I spent five wonderful years of my childhood in Iloilo City, and would visit Bacolod, which was just a ferry ride away. I love its people, its food and its historical structures.
My parents’ friends would say Bacolod was more flamboyant than conservative Iloilo, and rich women had gems by the garapon.
Alas, the sugar crisis struck. But trust Bacolodnons to bounce back — with a smile!
True to its moniker the “City of Smiles,” Bacolod has a festival of masks aptly named “MassKara” — but the masks have smiles. No sad faces, no Money Heist type of masks. Just masks that lift the corners of one’s lips and one’s heart.
Historical sources say the festival was born in 1980, a time of extreme want and heartbreaking suffering for the majority of its people who relied on sugarcane for sustenance and survival.
Nowadays, when people talk about the “MassKara” Festival after a well-timed trip to Bacolod in Negros Occidental, hardly anyone starts their stories with the sugar crisis that caused famine in the province.
Instead, they come home with stories of colorful masks, electrifying street dances, all-night drinking and dancing — armed with bags of piayas, toasted polvoron and a host of other delicacies that turn story time into snack time. And if only for that, the MassKara Festival, which recently marked its 45th run in the “City of Smiles,” has truly carried on its legacy.
As PeopleAsia managing editor Jose Paolo dela Cruz reminded me after his recent trip to Bacolod as a judge at the MassKara 2024 Arena Dance Competition finale, MassKara festival was born out of tragedy.
During the MassKarade Sapphire Ball at the plush Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center, a group of theater actors portrayed how the MassKara initially came to life as a coping mechanism for those who suffered in one of the worst famines in history, which stemmed from the catastrophic drop in the price of sugar in the ’80s. It also brought momentary respite for those who lost their loved ones on the M/V Don Juan, which was rammed by a tanker off the coast of Romblon in the dead of night on April 22, 1980.
But time heals all wounds, so they say. And where masks are often used to conceal sorrows, Bacolod’s MassKara became an unsinkable vessel of hope — one that continues to sail into new horizons and uncharted regions, even during tough times.
On its sapphire anniversary, MassKara, under the very able leadership of festival chairman Jojie Dingcong and the local government, with some friends of the festival, remained a joyful and purposeful affair.
“In light of typhoon Kristine, which affected our brothers and sisters in the Bicol region, we are turning this year’s celebrations into a more mindful, meaningful affair,” said Jojie during the Sapphire Ball, before announcing a donation drive coursed through the GMA Kapuso Foundation.
Among the first to make their pledges were Cagayan Economic Zone Authority administrator and CEO Katrina Ponce Enrile, who donated P 500,000 on the spot, as well as Manila-based socialites Ching Cruz and Tina Cuevas, who flew in for the festival.
The next day, Annette Gozon-Valdes — who also served as a judge in the Electric MassKara Float Parade competition — received a P1-million donation on behalf of the foundation. She also showed Jojie and his guests videos of the foundation’s relief efforts in heavily flooded Naga, which was made possible through their partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Over in Bacolod, Mayor Albee Benitez announced that the celebration would extend to Oct. 31 for vendors who struggled to break even due to the inclement weather. The local government also allocated funds for food vouchers to help boost their sales for the remainder of the week.
Still, not even typhoon Kristine could break the Bacolodnons’ spirits, as seen in the festival’s culminating activities.
Among this year’s highlights was the jaw-dropping Electric MassKara Float Parade, where Barangay 29 emerged victorious in the Electric Float competition with its sapphire-colored motif. Barangay Pahanocoy, on the other hand, won first runner-up with an impressive carnival-themed float (complete with a moving carousel, mind you!)
Seven barangays also battled it out as planned in the MassKaraFestival Arena Dance Competition. In the end, Barangay Granada claimed its third win, second grand slam and over P1 million in cash prizes as champs. Not far behind was first runner-up Barangay Bata, which won P 500,000 in prizes, and second runner-up Barangay 12, which brought home P 300,000 in prizes.
Ultimately, the coping mechanism that boosted the morale of the Bacolodnons is now boosting tourism and the local economy. “If you look at all the hotels, restaurants, and the visitors who came here, their economic contribution runs into the billions. We’ve recorded figures that exceeded last year’s P3 billion,” Benitez said in a press conference last Wednesday.
And that, for sure, puts a smile on everybody’s face — mask or no mask!
Abaw gid!
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Oops: This line in my Oct. 29 column on the Assumption velada should have read: Blue diamond jubilarian Jeannie Carlos Abaya says, “Being a diamond means I’m still alive to share the values I learned in school with my family based on the teachings of our founder, St. Marie Eugenie. I’m very blessed and thankful to have been part of the ‘gems’ who performed with us.”
You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez@yahoo.com. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.