MANILA, Philippines - Bacolod literally burst at the seams on the weekend closest to Oct. 19 — the city’s Charter Day Anniversary — while thousands of guests from neighboring cities and towns, faraway provinces and distant islands, together with foreign visitors and balikbayan guests, excitedly converged at the City of Smiles, to be dazzled and experience in awe. In fabulous masks, street dancers made up of students from all levels of education and representatives from the various barangays, slowly inched their way down festive, crowded Lacson Street. They were witnessed by noisy, celebratory merry makers for the Grand Parades — all three of them on three succeeding days — that climaxed this year’s MassKara Festival, the most anticipated annual event in the so-very-underrated-and-yet-so-much-to-offer tourist destination.
With my travel buddies Honey Jarque-Loop and Fredie Alquiros, we soon learned from our able guides, namely Raymond Alunan of the Provincial Tourism Section under the Governor’s Office, and Ray Tabafunda of the DOT Region VI, that it was 35 years ago, when the economic woes of the all-important sugar industry resulted in some reversal of fortunes affecting several hacienderos and workers alike, compounded by the personal losses and devastating grief of many, due to a major sea disaster, that an idea of a fiesta was born.
It was one where active participants under molded clay or papier-mâché masks of beaming faces dressed in elaborate, vibrant costumes detailed with sparkling glitters, assorted beads, shiny sequins, multicolored feathers and mixed strings. It brought about the escapism from the suffering and depression of the citizenry through drinking and dancing in abandonment, singing and chanting with their lungs out, cool mood and excellent food, absolute frolic and genuine fun.
The entire community enthusiastically embraced the festival of the MassKara — a combination of the English word mass meaning crowd, and the Spanish word cara, for face courtesy of Ely Santiago, a local artist renowned for his works on the many — you guessed it right, faces — of Negrenses for it is uniquely Bacolod in color and character, scope and substance.
However, organizers have emphasized that there is indeed a lot more than the exuberant street dancing that lure droves of perennial travelers to Bacolod.
Yes, but that’s not all that there is to it.
“It is actually a 20-day long affair with various interesting activities for everyone to participate and enjoy,” declares lawyer Helen Catalbas, regional director for Region VI of the Department of Tourism.
With this year’s theme, “One Rhythm. One Bacolod. A million Smiles,” the first salvo was the opening of the MassKara sites and carnival followed by the Fun MassKa-run, jog, walk, bike and skate, the ZoombassKara, on-the-spot MassKara Making Contest, Banda sa MassKara drum and bugle competition, MassKara Fashion Week, selection of MassKara Queen 2014 and the calendar of events goes on and on.
As spectators take in all of these, there for the picking are the various restaurants of fame such as Aboy’s, Nena’s Rose Chicken Inasal, 21 Restaurant, among many, and the widest selection of local delicacies from Bailon’s, Felicia’s, Virgie’s, Bascon’s, Calea, and Pendy’s, to name a few.
With such experiences, we, without any doubt, appreciate how the MassKara Festival truly reflects the history and traditions, arts and culture, values and civic spirits, and craftsmanship and skills of residents of Bacolod and the environs.
And yet we reminded ourselves that the yearly weekend festivities are not all that Bacolod offers. They have well-preserved historical and cultural attractions, one-for-the-books activities, wonderful shopping and well-meaning populace such as Luci Lizares Yunque, Solomon Lopez Locsin, Corazon Henares, Charet Locsin, Anne Marie Peruelo, Clemente Dreyfuss Del Castillo and the Peñalosa family — Mon, Grace, Suzy, Kelly and Andrew.
But that’s another story, for another time.