MASK EXHIBIT. Philippine masks, mostly from Bacolod City’s MassKara Festival, are featured in the exhibit ahead of the IMACO International Conference that will be hosted by the city on November 5 to 8, 2019. More than 400 masks from 22 countries were unveiled at SM City Bacolod on Thursday (Oct. 31, 2019). (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver) BACOLOD CITY -- More than 400 masks from 22 countries were unveiled here on Thursday in an exhibit, a prelude to the IMACO International Conference that will be hosted by this city on November 5 to 8.
IMACO stands for the International Mask and Culture Organization that is based in South Korea’s Andong City, which has sisterhood ties with Bacolod. Dawon “Ginny” Lee, chief of the IMACO International cooperation team, in a press briefing at the SM City Bacolod Atrium, said that ahead of the conference, "we are delighted to host (the exhibit) in the 'City of Smiles'." The exhibit, being held at the Atrium, will run until December 26 and features masks from five continents – Asia, Europe, America, Africa, and Oceania. Among those from Asia are masks from the Philippines, particularly the smiling masks of the Bacolod MassKara Festival. “We’ve known about the MassKara even before and we’re very interested about how you preserve the masks and how everyone is participating in this event,” Lee said. She acknowledged the assistance and support of the city government, headed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, in the preparations for the exhibit and the upcoming conference, which is expected to gather some 200 delegates from 17 countries. Lee said mask culture is part of intangible cultural heritage, which is difficult to preserve. “We are trying to safeguard and preserve the mask cultures,” she added. The IMACO, consisting of more than 130 individual and group organizations from about 60 countries, was founded in 2006 to construct archives of mask-related culture that is integral to cultural community symbols. Through research, preservation, and data accumulation, the organization aims to develop an understanding of mask culture as it focuses on the value that masks promote in terms of freedom, peace, and equality, which in turn provides an approach to understand human values. (PNA)
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THE just-concluded 40th MassKara Festival was generally peaceful for the entire 21 days, with zero casualty and no major incidents reported in various areas of Bacolod.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Monday, October 28, 2019, the MassKara Festival Organization Inc. (SMFOI) and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) successfully managed this year’s festival. “It was a very successful 40th MassKara Festival. Despite of heavy rains during the last day, we have a big crowd,” he said. He added that it was a perfect implementation of the security plan of BCPO from October 7 to 27. Police Colonel Henry Biñas, director of BCPO, said the festival was generally peaceful where the eight focus crimes decreased by 62.7 percent compared to the same period last year. He said from October 7 to 27, BCPO recorded only 16 crime incidents compared to 43 incidents in 2018. For the reckless imprudence resulting to damage to property, it also decreased by 76 percent or with a total of 12 incidents this year compared to 52 incidents in 2018, he added. BCPO deployed a total of 3,000 police personnel and force multipliers to ensure the peace and order. “We achieved a very peaceful MassKara Festival celebration through the continuous visibility and the cooperation of the Bacolodnons and our tourists. Thank you for the cooperation of everybody,” Binas said. He said most of the augmentation personnel from Police Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas already returned to their units Monday, except on the 200 personnel who will stay here while they are waiting for their schooling on anti-insurgency. “They will be deployed to the strategic areas in Bacolod to maintain the peace and order in the city,” he added. The MassKara Story Now that the MassKara fever is heating up, and Bacolod is swarming with visitors, not only from the towns and cities of Negros Occidental, but even from other provinces and, yes, countries, maybe it is time to reminisce and recall what we, who have been around since its birth, can remember about how it began. This is now the 40 th year that the festival has been celebrated, and it has also become an event that is looked forward to every year.
