bacolod, East Block, The Chalet of L’Fisher Hotel, Planta Hotel, and Art District, he said.

The theme also supports the “Balik Bacolod” program of Mayor Evelio Leonardia aimed at bringing balikbayans to Bacolod in October for the 32nd MassKara Festival.

Balik-Bacolod, Leonardia added, is essentially “a reunion of Bacoleños from all walks of life, brought together to celebrate the joys of life as one big community,”

Tajanlangit said this October is the best time for our balikbayans to come home, rediscover Bacolod and witness what has become of their city.

“As we go back to the original meaning of the festival, we find that MassKara is a celebration of everything the Bacolod community has achieved,” Tajanlangit said.

“Many of these reasons for celebration are the new landmarks in our midst. We may have ignored or overlooked them but they’re here, and they’re worth celebrating,” he added.

The 2011 MassKara festival logo was designed by veteran Bacolod visual artist and fine arts professor Bamboo Tonogbanua who has also been commissioned to do the trophies for all the official competitions of the 32nd MassKara Festival.

Tonogbanua said the logo shows a spectrum of colors that the festival is famous for, adding that the logo combines the glamorous but realistic portrayal of the mask, itself a symbol of the festival, and the vibrant colors of the MassKara Festival.

The hair of the mask is illustrated like flowing ribbons to symbolize the lively and festive atmosphere of the festival, he said.

The headdress of the mask showed symbols of the new icons of Bacolod: the Bacolod City Government Center, the Blessed John Paul II Tower, and other rising business structures.

Also in the headdress are the public plaza’s bandstand, where the MassKara streetdancing competitions are held, and the Philippine flag, to symbolize patriotism.

The official website of the 2011 MassKara festival, www.themasskarafestival.com was also unveiled yesterday.  Starting today, this website will be updated regularly to inform Filipinos and tourists here and abroad of the exciting events leading to October, the official month of the MassKara Festival.

Meanwhile, the orientation for the streetdance competition and the Electric MassKara float parade competition is set tomorrow, at the MassKara Hall 3 and 4 of the Bacolod Government Center, Rudy Reveche, streetdance committee chairman, announced.

Representatives of each of the 61 barangays in Bacolod are enjoined to attend, he said. Registration starts at 2 p.m. and the orientation starts at 2:30 p.m., he said.

Guidelines for the competition as well as the innovations to be implemented in this year’s contests will be discussed, Reveche added.  (PR)

Yesterday was my birthday and for some people, I am officially considered out of the calendar age because I am already 32 years old. Well, I felt physically old but I still think I am young at heart and forever will be.

Anyway, this is how my birthday went…

Early morning, my daughter Micah and my son David woke me up and greeted me a happy birthday. Then when I said thank you, my daughter handed me this fashion bracelet. The cost was 28 pesos only but mind you… my daughter put an effort in getting it. She asked her grandma to help her buy the bracelet. She planned it since July stepped in.  –> More on this blog <–