MassKara boosts souvenir business

STREETDANCE COSTUMES Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia
(center) leads the ribbon-cutting rites to officially open the 2016
MassKara Festival Masks and Costumes Display at the Central
CityWalk of Robinsons Place Bacolod, Oct. 19, 2016. Joining him
are Councilor Em Ang (3rd from right), Councilor Caesar Distrito
(2nd from left), Festival Director Eli Francis Tajanlangit (2nd from
right), Robinsons Place Bacolod Marketing Manager Christine
Tomas (rightmost), and guests from the Punjabi Khalsa Diwan,
an Indian community in Bacolod, and from Chicago and Malaysia.
The display features 28 Street dance Competition costumes from
17 barangays and 11 schools. It will run until Nov. 5. (PIO)
17 barangays joining
MassKara streetdance
SEVENTEEN barangays are competing in the street and arena
dance competition of the 2016 MassKara Festival in Bacolod
City on Oct. 23.
The participants are Barangays 5, 6,7, 8, 26, 29, 33, 39, Alangilan,
Alijis, Banago, Bata, Felisa, Granada, Pahanocoy, Punta
Taytay, and Tangub.
The street competition will start along Lizares-Araneta Sts. at 3
p.m., while the arena competition at the plaza will start at 4 p.m.
The street and arena dance competition is the highlight of the
annual MassKara Festival.
10th Electric MassKara kicks off
THE 10TH edition of the Electric
MassKara started Oct. 20 and will
run until Oct. 23.
Conceptualized by Mayor Evelio
Leonardia in 2007, the Electric
MassKara turns the Tourism Strip –
the whole 17 blocks of Lacson Street
from 5th St. to 22nd St. – into one
big street party, with concert stages
in 5 clusters.
On opening night, the corporate
ARTISTS (From left) Frelan Gonzaga, Daryl Feril, Susanito Sarnate, Darel Javier, Alan Ong, Junjun Montelibano,
Francine Varcas, and Barry Cervantes pose with their respective MassKara trophies at the Gallery Orange. (PIO)
MassKara boosts
souvenir business
ILOCOS SUR 1 st district Rep. Victor Deogracias Savellano (2nd from left) and wife actress Dina
Bonnevie (center) receive a token from ANP Executive Director Rhemond Castro (right), Marketing
Manager Ma. Jasmin Jayme (left) and Administrative and External Affairs Manager Sybel Nobleza
(2nd from right) during their visit on Oct. 20, 2016.
By Ma x N. Ma c a h i l o
TO CELEBRATE the 78th inaugural
anniversary of Bacolod City and the
success of the Negros Occidental Information
and Communication Technology
(ICT) industry, an ICT and Trade
Expo and Conference was held Oct. 20,
2016 at the Negros First Cyber Center
(NFCC) in Bacolod City.
The 3-day event includes micro,
small and medium trade fairs; arts,
culture and tourism shows; beauty,
health and wellness show; Mass Kara
Sari-sari sale; mini-conferences; NGO
advocacy lane; garage and charity sale;
and Bacolod-Negros Trade ICT Expo.
Major companies from telecommunications,
health and wellness, medical,
BPO, housing industries were among the
participants which converged in the open
space of the NFCC to offer their products
and services to guests and visitors.
Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, Department
of Information Communication and
Technology chair for the Visayas Cluster
and Bacolod-Negros Federation
of Information Technology (BNeFit)
executive director, likened the collaborative
effort of Negrense politicians
when they drafted the charter o Bacolod
City in 1938 to present efforts to push
the creation of the cyber center for the
By Ma x N. Ma c a h i l o
KNOWN political personalities
and celebrities joined the
events of the 78th Masskara
Festival in Bacolod City.
The arrival of these guests
further boosted the tourism
and business sales, more particularly
the pasalubong and
souvenir shops.
The Association of the Negros
Producers or the ANP
reported enjoying better sales
from prominent guests who
lately visited their shop on Lacson
Street to buy locally-made
souvenir items.