*** It was sometime in the late 1970s when the province and city were in what one might say, the doldrums. The economy was down, sugar production was also affected, and things seemed hopeless for the people, with no jobs and means of advancement very poor. That was also the time when the vessel “Don Juan” of the Negros Navigation Company, sank on its way back to Bacolod from Manila with hundreds of our people on board. It seemed there was hardly a family that did not have a member, a loved one, or a friend who was a victim. *** Even the mayor of Bacolod, then, Jose “Digoy” Montalvo, lost his wife, his two daughters and mother-in-law. For weeks, family members of the missing ones, travelled to several islands and provinces, whenever news came of some bodies recovered in them. I recall a very close friend, then narrating how they went to Iloilo, where some recovered bodies had been brought, and checking all the biers to see if their loved ones were among them, to no avail. *** A pall of gloom settled over the city, one could hardly see smiling faces. Everywhere one went, the main topic was always the tragedy, and often the chats would turn into crying spells! For months, people could not get out of the topic, and more and more, the mourning intensified upon learning of incidents from survivors about how a mother had to be pulled away from the aisle of the boat, because she would not let go as her children were in a cabin that was already awash in sea water, or of children trying to rescue their aged parents and then both disappearing in the water. *** One of our media colleagues and a close friend, Beneldez “Belding” Familiaran, father of now Bacolod Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, narrated to us that he was lucky to be accommodated on a lifeboat, but suffered a heart attack while on it. Miraculously he survived, lived to tell the tale, but succumbed years later to natural causes. If I remember right, more than 200 men, women and children were lost in that tragedy. *** This added further gloom to the province and city, but our people are ingenuous in healing themselves. And this was when some of them, our officials, our artists and civic leaders, thought of holding a festival that would make the people lose their long faces, and SMILE. After several meetings and plannings, the idea of having a masked festival was cooked up. The masks would all be smiling to hide the glum and sorrowful faces behind them. *** The idea caught on quickly and everybody got into the act. The barangays energetically cooperated, as did the professional and civic sectors, and soon the city folks were busy figuring out their participation, their choreography, and, most of all, the masks they were to wear that must all be smiling, to hide the pain behind. And soon, the first MassKara Festival was staged, with makeshift costumes made of leaves, paper, tree barks, anything their ingenuity could think up. *** So different from the Masskara of today, with its sophistication, artistry, and originality. Today, people from other countries, especially balikbayans, some of whom also had loved ones in the tragedy, come home for the festival. And our MassKara has also been invited to perform in other countries, winning prizes. Now, they no longer wear leaves and husks, but very sophisticated and artistic outfits. And they are all wearing smiling masks – but they no longer hide teary eyes and mournful looks behind them.* PS. The weather forecast is that there will be fair weather all throughout the country in the next three days. VIVA MASSKARA! THE Bacolod City Council will hold a special session Saturday, October 26, to ratify the financial assistance for the three barangays that will join in Electric MassKara dance parade and Masskara street dance competition in the city.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Friday, October 25, that the City has already released the assistance to some of the participants of the Electric MassKara dance parade and Masskara street dance competition, except on the three barangays. These are Barangays 6 and Banago that will join in Electric MassKara dance parade and MassKara street dance competition, as well as Barangay 6 that will join in MassKara street dance competition. Familiaran said each participant in MassKara street dance competition will receive P250,000 cash assistance and those who will participate in Electric MassKara will also receive P100,000 cash assistance. "The ratification of the financial assistance should be done before the actual event," he said. He added that on Wednesday, October 23, the City Council approved the request of Mayor Evelio Leonardia to sign the proposed memoranda of agreement to be entered by and between the City of Bacolod and Barangays 3, 6 and Banago. Familiaran noted that in the school category, each school participant will also receive P200,000 cash assistance. Of 61 barangays, 14 barangays will join the MassKara street, arena dance competition, which will be held on October 27. These are Barangays Tangub, Handumanan, Banago, Bata, Estefania, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 16, 32, 39, and 40. For the Electric MassKara performing floats competition, 14 barangays also competed on October 25. These were Barangays Cabug, Banago, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16, 32, 36, 37, 40, and 45. More than five schools in Bacolod will also compete in MassKara street, arena dance competition at the Bacolod public plaza today. IN SPITE of the absence of President Rodrigo Duterte on the highlights of the 40th MassKara Festival, the signal jamming is still implemented in festival sites in Bacolod City.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico, spokesperson of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), stressed this Friday, October 25, after the National Telecommunications (NTC) earlier issued a memorandum directing the Globe Telecom and Smart Communications Inc. to cut off all network services during MassKara Festival from October 25 to 27. Duterte was supposed to attend the Electric MassKara, but he only sent his official representative, Department of Tourism Undersecretary for legal and Special Concerns Edwin Enrile, who is also the chief-of-staff of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, due to the unbearable pain in the spine. Pico said the signal jamming already started Friday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Lacson Street. On October 26 and 27, it will be implemented again in the area of Lizares-Araneta Streets from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. "It's part of our security measures to maintain the peace and order during the highlights of the festival, so we are asking the support of the MassKara revelers," he said. He added that about 2, 074 security forces were already deployed in various areas of Bacolod to ensure a peaceful MassKara celebration. Pico also reiterated his reminder to the MassKara revelers that backpacks, ball caps, bladed weapons, and pointed sticks are prohibited at the festival sites to avoid untoward incidents. "We already announced this before the celebration for our MassKara revelers because it's part of our security measures," Pico said. This, after some netizens posted on social media that they were not allowed entry to the festival sites because of their backpacks. "We want to secure the safety of everybody because the lawless elements were using backpacks for their weapons such as bladed weapon, firearms, or improvise explosives, among others," Pico said. He said from October 7, there were no reported major crime incidents in the city's festival sites. He added that using drones without a permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and bringing bottle of beer in the festival sites are also not allowed during the highlights. Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran also urged the public to cooperate with the security personnel for the success of the 40th MassKara Festival. "Our policemen are doing their job to ensure a peaceful celebration, so let's cooperate," Familiaran said. THE Bacolod City Council has approved the request of the flower vendors to occupy the areas of Bacolod public plaza and along Burgos Public Cemetery only from October 31 to November 2 for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
It was approved during the regular session of the City Council on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. - MERLINDA A. PEDROSA October 25, 2019THE Bacolod City Council has approved the request of the flower vendors to occupy the areas of Bacolod public plaza and along Burgos Public Cemetery only from October 31 to November 2 for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. It was approved during the regular session of the City Council on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Thursday, October 24, 2019, that last year, the flower vendors were allowed to occupy the areas of Libertad Public Market, Burgos Public Market, public plaza, and along Burgos Public Cemetery. “This time, the flower vendors are only allowed to occupy the public plaza and along Burgos Public Cemetery so that it will be fair to all the vendors since we already demolished or removed the illegal structures occupying the roads,” he said. He added the vendors should secure a special permit so they can sell their flowers and candles in said areas. Familiaran noted that the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) will also close the road at Burgos Public Cemetery on November 1 for the safety of the public. “We already removed the illegal structures in Burgos and Libertad public markets, that were occupying the sidewalks and roads, so we will not allow them to return,” Familiaran said. He said the demolition of the illegal structures is in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to rid public streets of obstructions to facilitate the orderly use of thoroughfares. Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, chief coordinator of Market Coordinating and Monitoring Task Force, also said that anytime, Mayor Evelio Leonardia will also form a Task Force All Saints’ Day to monitor and assist in the implementation and regulation of public plaza and cemeteries in the city. “We need the cooperation of the flower vendors to maintain the smooth flow of traffic in various areas, especially during the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day,” he said. RUBY MassKara queen 2019 Trecia M. Tuquero was euphoric to finally have the crown on her head in the just-concluded pageant and coronation night held at Ayala Malls Capitol Central Wednesday, October 23, 2019.