Sybel Nobleza, ANP administrative
and external affairs
manager, said the number of
local and foreign buyers they
cater to during the MassKara
Festival is increasing.
Nobleza said the festivity
ICT trade and expo adds
MassKara 2016 trophies on glitter to MassKara fest
exhibit at Gallery Orange
BEFORE the MassKara
2016 trophies will be
awarded to the winners
of the major events this
weekend, they are first
being exhibited at the Gallery
Orange in Mandalagan
Street, Bacolod City.
The 33 trophies painted
on by 16 local artists are
exhibited alongside Charlie
Co’s installation entitled
“On My Watch” which
opened last Oct. 15.
stages in each cluster will be alternately
opened.
Nine performing floats will parade
in the whole Tourism Strip on the
second night, Oct 21. Each float will
carry MassKara dancers with lighted
masks and costumes.
This is the night version of the
popular streetdance competition.
The five finalists will come back
on the third night, Oct. 22 for the
The exhibit opened with
a dance performance by
Dance Pull choreographed
by Xiao Mitchao.
Dubbed the “MassKara
16,” the 2016 trophy features
the works 16 local artists
– JayR Delleva, Hilario
Campos III, Susanito Sarnate,
Roderick Tijing, Junjun Montelibano,
Alan Ong, Mark
Espuerta, Daryl Feril, Francine
Varcas, Barry Cervantes,
Jovito Hecita, Darel Javier,
Karina Gonzaga, Frelan Gonzaga,
Roedil Geraldo, and
Mikiboy Pama.
The artists painted on
similar wooden form that
was created by Co, the first
artist to handcraft and hand
painted MassKara trophies
in 2006.
Since then, different
local artists would paint
on the same wooden form
carved as a sun and boat—
symbols from the story of
Champions Showdown.
The fourth and last night will still
feature street parties and concerts.
Meanwhile, the Sadya ang
MassKara with Mayor Bing: The
1st Mayor Evelio Leonardia Fireworks
Competition, will be held
at the Tourism Strip on October 21
and 22.
Two participants will compete
each night starting 10 p.m.
the MassKara Festival.
Festival director Eli
Francis Tajanlangit said
the trophies are a concrete
expression of the support of
the local artistic community
for the MassKara festival.
We hope to institutionalize
this to remind everyone
that local artists serve as
the soul of this festival, he
stressed.
Meanwhile, Co’s exhibit
will run until November 8.
Ma s sKa r a/p2
benefit of Negrenses.
Batapa-Sigue said four more provinces
in the country are now creating their own
cyber centers with the NFCC as model.
The center serves as incubator for startup
IT businesses while providing enough
support in meeting with investors.
Proof of the center’s success is the
rapid growth in the number of start-ups
under its wings.
“We are sending off three start-ups
for Korea next month to sell the whole
country in game development,” Batapa-
Sigue added
She also said that Negros Occidental
will be one of the two provinces
to be awarded with the Flare Hall of
Fame honors on Oct. 28 because of its
outstanding performance in generating
jobs outside Metro Manila.
Batapa-Sigue credited the good vision
and support of Governor Alfredo
Marañon Jr. and the local officials to the
growth and success of the ICT sector in
Negros Occidental.
She added that the province already
has the crown of the ICT industry and
there is no reason to be sad, instead
everyone should be glad and happy.
The ICT Trade and Expo and Conferences
will run up to Oct. 21 to coincide
with the highlights of the 2016
MassKara Festival.

2 Friday, October 21, 2016 has always been a potential
Masskara
Supplement
G
t h e d a i ly
Western Visayas Most
Read and Respected
u a r d i a n
Traffic rerouting set
for Electric MassKara
TRAFFIC will be rerouted as some roads will be
closed for the Electric MassKara at the Bacolod City
Tourism Strip starting Oct. 20 to Oct. 23, 2016.