The event was star-studded with Miss Universe 1969 and multi-awarded actress Gloria Diaz, the queenly Tessa Prieto-Valdez and Jojie Dingcong gracing the prestigious pageant. The event has definitely delivered an indeed powerful Ruby MassKara festival celebration as people and guests witnessing the pageant went with its festive and colorful progression. The ten lovely MassKara festival queen candidates succeeded in flawlessly executing their roles, speeches, answers, sways, dances and walk, as a testament that all of them learned from the rigorous and holistic trainings carried out by the MassKara Academy. During the event, we have seen how keen and careful the judges were in their decision. Miss Universe Gloria Diaz showed simplicity in her actions and even in throwing questions to some of the candidates. Valdez and Dingcong enjoyed the event as they were seen going live with their Instagram and Facebook accounts. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia appeared very pleasing and gentle in rubbing elbows with the guests. He was clad in his elegant Barong Tagalog when he proclaimed the new Ruby MassKara festival queen. The Mayor and his first lady Elsa enjoyed the event along with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and his spouse Portia, Bacolod Representative Greg Gasataya and spouse Maita, City Councilors Cindy Rojas and spouse Bobby, Ana Marie Palermo, Israel Salanga who seemed very millennial in his attire, Simple Distrito who showed a natural penchant for nice visuals, Carl Lopez who was timely to pose with the stars of the night and former Councilor Em Ang who unceasingly supports events mounted by the City of Bacolod, and Festival Director Eli Francis Tajanlangit who silently ensures the success of the event with his competent people assisting him. This has made the Ruby MassKara queen festival a big hit. Here comes the new Ruby MassKara queen Tuquero who appeared prepared with the needed knowledge, beauty, attitude and style in her pursuit to bring home the crown. When she was asked at the peak of the competition, she said, "I am very happy. The Lord knows how much effort I put into this and I am very thankful that I am part of the top three candidates. To my supporters, thank you very much for supporting me. God knows all of your efforts.” Her final question was: Bacolod is now starting to make a name in the global community. As the next MassKara queen, what do you think will be the challenges that you will face during your reign? "I think, I don't have challenges as long as I love what I do and it is my passion. I joined several pageants but I did not win a crown. The reason why I joined the MassKara queen is in order for me to promote my advocacy to empower the youth, to reach their biggest potentials, to pursue their wildest dreams and not only that, I believe that we can change the world and all of us can change the world." On the other hand, MassKara festival queen 2018 Ella Mercado thanked Bacolodnons for the opportunity to lead them as their festival queen and Ambassadress of Goodwill. She relinquished her crown to the new festival queen with a heart full of love and joy. "Thank you, Bacolod for this wonderful journey," she said. THE City Government of Bacolod is planning to purchase an additional 73 high-definition closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to be installed in various areas of Bacolod.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Thursday, October 24, 2019, the City Development Council (CDC) has a recommendation to purchase additional CCTVs which was also approved during the regular session of the City Council on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. He said this project will be implemented by the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO). He added the DRRMO also submitted the lists of the 73 areas in Bacolod that will be covered for the installation of CCTVs. These areas are 6th Street, Alijis-Taculing or Bacolod Memorial Park, Alijis Road, Araneta Avenue, Circumferential Road, Golden Field Araneta Avenue, Gonzaga, street, Hilado Street, Luzuriaga Street, Mabini Street, Magsaysay Avenue, entrance and exit of Bacolod Government Center, Paglaum-Burgos Streets, Rizal Street, among others. In May, the City Government installed a total of 39 CCTVs in various intersections in Bacolod. Executive assistant Jose Maria Vargas, cluster head for disaster management, said the budget will be taken from the Special Trust Fund (SPF) of the DRRMO which will be implemented this year. He said the 73 CCTVs have a total of P25.9 million budget from the DRRMO SPF funds. Aside from the CCTV, he added they also submitted their proposal to purchase five units of dump truck, one brand new amphibious excavator, one new customized self-loader cargo truck, one mini backhoe, and two emergency response vehicle. Vargas noted DRRMO has a total of P112.5 million SPF in 2015 to 2018, and another P49.5 million in 2019. Vargas said the bidding of this project will start in November so they can utilize it in 2020 especially, during summer. He said CCTVs are big help to monitor traffic accidents, floods and crime incidents in the city. “We will purchase the high definition cameras because it could capture a clear plate of the vehicles or identity of the perpetrators in accidents or crime incidents,” he added. BACOLOD. Police Regional Office-Western Visayas Director Rene Pamuspusan. (Bacolod City PIO) "THIS is a very big event for us and we hope that we can perform to the expectation of the people of Bacolod and also to the guests of the MassKara Festival."
This was stressed by Police Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas Director Rene Pamuspusan Monday, October 21, during the send-off ceremony of a total of 2,074 security personnel, majority of them from the police, held at the Bacolod Government Center in Bacolod City to ensure the peace and order of the 40th MassKara Festival. The security personnel include the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Maritime Group, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Army, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and other force multipliers. Pamuspusan said that PNP officer-in-charge Lieutenant General Archie Francisco Gamboa was also invited to attend the event, but because of the pressing activities in Camp Crame, he had to cancel his appointment in Negros Occidental. "He was really the one who mentioned that he wanted to come here and he was very much willing to attend the send-off ceremony, unfortunately because of the pressing activities in Camp Crame, he was not able to come and he cancelled his appointment in Negros Occidental," he said. Pamuspusan stressed that the send-off is really a very important event and that they have a very big thing to do in these events. Pamuspusan noted that on Sunday, October 20, he attended their second command conference with PNP-OIC Gamboa at Camp Crame with the high level officers of the PNP. "This is to mention his policy as the OIC of the PNP and to reiterate the desire of President Rodrigo Duterte that we need discipline in our organization. There's a pressing need to remind our people especially in the PNP that there's a need for discipline. I know that the President was dismayed because of the current issues, but with the guidance of our OIC we will assure our people, especially in Bacolod City that we are ready to render service and we are ready to show that our policemen in Bacolod and Western Visayas are disciplined and are up to the job," Pamuspusan said. He said: "We will show our people that our policemen in Bacolod and Western Visayas are disciplined and I hope that they will show it during the festival from October 21 to 27. Please do your job properly, we know that you can, we expect that you will do it to the expectation not only of the regional director, but to the expectation of the people of Bacolod." He added the city's security personnel also need the support of the civilians and other agencies of the government to ensure a peaceful MassKara Festival. Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director Henry Binas also expressed his gratitude to the regional director and the City Government officials. Binas said the send-off ceremony in the police tradition is given to the troops of the PNP to be deployed to the very important mission. "We all know that we have very important mission to secure the 40th MassKara Festival. This is our mission and in line with this, allow me to remind all of you of our objectives that there must be no untoward or major incidents," he said. He added they will ensure that there will be no high profile crimes such as bombings or any acts of terrorism, murder or kidnapping, and to reduce significantly the index crimes or the crimes against person or property such as theft, robbery, homicide, murder, physical injury. Binas noted that since the opening of the MassKara Festival on October 7, there was no major incident reported or even slight injury within the city's festival site at the Bacolod Government Center, Public Plaza and Lacson Street as well as in Manokan Country area. "I want to urge everyone to please help us and let's unite with each other to make MassKara 2019 a very peaceful one, and let us show to everybody and the whole world that indeed Bacolod City is the festival capital of the Philippines," Binas said. The PRO-Western Visayas also provided 347 logistical resources such as mobile patrol cars, fire trucks, ambulances, handheld radios, CDM equipment and others. For his part, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said that one of the keys of the success of the MassKara Festival is keeping the peace and order. He said he is thankful to the regional director for attending the send-off ceremony. "This is probably going to be our biggest MassKara Festival ever. MassKara has that distinction of probably being the only festival outside of Davao City which the President has attended for three consecutive times," he added. Also present were Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, Councilor Israel Salanga, and other PNP personnel from PRO-Western Visayas. |
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