The entire tourism strip from Lacson St.-
Corner Cottage Road will be partially closed
starting 12 noon, and will be shut down at 4
p.m. everyday starting October 20 (Thursday)
and everyday thereafter until Oct. 23.
It will reopen at 6 a.m. everyday.
All PUJs (public utility jeepneys) coming from
the north portion of Bacolod City—or jeepneys
plying Banago, Bata, and Mandalagan—while
heading public plaza using Lacson Street, should
turn right at North Drive Street, straight ahead to
Gatuslao Street, turn left going to Rizal Street,
turn right going to Palanca St. straight ahead to
Luzuriaga, and turn right to San Juan.
The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office - Traffic
Management Unit has assured the public it will
provide maximum traffic police personnel and
traffic enforcers coverage and traffic management
services.
There will be one Police Assistance Center in
each of the five clusters.
All side street access roads will be closed and
manned by policemen and traffic enforcers.
Party goers will be frisked upon entry, organizers
said.
NGC REPLICA Mayor Evelio Leonardia (6th from Left) leads the lighting of the Diamond Jubilee Tower, also
known as NGC replica, at the Bacolod Public Plaza, Oct. 19, 2016 in celebration of the 37th MassKara Festival.
Joining him are Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (5th from left), Councilor Em Ang (2nd from right), City Administrator
John Orola (4th from left), Festival Director Eli Francis Tajanlangit (3rd from right), Department of Foreign Affairs
(DFA)-Office of the Secretary director Raymond Toledo (3rd from left) and assistant director Manny Arbado
(left), DFA-Bacolod head Claire Vicente (right), and Carlo Magno (2nd from left) of DFA-Bacolod. (PIO)
ALL AGLOW The Diamond Jubilee Tower,
also known as the NGC replica, glows with
multi-colored lights as Bacolod City Mayor
Evelio Leonardia leads city officials in lighting
up the memorial structure tonight (October
19). The lighting up of the replica is part of
the 37th MassKara Festival in celebration of
the progress of Bacolod since the signing of
its cityhood in 1938.
MassKara.. from p.1
venue for local producers to
generate more sales and attract
more markets.
“We want to show that the
Negros Showroom is highlyrecommended
to the tourists,
including locals and even to
government officials,”
On Oct. 20, Misamis Oriental
Governor Yevgeny Vicente
Emano and his staff shopped and
spent time looking for beautiful
items in the ANP Showroom.
Mayor Malou Lacson of
Magalang City, Pampanga and
Vice Mayor Norman Lacson
was stopped for some finds.
They were assisted by personnel
from the Department of
Trade and Industry.
The following day, actress Dina
Bonnevie came along with her
husband, Ilocos Sur 1 st district Rep.
Victor Deogracias Savellano.
Nobleza said more visitors are
expected to come in the coming
days, especially during the festival
highlights on Oct. 21 to 23.
Bestselling items include the
mother and child wall decor of
Jojo Vito, souvenirs, key chains
and MassKara t-shirts of Azatri
Souvenirs, Chizyloy and Liane
Souvenirs, piaya and barquillos of
Sugarlandia, and fashion accessories
of Saturn Arts, she added.
Bonnevie commended Negrense
products, saying the
“Negros Showroom houses
beautiful handicrafts that need to
be in local and international fairs,
conventions, and conferences.”
Products made by Negrenses
are really highly-recommended,
she added.
“Negros Showroom is a highly-recommended
store for everyone
when it comes to souvenirs,
giveaways, gifts, decors, housewares,
furniture, furnishing,
foods, and natural and organic
products,” Nobleza said.

COLORS explode on the first night of Sadya ang MassKara with Mayor Bing: The 1st Mayor Evelio Leonardia Invitational
Fireworks Competition at the Bacolod Government Center grounds, Oct. 19, 2016, featuring Monarch Firecrackers from
Hinigaran, and E & B Fireworks from Bulacan. (PIO)
Happy
from: