Negros Island - Compiled Threads [Archive]

kiretoce

May 10th, 2005, 05:09 AM

Terra cotta town rises in Dumaguete
By Dessa Quesada Inquirer News Service

CONSIDER the earthly terra cotta. It's one of the most time- and labor-intensive mediums for an artist. Its outcome is virtually unpredictable, and cracks almost inevitable. It has been brushed off, literally and figuratively, simply as dirt, or even more to the point, "putik lang yan!" (that's just mud). The medium in focus is the humble clay, commonly associated with flower pots and huge water jars, and certainly one that engenders a roster of challenges to those it beckons.

The challenge of terra cotta has led to a recent convergence of artists in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, dipping their creative hands into shaping mud, and transforming the enchanting Mariyah Gallery into a virtual fort of mammoth and medium-size sculptural works, to be exhibited in time for the opening of the First Dumaguete Open Biennial Terra Cotta Arts on May 14.

Heralded as the first of its kind in the country, perhaps even the world, the forthcoming Terra Cotta Arts Festival will be a major event drawing participants from various parts of the Philippines.

The festival has become a much-anticipated addition to the mosaic of cultural initiatives gestated, born and nurtured in the city of Dumaguete, and the buzz has reverberated from north to south.

Festival director and multimedia artist Danni Sollesta, who in the last year spearheaded with widely acclaimed Kitty Taniguchi, Dula sa Lapuk (Playing with Mud) terra cotta workshops in Dumaguete and San Carlos cities, says things just fell into place for the unfolding of this festival.

But the project also emerged due to a collective yearning of potters, artists, and others like myself who occasionally cross artistic disciplines, to address the disintegration of what was once a thriving and vibrant community of backyard potters in Dumaguete.

Claytown

Through the years, an area of the city known as Claytown, now Daro, had the unique distinction of being the source of an assortment of clay items for both kitchen and garden use.

Today, the area is swiftly being displaced by residential and commercial buildings, and the community of potters, lacking in incentive and support, are sadly stuck in antiquated and lackluster molds of design, leading toward a degenerating local industry.

The First Dumaguete Open Biennial Terra Cotta Art Festival envisions an event that will contribute to a renewed appreciation of terra cotta through the uplifting of awareness among people in the local community about the potential and rich value of terra cotta, an indigenous resource found in abundance in various parts of the Negros island.

The festival seeks to push the boundaries of work with terra cotta beyond the limits of traditional interpretations of craft and art by creating an evocative venue for experimentation with ideas, materials and processes, consequently infusing new creative energy into the local terra cotta industry.

Danni and Kitty, the tireless sibling-team and core movers of the festival, explained: "We want to ingrain the need to work with aesthetic beauty as one of the goals in the craft. We need to shake off the notion that terra cotta cannot be developed for high art."

Danni's "Apples and Women" (part of a series called "Untitled Mythology"), and Kitty's "Chakra" and "Flight of the Wingless Crow," which includes a towering 9-ft tall crow's head, are some of the works foregrounding the exhibit.

Several other artists are drawn to the festival, adopting terra cotta as medium for their creative renderings.

Tagbilaran-based artist Nelia Lungay, whose knowledge about terra cotta came during her stint at the Design Center of the Philippines, explains that the attraction to terra cotta for her hinges on the repetitiveness of the process, especially the kneading.

"It is soothing, quieting, introspective, a good time to think about thoughts you normally don't think about," Lungay said. "It also has an intimate feel, sinking your hands into the earth, it's so primal. The process involves all the elements-earth, water, wind and fire-making it so close to nature."

Inspired by women's experiences, Lungay's works include "In the Beginning Was the Void," sculptures of several half-bodied women with open torsos, the artist's tribute to women, especially mothers who are often taken for granted. "The Nurturer" is another beautiful piece depicting the goddess Mebuyan.

Industrial strength

Touted by Manila curator Bobi Valenzuela as "one of the brightest discoveries of the Visayan art scene," Mark Valenzuela, once an engineering major at the Silliman University, wrote a thesis on the industrial strength of terra cotta years ago.

"The medium is interesting because it is a long process. Unlike the flat surface of painting, three-dimensional figures have a special appeal," Valenzuela said. "It is very exciting because you cannot predict the outcome, you might think it is done after making the figures, but it will still be transformed after the firing. The accidental elements become an integral part of the artwork."

His work is titled "War Games"-musings on the soldiers' life, especially non-commissioned officers whom he says are unable to use their own reason, acting out like mere puppets.

Mark hopes the festival will also give local artists a rare chance to be recognized outside Dumaguete.

Though much of the creative energy resonates at the Mariyah Gallery, the whole city is conspiring to make the Terra Cotta Arts Festival a success. The project earned the nod and sponsorship from the City Government of Dumaguete, with backing from Mayor Agustin Perdices and the chair of the City Tourism Council, Glynda Descuatan, who agreed to serve as the executive director and chair of the festival.

Silliman University will provide the venue for the competition and exhibition, as well as board and lodging for some of the contestants.

Foundation University will offer fully equipped space for the lectures as well as accommodations for participants.

Support from the Provincial Cultural Committee of Negros Oriental allows for artists to fly in, including National Artist Napoleon Abueva, who heads the team of jurors for the May 13 competition and will grace the grand opening on May 14 as speaker.

The Cultural Heritage Foundation of the Philippines has included the festival in its calendar of arts festivals in the country, while the city's illustrious Spanish Heritage has organized an exhibition of traditional works of Daro potters.

Ultimately, this endeavor is about leaving a legacy in our culture. For who knows, like the most significant archeological 20th-century excavations in China that unearthed life-size terra cotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations, dating as early as 211 BC, these sculptures may very well outlive this generation to reveal, centuries later, the persistence of an aesthetic imperative that transformed terra cotta on the island of Negros Oriental.

chymera00

May 17th, 2005, 01:08 PM

This is the view from my lola's house in Bata, Bacolod City
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Mountain.jpg
hello there! I've just arrived from my Bacolod trip, although i didn't get to take pictures of the city I got some marvelous photos of Mambukal Mountain Resort ... It was a lovely place, we got to swim and trek and stuff ... FUN!

The scenery on the road to Mambukal
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Mountain2.jpg

The scenery on the road to Mambukal
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Fields.jpg

This is what will greet you the moment you step in the Mountain Resort
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Bats2.jpg

Bats are soo0o0o cool
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Bats.jpg

The lake where you can take a boat ride (in circles, haha)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Lake.jpg

Outside the resort are stretches of Flower Farms
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Garden.jpg

The Waterfalls
There are 7 falls located in Mambukal, we were lucky enough to visit all of them. It was very tiring but its very very worth it. After you visit the seventh falls you will reach the top of the mountain where you can see the Sugar Fields below and the adjacent mountain ranges it was an awesome sight. Too bad the battery went low when we got there I felt like killing myself!, jk ...

First Falls
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/FirstFalls.jpg

Second Falls
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/SecondFalls.jpg

Third Falls
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/ThirdFalls.jpg

Fifth Falls
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/FifthFalls.jpg

Near the Sixth falls
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/Childhood.jpg

Seventh Falls
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/chymera00/negrospics/SeventhFalls.jpg

enjoi :)

chymera00

May 17th, 2005, 01:27 PM

When the film gets developed I'll scan and post the picture of the Mountain Top view, my sister luckily took on a separate gorup

kiretoce

May 17th, 2005, 06:41 PM

:applause: Awesome photos! I especially like the stunning sunset shot! :okay: BTW, how far is Mambukal from Bacolod City? :)

chymera00

May 18th, 2005, 04:35 AM

Its about 45min-1hour ride. We rented Mambukal's bus since there was 30+ of us, it was very convenient ...

Edmundtanso

May 18th, 2005, 09:27 PM

thanks for the pictures keil

bacolod and negros looks very nice

mhe-ann

May 19th, 2005, 02:42 AM

beautiful!!! and the falls are breathtaking. would love to visit the place someday. :)

Virtute

May 19th, 2005, 08:06 AM

Awesome pics guys! Here's my contribution, taken 2yrs ago of Mambukal.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal1.jpg
One of the waterfalls of Mambukal.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal6.jpg
Cute little snake. We waited until it moved out of the way.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal2.jpg
Picture taken during a trip up to the 7 Waterfalls.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal3.jpg
Mambukal's Entrance.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal4.jpg
Taken on the walk-bridge next to swimming pools.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal5.jpg
One of Mambukal's swimming pools.

Virtute

May 19th, 2005, 08:08 AM

More pics of Bacolod/Negros:

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/gaston1.jpg
Called the Gaston Farm (ancestral) House in Silay, Negros.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/gaston2.jpg
Called the Gaston Farm (ancestral) House in Silay, Negros.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/hacenderos.jpg
Spanish roots of Bacolod/Silay, mostly of Spanish descent were the hacenderos who founded the area.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/negros_hacienda.jpg
On of my relative's haciendas.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/san_sebastian1.jpg
San Sebastian Church in Bacolod.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/san_sebastian2.jpg
San Sebastian Church in Bacolod.

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/san_sebastian3.jpg
San Sebastian Church in Bacolod.

chymera00

May 19th, 2005, 09:42 AM

Thanks for sharing ... cool you got to encounter snakes, the nearest I was at forest wildlife is a bunch of bats ^_^

http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mambokal4.jpg

The Orange thingies on the rocks are sulfur deposits. Most of the time when you are in the resort you can smell the Rotten Egg odor. It is especially strong when near the Sulfur Bath ...

Also when in Mambukal, I suggest swimming in the stream (very exiting) ...

kiretoce

May 19th, 2005, 06:52 PM

Mambukal looks like a great place to escape and relax from daily grind of city life! Aside from the swimming pools and the hiking trails, what other activities can you do there? :)

sugarboy

May 20th, 2005, 12:07 PM

One can bathe in the falls :)

chymera00

May 20th, 2005, 02:07 PM

You can do boating FOR MILES .... (In circles ;p )

KulasKusgan

May 20th, 2005, 02:41 PM

is that snake poisonous?

wow silay! home to some heritage houses.

how far mambukal from kanlaon?

wecky

May 20th, 2005, 10:52 PM

great pictures ... Mambukal resort is really nice ... I heard it from my uncle and his family living in Negros ... it's just sad that when I went there for a visit, we weren't able to drop by in Mambukal .. hopefully someday.

I like the San Sebastian Church as well in Bacolod City. We attended the mass there once during our family visit.

Cheers!

sugarboy

May 21st, 2005, 12:37 AM

is that snake poisonous?

wow silay! home to some heritage houses.

how far mambukal from kanlaon?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

As posted in the Silay Ancestral Houses thread...

Much has been said and written about the ancestral homes in Silay. What most don't know is that there are more interesting houses in Bacolod. Unlike most Silay houses which were built at the turn of the century, these large houses I'm talking about situated in Bacolod were built during the 1930s and thus have an Art Deco twist to a predominantly Spanish exterior. Will post a photo soon.

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 05:53 AM

Okay guys, this is going to take a while. Spent the last week touring Bacolod, Dumaguete, and Siquijor. Took a ton of pics and here they are.

La Salle Bacolod Museum. I didn't study at La Salle but we had to visit their museum because the family we were staying with had just donated some stuff. It's almost all donations, composed mostly of religious items and memorabilia. They have colegialas as guides.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pda8d1b9243ea973c1efd32acb1583066/f4106764.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pcbd5030903eeb577c6ad8c4eab02d3cb/f4106760.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pb088f16596d2112562e8e1fe73ea461d/f4106759.jpg

La Salle Bacolod Theater

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pd9aa6dc38522a981fb49e498ede3c600/f4105aee.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p9a67540997ec1176744a586ede65aecd/f4105af3.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pc040d1bb1c7f3bed74ef1be5bec25acc/f4105afb.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 06:11 AM

The Negros Museum

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p8a4497a09227e7553ecc1e25993afa50/f4105af9.jpg

You're not supposed to be allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but I snuck a few anyway. This is supposed to be a recreation of the Luzurriaga house. The Luzurriagas are my cousins so I figured I had a right to take this pic! :)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p99d28157c4e8de45ec9953d309045d5c/f4105af5.jpg

Robinsons Place Bacolod. There was a sale on so the place was packed.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p674870759ded472cd26208da86774fef/f4104e60.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p4041efa868c016a1e5f966f668e39ed1/f4104e5f.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pc049673ba6353786101ee15986ebedb9/f4104e5a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p244b68c8f58bb929d5bb334994a220b4/f4104e57.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 06:27 AM

On the road to Silay we stopped by at this place for a while, owned by the family we were staying with. This is probably the largest fighting cock farm in the country. There were literally fighting cocks as far as the eye could see.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pd6e90aacb25858ba802674483fc32dba/f4104e5c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pb057d1fa01e6dc375d4e298161b04b5c/f4048244.jpg

The Balay Negrense at night.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pf184182afbe777889b72292b0727ecbe/f4104806.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p155513205a72376b17572891b3031102/f41047ff.jpg

Silay streets and houses, it was very dark so I had to really push the camera settings. We were in a hurry too!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pfce9d19d86f48ea662bc7be16c8f88e8/f4104801.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p9ab5d774081c75ebd3e7e8971c84f768/f41047fd.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p197adc23c7794241463300dc7d1d4117/f41047fa.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pf3a2fac076775eb80be4e1a1e3bc7f8b/f4104343.jpg

The house where Peque Gallaga's Oro, Plata, Mata was filmed

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pc2750c73986f73d2a98cc7a9cb1473a9/f4104346.jpg

Silay church

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pf6c26414cdbbb39829577a17195ba9c8/f4104339.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 06:50 AM

Bacolod City Hall at night

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p10330a2fc941340200fdb195a70e88e8/f410433c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p58e65d6a11013863df6923c026c606ee/f4102827.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p29d2732e3f743ebe2f72618aac8873a9/f4048246.jpg

The Sorrento, Bacolod's newest hangout complex

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pc0c0476a8e213ffbd4afea2f8783bddb/f4102828.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 07:04 AM

On the road from Bacolod to Dumaguete. We took the shortest route that passes through Kabankalan and Mabinay. It took us only 3 and a half hours because our driver really floored the accelerator! Normally it takes from 4 to 4.5 hours.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p86c5feba5e40a74557b2a098ff0b788a/f4102832.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p51e05a146400516a943d73bee3057d3e/f410282b.jpg

Rizal Boulevard, Dumaguete

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p0a526bc0ca9c869db457b22100202ca6/f410282f.jpg

Dumaguete Airport, its runway and parking lot are lined by acacia trees.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pbb6ba546af10913bfb9247d7613117c0/f40a48d0.jpg

ryanr

May 23rd, 2005, 07:31 AM

Great collection of photos, Jude:) I like how your night shots are red. Also, the city appears to be quite clean.

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 07:37 AM

Dumaguete church and belltower

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p5652a8cdee02bc614d0a69b1a7717a85/f40a48d4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p83eb81da566dde77089a36595bb2f746/f40a48d7.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p345f7f447152d2566d0471a0666d83a2/f40a48d9.jpg

Dumaguete Plaza

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p1d9cd39eda2a39d884f0f863efd6bd50/f40a48d2.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p3c0e5045e21d281801c3bd9af2176a26/f40a30c9.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 10:17 AM

Monument to the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres along Rizal Boulevard

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pac7bfb368ea6012a4efef7811a502315/f40a30d6.jpg

La Residencia hotel, Don Atilano restaurant, and The Spanish Heritage Center

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p70396d842915a535f41a1da701180630/f40a30d2.jpg

The Mariyah Gallery, we checked out their ongoing terracotta exhibit.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p0d55e5fb716b6da0afe0aff1e0571ed9/f409bebb.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p7ab743bae4092fc054d8344f8b064837/f409bed1.jpg

The actual kiln used to bake the terracotta pieces (this is at a different neighorhood from the gallery, near the zoo)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pa2b2c6f19e1b3f40cdb5bb2269ff76e9/f409bebe.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 10:42 AM

The Dumaguete Zoo, cameras disturb the animals so I only took pics of the trees.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p16a51ae7247815a0f3fb96783715fb4f/f409bec9.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p77c66478a3459af0e05e96feca1381db/f4080ac8.jpg

The relief map of Negros Oriental being explained to us by our friend and guide to Dumaguete. He's a US peace corps volunteer who's been assigned to the area for the past 3 years so his Visayan is much better than mine (I know Ilonggo but not Cebuano), accent and all. It's so surreal having a white guy translating for you when speaking to other Filipinos! He also did the same translating duty for us in Cebu last March.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p6a3ebabfc3b84b940e6d188fdc4cd31f/f409bec4.jpg

The beach house where we spent our first night in Dumaguete

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p8083077c652b35a9430d89846f95e79a/f40a30cc.jpg

The Honeycomb Inn, where we stayed the succeeding nights. It's a really great place, very quaint and cozy. It's right along Rizal Boulevard and right next beside the infamous Why Not? Bar.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pbc255e319fd9a56781fb67a3b87c40ea/f40a30cf.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 11:31 AM

Silliman University

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p5b4896f24c5c68577f7a0f32dc8c5eb3/f4080ad1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p1405f4de69598f0debcca2700e5cfb80/f4080ac9.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p517b955778fd8d55b2b871257429b891/f4080ace.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pe9b6c650fe2ade576d15355310d5477f/f4080acb.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pb60652ef7f6f782091e3725dee3ba7ca/f403ca2c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pb0c94cff9a7449a8de2f71429bb5cb73/f403ca2e.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pe8e2804135e2f0644b13e05f59c2d7db/f403ca30.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 04:30 PM

A cluster of art deco buildings in downtown Dumaguete

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p4914696d387e165c91f674b0fa0940f2/f40319d4.jpg

Rizal Boulevard at night

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pb4fa6d46c415ee8fb50c164ee3911ee0/f403ca2d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p049391580adc723c50958480eddbebf5/f40319dd.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p09a55534c8abbbb334e477fd08a7ed88/f403ca32.jpg

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 04:59 PM

The ferry to Siquijor. We took the Delta Jet fast ferry. It was a very comfortable ride, nice seats, strong airconditioning, very smooth, even more comfortable than taking a bus! I fell asleep on the ferry both to and from Siquijor, and I rarely fall asleep while travelling.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p39c03787f0dd4fbd0cedced6669c85d5/f40319da.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p9ad25914f403002372cc57e00c2a52a4/f40319d8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p67db999ef50627776c7bd63913b73985/f403b59f.jpg

The port of Siquijor, Siquijor

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p56a776c778b97b60cdf04867bbf12772/f403b5a1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pf86b9ada43fd45b3ecf2930e1b253fa3/f402ff20.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p0ca5522196aeb511ed8943a778b548e7/f4030b1d.jpg

KulasKusgan

May 23rd, 2005, 05:19 PM

wow! those are beautiful pics jude. thank you. parang nakarating na rin ako sa negros.

JudeD

May 23rd, 2005, 06:02 PM

Motoring around Siquijor

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pb1213f8cf3c44589a1bc81c06abc31ca/f40319d7.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pcb0d2d235aa7f7693a7dde7b613fa16b/f4030b2a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pbf49317c3bcda2f4ea33fe0b71d8b046/f4030b23.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pc573e5b528068d5f9ddeb44ee1fcec88/f402e983.jpg

The Beaches!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p24f71cb830d7e92144935ee2859c4c9a/f4030b24.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p5b5b441fa50cc17103fe8c5a70218678/f4030b20.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p483981ceb5448ca7c46b48b453e7fae5/f402e980.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p31e6b34000b2fc74cf5d9bc927ca082d/f402d51f.jpg

chymera00

May 23rd, 2005, 06:05 PM

The relief map of Negros Oriental being explained to us by our friend and guide to Dumaguete. He's a US peace corps volunteer who's been assigned to the area for the past 3 years so his Visayan is much better than mine (I know Ilonggo but not Cebuano), accent and all. It's so surreal having a white guy translating for you when speaking to other Filipinos! He also did the same translating duty for us in Cebu last March.

:bash:

chymera00

May 23rd, 2005, 06:54 PM

Negros Occidental has sugar and more to offer?

Negros Occidental, the biggest in land area of the six (6) provinces of Western Visayas, is dubbed as the "sugarlandia" not only of Region 6 but the Philippines. It has a stretch of 7,926.1 sq km or 792,607 ha (DENR, 2002) with a total population of 2,565,723 (NSO, 2000). Of the total 531,016.99 ha of agricultural land, 36.3 percent was planted to sugar cane in 2002. Negros Occidental is also the province with the most count of cities numbering 13 among the 79 provinces in the country.

From 1950's up to the 80's, the socio-economic life of Negros Occidental depended heavily on the sugar industry. In mid-80's, however, the economy was disrupted brought about by the drop of the price of sugar in the world market. Sugar planters were forced to lay-off workers, which caused unrest among the displaced workers. Learning from the lessons of monocropping, the Negrenses diversified to small and medium industries.

The onset of the millennium signaled the economic recovery of Negros Occidental. In the mid-90's, price of sugar in the world market started to improve, which prompted sugar planter to revive their cane fields. This improvement in sugar prices continuously showed an upward trend until year 2000.

In a three-year period (2000-2003), Philippine sugar production increased by 13.9 percent from 1,898,500 MT in 2002 to 2,161,525 MT in 2003. The biggest share of 47.0 percent was produced in Negros Occidental alone and the remaining aggregate of 53.0 percent was produced in Eastern Vises, Mindanao and Luzon areas.

In 2003, the Philippines stock of refined sugar was 2,996,704 bags (50 kgs/bag). The bulk share of 45.8 percent was from the refineries of Negros Occidental; 25.0 percent was from refineries of Mindanao; 22.6 percent from the refineries of Luzon; and 6.7 percent from the refineries Eastern Visayas. Total sugar exports in 2003 reached in 137,353 M T.

Aside from sugar, Negros Occidental has more to offer to every stranger in the province. Part of the diversification in the 90's was the development of tourist destinations and historical attractions. In the region, Negros Occidental comes next to Aklan as to tourist arrivals and receipts. In 2003, an impressive growth of Php3.2 B was realized from the level of Php2.5 B in 2002 to PhP3.2B in 2003. This growth can partly be attributed to the transfer of the management of Mambukal Resort to the Provincial Government.

Tourist Receipts by Province: 2002 & 2003

Province

Tourist Receipts

Growth Rates

2002

2003

Aklan

5,814,522,351.80

6,602,637,093.80

13.6

Antique

131,717,081.00

247,183,196.40

87.7

Capiz

484,641,574.20

488,777,839.20

0.9

Guimaras

2,011,695,462.00

2,148,651,792.0

6.8

Iloilo

3,819,702,852.00

3,946,732,146.00

3.3

Negros Occidental

2,529,574,223.40

3,195,016,536.60

26.3

Western Visayas

14,791,853,544.40

16,628,998,604.00

12.4

Source: Department of Tourism

Text Box: Source: Sugar Regulatory Administration
Stock of Refined Sugar by Location of Refinery
(in 50 kg-bag), Crop Year 2002-2003

Other tourist attractions in Negros Occidental vary from historical, religious and natural points of interest. There are 18 resorts including Mambukal mountain resort with seven falls and sulfuric hot spring; 34 historical & cultural attractions to include ancestral houses and century old churches; 22 natural attractions like caves, hot springs, falls, islets & the famous Mt. Kanlaon volcano, the home of variety of plant species like orchids and ferns; and 24 major festivals: Masskara in Bacolod City every October; Pasalamat in La Carlota City every 1st Sunday of May; Kali-Kalihan in Don Salvador Benedicto every February; Pinta Flores in San Carlos City every November; Ati-Atihan in Cadiz City every January; Sinulog in Ilog and Kabankalan every January; Sinigayan in Sagay City every 3rd week of March, Babaylan Festival in Bago City every February 19, and many others.

Negros Occidental is also famous for its rich varied cuisine: the inasal nga manok or barbequed marinated chicken and the irresistible piaya. Seafoods like crabs and talaba are also abundant.

wecky

May 23rd, 2005, 10:25 PM

Thanks for this info, Chymera ... Aklan is faring very well in terms of tourism .. doubling that of Iloilo City and the province ... Boracay have it all .. Congrats to them! really proud of Aklan.

In terms of Tourism earning in Western Visayas,

Aklan - top/first

Iloilo - second

Negros Occidental - third

on the 4th spot is Guimaras Island .. income is very near to that of Negros Occidental

then ..

Capiz - 5th

and 6th is Antique

With this data, I hope Antique will soon catch up with other West Visayans provinces ... I think Antique needs more promotion, etc.

Anyways, thanks again for all who post about Bacolod and the rest of Negros .. congrats Bacolod! May Bacolod and Iloilo continue to compliment each other for a stronger region 6.

sugarboy

May 24th, 2005, 12:42 AM

Thanks for posting all the photos of the nice places in Bacolod and Negros.

What one should remember though when being in Bacolod is that the sights to see are secondary to the people you meet. Bacolenos have a distinct subculture of their own. Often misunderstood as bordering on the snobbish, the Bacolod people simply have an unparalleled zest for life (which most likely would have been handed down from their Spanish ancestors in the form of what I've coined to be a "subconscious 24/7 fiesta mentality").

If a picture can speak a thousand words, let this photo depict the carefree lifestyle of the Bacolenos.

Haaaaay la vida!

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p952c87368e3b2c0a6c6559c4dc022665/f401a2b0.jpg

sugarboy

May 24th, 2005, 12:49 AM

No one can ever come close to fully understanding the Bacoleno psyche. I can't even understand it myself...despite being one. I can only provde SSC forum members with snippets on how one can approximate a total comprehension of the manner in which Bacolenos live.

Take it from this introduction to a forum known as La Salle Avenue Online. It's a forum dedicated to scions of the sugar barons who studied in Bacolod's best schools from the years 1965 to 1989.

----------------------------------------------------
Do you recall the time when...

Bacolod was so small that we practically knew everyone in town? That time when sugar was booming and Negrenses were "roaring"?

Mga "mayayabang" ang mga taga-Negros, hambal sang mga Tagalog as evidenced by our infamous "fly-to-Manila-party-all-night-return-to Bacolod-the next-day" capers. If you think that was enough cause to create a riot, just imagine what sort of a ruckus it was when one Bacoleno took a plane trip home to Bacolod bringing along his new Harley-Davidson motorcycle as checked-in baggage. Rather than ship the bike via Negros Navigation, our friend bought up all the equivalent plane seats which would allow him to check in the Harley as an overnight bag.

The sport of that day if you can still recall was pelota. Did you know that there were more private pelota courts in Negros than all the private and public pelota courts in Metro Manila combined?

You're beginning to get the picture aren't you? In the heydays of sugar, just a little bit before the not a very nice person/traitor/crony Ambassador sold us out to the Ilocano dictator, a Piper Cub was only P120,000 and d**n there were a whole lot of Piper Cubs sitting at the Bacolod Aero Club with their owners constantly revelling over Fundador.

And nary was there a vessel of Negros Navigation which sailed from the port of Manila without a gleaming, brand new Mercedes-Benz on its deck raring to hit Bacolod's streets.

If you recall this time...

it was a time when "idyllic" was not enough of an adjective to describe the way we lived in Bacolod.

We were still kids then. In La Salle, in St. Scho. Yet, no matter where we were schooled, every single one of us were bound together by that unfathomable zest for life that makes us the people we are...Bacoleños! Real Bacoleños at that.

THIS IS WHAT THE LA SALLE AVENUE ONLINE IS ALL ABOUT!

If you can picture that time in your mind, you will come to the realization that though you may have left Bacolod a long, long time ago, BACOLOD HAS NEVER REALLY LEFT YOUR HEART. And today through the aid of modern technology and digital media, we bring you back to where your heart is...BACOLOD. And more than just Bacolod, we take you back to the place of fond memories...LA SALLE AVENUE as we knew it then!

You are here...LA SALLE AVENUE ONLINE

WELCOME HOME!

( click: http://www.lasalleavenue.allhere.com ) :)

sugarboy

May 24th, 2005, 12:56 AM

What parents do on a summer day with the kids...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p9de41eddacd33bd700779f894b3d9ddf/f4018987.jpg

Parents on the left under the trees....kids on the green.

sugarboy

May 24th, 2005, 01:08 AM

Starting early...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pacb83e8621c0952e6fc6eb77197c75f0/f401832f.jpg

a little boy from Bacolod.

sugarboy

May 24th, 2005, 01:13 AM

Bedtime Story...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pec70de8865e152a8c9680281a822ed79/f4017d9f.jpg

Bacolod Mom with Daughter...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pdd62359681bbef01cbba939526cb055c/f4017da5.jpg

Bacolod Mom with Teenager Daughter...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/p4c37b3712c1260c9301a60225af6ed74/f4017da9.jpg

sugarboy

May 24th, 2005, 01:15 AM

More to come... (in next edition, "the Other Side of Negros")

chymera00

May 24th, 2005, 04:59 AM

JudeD

May 24th, 2005, 04:28 PM

rustyboi

May 24th, 2005, 06:05 PM

sandrin

May 24th, 2005, 06:51 PM

rustyboi

May 24th, 2005, 07:30 PM

Anyway, some actual quotes from some Bacolod ladies during our trip:

"You're going to Dumaguete!? Eeeww!"

(They really think of the people on the Oriental side as really kuripot, dry, and no fun, but then that's the stereotypical Ilonggo attitude to Cebuanos as well.)

hmmm... this is interesting. though i'm really wonderin' why those Bacolod ladies react that way on Dumaguete. in my opinion, as someone who's not from any of those cities, i don't really see much difference and in a way find their reaction inappropriate hehe. :) btw, whats with the stereotypical Ilonggo attitude to Cebuanos? im not aware of such.. :)

i have an ilonggo classmate and a friend from bacolod and dumaguete pero wala lang, just like any other filipinos. :D

This thread is funny. Ilonggos are known to be galante that's why naghirap sila. Unlike the Cebuanos daw na kuripot kaya yumaman, hehehe. I heard the Boholanos are more kuripot than Cebuanos, it makes sense kasi mas mahirap ang Boholanos.

by the way, do ilonggos understand cebuano language? hehehe... oops im confused, if cebuanos yumaman because they are kuripot, boholanos should be richer because they are more kuripot dba? hehehe

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/SSC/cebu-sample02.jpg

sandrin

May 24th, 2005, 08:29 PM

siguro kasi mas may business sense ang mga cebuanos sa boholanos..hehehe

sugarboy

May 25th, 2005, 12:16 AM

As an Ilonggo from Iloilo, this is what I think of the whole Bacolod pride issue.

:baaa:

just kidding!

:jk:

Anyway, some actual quotes from some Bacolod ladies during our trip:

"You're going to Dumaguete!? Eeeww!"

(They really think of the people on the Oriental side as really kuripot, dry, and no fun, but then that's the stereotypical Ilonggo attitue to Cebuanos as well.)

Answering the question as to why SM hasn't put up a branch in Bacolod yet:

"SM is for the middle class."

I'm from Bacolod but I disdain that kind of attitude towards Dumaguete. JudeD, I would assume that these Bacolod girls are not over 24 yrs old right? The older Bacolenas generally have a different point of view on Dumaguete. Dumaguete and her nearby sister city Bais are actually home to old families of Spanish/Basque descent. In fact, if you go to the hip bars in Madrid, you'd be amused to hear some people speaking a funny language other than Spanish. Turns out that they're speaking Bisaya/Cebuano and are actually from Dumaguete or Bais.

The older Bacolenas or Bacolenos love Dumaguete as a perfect summer or weekend getaway.

I lament the fact that the old Bacolena warmth and gentleness is easily being eroded and that an unreasonable amount of pride is taking place.

sugarboy

May 25th, 2005, 12:25 AM

This thread is funny. I often hear these jokes - Ilonggos are known to be galante that's why naghirap sila. Unlike the Cebuanos daw na kuripot kaya yumaman, hehehe. I heard the Boholanos are more kuripot than Cebuanos, it makes sense kasi mas mahirap ang Boholanos.
Though nobody can beat the stinginess of Panggasinenses and Ilocanos.
And the reason why Suquijor's natural lush environment is preserved; because of the witches there, nnnngggiiii....

Sands, I think you should quantify which Ilonggo you are referring to. There's the Ilonggo from Iloilo who's known to be frugal, and there's the Ilonggo from Bacolod who's generally waldas and decadent.

Allow me to put things in simple terms regarding the economic/spending patterns of the people mentioned:

The people from Iloilo spend yesterday's money today.
The people from Cebu spend today's money today.
The people from Bacolod spend tomorrow's money today.

We could actually have one whole thread on why/or how the Bacolenos spend tomorrow's money today.

Fortunately, I'm a Bacoleno with the habits of a person from Iloilo. :)

sugarboy

May 25th, 2005, 12:34 AM

rustyboi

May 25th, 2005, 12:47 AM

I'm from Bacolod but I disdain that kind of attitude towards Dumaguete. JudeD, I would assume that these Bacolod girls are not over 24 yrs old right? The older Bacolenas generally have a different point of view on Dumaguete. Dumaguete and her nearby sister city Bais are actually home to old families of Spanish/Basque descent. In fact, if you go to the hip bars in Madrid, you'd be amused to hear some people speaking a funny language other than Spanish. Turns out that they're speaking Bisaya/Cebuano and are actually from Dumaguete or Bais.

The older Bacolenas or Bacolenos love Dumaguete as a perfect summer or weekend getaway.

I lament the fact that the old Bacolena warmth and gentleness is easily being eroded and that an unreasonable amount of pride is taking place.

this is so unfortunate. ive also read somewhere regarding bacolod vs iloilo vs cebu vs davao? which is the queen city, the richer city this and that... each city or province has its own unique identity and our country has so much to offer. We went to Dgte few years ago by the way and i love the place, peaceful and romantic. dolphin watching was an amazing experience, somewhere in Bais i think... it was a long time ago and was still a kiddo, not even sure if it was in Bais! hahaha.. apo island's great too. i hope someone could post photos of that beautiful place. :)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/SSC/cebu-sample02.jpg

sugarboy

May 25th, 2005, 01:42 AM

JudeD

May 25th, 2005, 06:17 AM

sugarboy

May 25th, 2005, 08:56 AM

No, those weren't girls who made those comments, but ladies, 45 years old at least. And they're from some of the more prominent Bacolod families, with houses in Silay and all that, and enough money to not know what to do with. Though I'm not naming names. :) Anyway, those comments were said half-jokingly, just between Ilonggos. ;)

The most admirable attitude I picked up from these ladies though is the pride in their province. They've been and lived all over the world. They can go on vacations anywhere whenever they want, but they still believe that Bacolod is the best place in the world to call home.

Also, the idea of Ilonggos from Iloilo being frugal is new to me! We pride ourselves on living well and saving badly. :)

Ilonggos from Iloilo saving badly? you must be joking! There seems to be an abundance of banks at every corner in order to accomodate the depositors from Iloilo.

If banks in Iloilo exist to take up deposits from depositors, banks in Negros on the other hand exist to lend money.

Re: the ladies who gave those comments, if they said that half jokingly, then I can tolerate that, Ilonggos always love a good laugh :)

I agree that Bacolod is the best place in the world to call home. But living there 365 days in a year gets to be a bore. As it is, I just believe it's great to have Ilonggo roots regardless whether one's from Iloilo or Negros. Tan-awa bala kay grabe maghinugpong di mga Ilonggo bisan sa forum.

KulasKusgan

May 25th, 2005, 02:42 PM

Bacolod and Dumaguete looks nice, clean and well organized. The latest survey says Bacolod is the most competitive mid-sized city in the country.
TOP 5 Mid-sized Cities:

1. Bacolod
2. San Fernando, Pampanga
3. Cagayan De Oro
4. Batangas
5. General Santos and Iloilo

source: Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2003

ive heard that bacolod is the cleanest city too among mid-size.

wow davao # 3 among big cities. davao is basically a cebuano city. thats why siguro the style of devt tulad din ng cebu.

im cebuano too & i often hear jokes among visayans like ilonggos daw ang kwarta ginapiko, ginapala. boholanos idja idja, aho aho... also "goodbye philippines, im going back to bohol"

bacolod oftentimes tagged as a city with gentle people and always smiling. ive never been there & i hope its true.

kiretoce

May 25th, 2005, 03:32 PM

Sands, I think you should quantify which Ilonggo you are referring to. There's the Ilonggo from Iloilo who's known to be frugal, and there's the Ilonggo from Bacolod who's generally waldas and decadent.

Allow me to put things in simple terms regarding the economic/spending patterns of the people mentioned:

The people from Iloilo spend yesterday's money today.
The people from Cebu spend today's money today.
The people from Bacolod spend tomorrow's money today.

We could actually have one whole thread on why/or how the Bacolenos spend tomorrow's money today.

Fortunately, I'm a Bacoleno with the habits of a person from Iloilo. :)

I found this amusing....I'm half Ilonggo and half Ilocano! So what does that make me? :lol: BTW @sugarboy, where in Bacolod do you come from? I have relatives in Taculing and Sum-ag (just outside the city limits). :colgate:

wecky

May 25th, 2005, 11:04 PM

Sands, I think you should quantify which Ilonggo you are referring to. There's the Ilonggo from Iloilo who's known to be frugal, and there's the Ilonggo from Bacolod who's generally waldas and decadent.

Allow me to put things in simple terms regarding the economic/spending patterns of the people mentioned:

The people from Iloilo spend yesterday's money today.
The people from Cebu spend today's money today.
The people from Bacolod spend tomorrow's money today.

We could actually have one whole thread on why/or how the Bacolenos spend tomorrow's money today.

Fortunately, I'm a Bacoleno with the habits of a person from Iloilo. :)

I guess you are right sugarboy about this matter. There will be few banks in Iloilo if there are no depositors in place. Iloilo, though a literally small city in terms of area (56 sq km) have banks in every corners of its streets, making it the "financial hub" (in terms of depository) of the Southern Philippines. Not all Ilonggos though are frugal in nature. Like Ilonggos of Bacolod, they are very extravagant in nature especially when holding parties, get-together, reunions, etc. It's a part of being an Ilonggo. It runs in the blood .. hehehe.

wecky

May 25th, 2005, 11:26 PM

hmmm... this is interesting. though i'm really wonderin' why those Bacolod ladies react that way on Dumaguete. in my opinion, as someone who's not from any of those cities, i don't really see much difference and in a way find their reaction inappropriate hehe. :) btw, whats with the stereotypical Ilonggo attitude to Cebuanos? im not aware of such.. :)

it's just a flair of an Ilonggo I guess .. it means no bad at all ... i heard so much about it. Rusty, i am not in the position to tell you how an Ilonggo will view a Cebuano as it would spark controversy here in the forum. Let us just say (and stick to it) that we are all Filipinos and our main concern is to help promote the entire Philippines.

i have an ilonggo classmate and a friend from bacolod and dumaguete pero wala lang, just like any other filipinos. :D

that's true ... they are all one and the same.

by the way, do ilonggos understand cebuano language? hehehe... oops im confused, if cebuanos yumaman because they are kuripot, boholanos should be richer because they are more kuripot dba? hehehe

Frankly speaking, I don't think Ilonggo will purely understand what a Cebuano is talking about. There are few terms we shared but very unlikely that we can communicate with each other using our own dialects. Probably at times, we can put two and two together using sign langauage of things we mean, etc but really, (as we tried it here with some of my Cebuano friends) it is very difficult indeed. Cebuano dialect is more like of Bisaya in Mindanao. But lately I have noticed this that Cebuano and Bisaya dialects are different as wel. Bisaya, spoken by people in most Mindanao areas especially in Davao and Cagayan de Oro used other terms as well to means something. Bisaya dialect if you will also notice is a mixture of Ilonggo and Cebuano in nature. Though Cebuanos are claiming that Bisaya is their own langauage, Cebu itself doesn't recognised so. If you have checked several infos, Cebu people are called Cebuano and Cebu dialect are known as Cebuano not Bisaya. Bisaya dialect is a dialect known by Mindanaonons.

wecky

May 25th, 2005, 11:45 PM

this is so unfortunate. ive also read somewhere regarding bacolod vs iloilo vs cebu vs davao? which is the queen city, the richer city this and that... each city or province has its own unique identity and our country has so much to offer. We went to Dgte few years ago by the way and i love the place, peaceful and romantic. dolphin watching was an amazing experience, somewhere in Bais i think... it was a long time ago and was still a kiddo, not even sure if it was in Bais! hahaha.. apo island's great too. i hope someone could post photos of that beautiful place. :)

what a palabra, indeed .. queen city of the south? richer city? ... it's just so funny, indeed ... things like this title or whatever ... both Iloilo and Cebu are claiming to be the Queen City of the South .. I know, Iloilo was a former Queen City and Cebu is the recent one. Iloilo once hold the title due to sugar boom in the past .. making it the gateway of Visayas and Mindanao in terms of sugar exportation around the globe. You can check almost all the history books about it (even wikipedia.com says so) then. In promotion abroad, Iloilo at times is still recognise as the Queen City however, we must be factual that it was 30 years ago, Cebu dethroned Iloilo as the Queen City around '80s.

With Bacolod City and Davao City vying for the title, I have no idea of it at all. Negros (inc Bacolod City) to me will always be the Sugar Capital of the Philippines. And Bacolod holds the title "City of Smiles" ... it's because of this that Masskara of Baocolod blooms.

Richer city? ... that I have no idea as well. Do you mean in terms of city income? resident's GDP? famous people living in the area? etc? ... very vague .. i don't think this will be of great concern.

Bickering around is one of our habits, isn't it? But you know what Rusty, this competition is okay as long as it is healthy. It will help each of this city to prove their worth in terms of development, income, infras, tourism, etc. Let's make and keep it that way.

wecky

May 25th, 2005, 11:48 PM

count bacolod out of the "which is the richer city" contest. people just live luxurious and decadent lifestyles but there is not enough finance to back that up. the people are cultured no doubt (at least the older ones) but at the end of the day, you can't eat culture.

i feel sorry for the younger bacolenos who have neither culture nor cash as displayed by the comment made by those girls to JudeD.

yeah right, sugarboy ... it is a matter of choice then .. if anybody lives a life in luxury .. it's their choice. Whether they have the "have" or not, then it's their problem to bear. JudeD's post is really typical. Very classic, indeed .. hehehe.

wecky

May 25th, 2005, 11:56 PM

ive heard that bacolod is the cleanest city too among mid-size.

wow davao # 3 among big cities. davao is basically a cebuano city. thats why siguro the style of devt tulad din ng cebu.

im cebuano too & i often hear jokes among visayans like ilonggos daw ang kwarta ginapiko, ginapala. boholanos idja idja, aho aho... also "goodbye philippines, im going back to bohol"

bacolod oftentimes tagged as a city with gentle people and always smiling. ive never been there & i hope its true.

I never know that Cebuanos are the one living in Davao City, literally speaking? My friend here from Davao City just simply cannot believe with what you have posted, sleepwalker. As far as we know, Davao City is a city of people living in Davao called Dabawenyos, and not Cebuano. It doesn't mean that when you are a Cebuano living in Davao, made Davao a city of Cebuanos already. Oh my, you'll ruin the identity your fellow Dabawenyos in this case.

wecky

May 26th, 2005, 12:14 AM

As mentioned in the other post, I agree that the reaction is inappropriate. Everyone has an intrinsic pride of their home town but to push it to an extent wherein one looks down on other localities is surely uncalled for.
:nono:

I agree with you, Sugarboy ... it shouldn't be the case.

KulasKusgan

May 26th, 2005, 12:30 AM

I never know that Cebuanos are the one living in Davao City, literally speaking? My friend here from Davao City just simply cannot believe with what you have posted, sleepwalker. As far as we know, Davao City is a city of people living in Davao called Dabawenyos, and not Cebuano. It doesn't mean that when you are a Cebuano living in Davao, made Davao a city of Cebuanos already. Oh my, you'll ruin the identity your fellow Dabawenyos in this case.

Yes, we are Dabawenyos. I meant dialect. Majority here speak Cebuano but with a twist of course. May halong Tagalog & other dialects even Ilonggo.

rustyboi

May 26th, 2005, 12:50 AM

what a palabra, indeed .. queen city of the south? richer city? ... it's just so funny, indeed ... things like this title or whatever ... both Iloilo and Cebu are claiming to be the Queen City of the South .. I know, Iloilo was a former Queen City and Cebu is the recent one. Iloilo once hold the title due to sugar boom in the past .. making it the gateway of Visayas and Mindanao in terms of sugar exportation around the globe. You can check almost all the history books about it (even wikipedia.com says so) then. In promotion abroad, Iloilo at times is still recognise as the Queen City however, we must be factual that it was 30 years ago, Cebu dethroned Iloilo as the Queen City around '80s.

Bickering around is one of our habits, isn't it? But you know what Rusty, this competition is okay as long as it is healthy. It will help each of this city to prove their worth in terms of development, income, infras, tourism, etc. Let's make and keep it that way.

nice! very well said wecky... though i dont really feel the competition among the cities, i like the idea of showcasing the beauty of our respective hometown. very informative and at the same time, keeping us posted with the lastest news and development! philippines is beautiful, so are we. hehe :D

I never know that Cebuanos are the one living in Davao City, literally speaking? My friend here from Davao City just simply cannot believe with what you have posted, sleepwalker. As far as we know, Davao City is a city of people living in Davao called Dabawenyos, and not Cebuano. It doesn't mean that when you are a Cebuano living in Davao, made Davao a city of Cebuanos already. Oh my, you'll ruin the identity your fellow Dabawenyos in this case.

i think he meant the Cebuano language. Cebuanos and Dabawenyos completely understand each other... Davao's rapid growth in connection with the Cebuano language? yeah, i think there's a connection hehehe. and about the Bisaya language, true! i used to think the Bisaya language is the Cebuano language. but Bisaya could be ilonggo, waray, cebuano, etc.. so at this point im kinda confused. hehehe

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/cebupics/SSC/cebuphils.jpg

KulasKusgan

May 26th, 2005, 09:45 PM

kasi here in davao when my ilonggo cousins from marbel (ancestors were from iloilo) visit, they would speak cebuano. mejo confused ako between cebuano & bisaya. yeah rusty's right. bisaya could be boholano, cebuano or ilonggo. dabawenyo (the dialect) were from kamayo or somewhere in davao oriental na lumad. but people in davao in general also called dabawenyo, no matter where they came from.

there are ilonggo speaking towns and cities rin in mindanao like marbel & neaby towns.

bacolod finds:
http://p.vtourist.com/738096-Travel_Picture-Bacolod_City.jpg

http://www.lakbay-pilipinas.coms.ph/images/bacolod_san_sebastian.jpg

http://i.xanga.com/Anjen/bacolodchicken.jpg

sugarboy

May 26th, 2005, 11:38 PM

I found this amusing....I'm half Ilonggo and half Ilocano! So what does that make me? :lol: BTW @sugarboy, where in Bacolod do you come from? I have relatives in Taculing and Sum-ag (just outside the city limits). :colgate:

@kiretoce, Taculing and Sum-ag are southern districts of Bacolod. I come from the north. As a single person, I used to live in Santa Clara and then when I got married I moved to Bata. Both places are in the north and are just three minutes away from Marapara (the golf course).

wecky

May 27th, 2005, 01:06 AM

nice! very well said wecky... though i dont really feel the competition among the cities, i like the idea of showcasing the beauty of our respective hometown. very informative and at the same time, keeping us posted with the lastest news and development! philippines is beautiful, so are we. hehe :D

i think he meant the Cebuano language. Cebuanos and Dabawenyos completely understand each other... Davao's rapid growth in connection with the Cebuano language? yeah, i think there's a connection hehehe. and about the Bisaya language, true! i used to think the Bisaya language is the Cebuano language. but Bisaya could be ilonggo, waray, cebuano, etc.. so at this point im kinda confused. hehehe

That's right, Rusty. It's a good idea to showcase whatever best we've got in our province. And I think each province had their own beauty and best to offer at least, even to those considered as poor provinces of the Philippines.

I think Cebuano and Bisaya are almost of the same caliber when it comes to dialect. Probably 80-90% of Bisayan language are of Cebuano in origin or nature. Yes, Cebuanos and Dabawenyos can communicate with each other well but I don't think that your claim of Davao's progress had a connection with that of a Cebu (my Dabawenyo friends here thinks even that there's nil to connect at all). Davao can definitely stand for themselves as it is the largest city in the world (?) in terms of area. Their progress is 100% work of people of Davao and their good Mayor (Duterte). Don't be confused with that.

Miguel

May 27th, 2005, 09:25 PM

kiretoce

May 27th, 2005, 11:33 PM

/\ Please do post more photos of Dumaguete and other Negros Oriental towns/places of interest. The eastern side of Negros island always takes a back burner position compared to its much heralded neighbor to the west. :colgate:

ramvingar

May 28th, 2005, 01:32 AM

One of the best vacations I've ever had was spent in Negros Occidental. That was way back in 1998 though. We went to this island called Danjugan (did I spell that, right?) and it was awesome. Lovely beaches! First time to stay in an airconditioned tent too! Had one of the best snorkeling and diving experiences ever! Also went kayaking. I was surprised to find a lot of foreigners on the island. I think there were about 30 to 40 people from England who were camped out in tents. We also went to the ancestral home of our host which was turned into a museum. Can't remember the exact family name but it sounded French like Garcon. Can someone help to refresh my memory? One funny thing though. Our van ran over this fighting cock and we had to pay the farmer P10000. Never thought poultry could be so expensive!

sugarboy

May 28th, 2005, 08:30 AM

Just got back to post again.

I've just noticed that there are lots of stereotyping here. I am from the eastern side of Negros which is Negros Oriental, i'm living in a town next to Dumaguete. I'm sure those comments by some women, as related by JudeD, were their own comments and don't reflect the whole attitude of all Bacolenos.

I have a close female friend from Bacolod and my impression about her is my impression of all people from Bacolod. Of course also, doesn't mean to be correct since different people have different attitudes.

@rusty18-regarding dolphin watching, yes it is in Bais. one can be in close contact with these mammals and the best part is that these dolphins were not in captivity but were left to live freely and are closely protected. there are also whales but seasonal. when the waters in japan were already cold, they will migrate to tanon strait near the waters of bais but unlike the dolphins where they could be viewed all year long. bais also is known for mestizos/mestizas whose lineage could be trace back to the original spanish settlers.

apo island is a world class diving destination but majority of the filipinos don't know about it though. i guess the local tourism dept will have to work hard in promoting it.

maybe i could share later about the place and post also some pictures. :wink2:

Don't worry Miguel, as mentioned by JudeD, the comments were said half jokingly by the ladies. In this respect, I believe that this shouldn't be taken seriously.

I'm from Bacolod but really love going out to Dumaguete and Bais to further slow down the pace. When I got married many years ago, my wife and I drove down to Dumaguete via Mabinay and left our car at Bethel Hotel. We then took a fastcraft to Dapitan and spent our honeymoon in Dakak. Talk about convenience!

Returning from Dakak, we picked up the car and drove up to Bais and stayed at the Bahia. From there we had the choice to go back to Bacolod via the same route (Mabinay) or take the scenic drive via San Carlos (Jules Ledesma's hometown).

For all the forum friends who plan a visit to Negros, this is really an itinerary I'd highly recommend :)

sugarboy

May 28th, 2005, 08:39 AM

Just got back to post again.

.... bais also is known for mestizos/mestizas whose lineage could be trace back to the original spanish settlers.

as posted earlier, you'd be amazed to hear people speaking bisaya in madrid's hip bars. turns out they're from bais!

I also had a personal encounter of this sort many years before when I went up to the town of Ronda in Andalusian Spain. I met a lady who was in her eighties who went back to Spain from the Philippines in order to retire; sure enough she was from bais!

sugarboy

May 28th, 2005, 08:49 AM

I really fancy the idea of owning a property with a view to the strait. Anywhere between Bais and Dumaguete would be wonderful :)

With Pamplona not too far away, boy, this is the stuff of which dreams are made of :)

Virtute

May 28th, 2005, 12:25 PM

as posted earlier, you'd be amazed to hear people speaking bisaya in madrid's hip bars. turns out they're from bais!

I also had a personal encounter of this sort many years before when I went up to the town of Ronda in Andalusian Spain. I met a lady who was in her eighties who went back to Spain from the Philippines in order to retire; sure enough she was from bais!

Maybe this woman was one of their ancestors, taken Bais - 1890, just the year my grandfather was born.
http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mestizafilipina_small.jpg

Jimbu

May 28th, 2005, 06:52 PM

[QUOTE=Wecky]

i think he meant the Cebuano language. Cebuanos and Dabawenyos completely understand each other... Davao's rapid growth in connection with the Cebuano language? yeah, i think there's a connection hehehe. and about the Bisaya language, true! i used to think the Bisaya language is the Cebuano language. but Bisaya could be ilonggo, waray, cebuano, etc.. so at this point im kinda confused. hehehe

Of course, there is a connection between Cebuanos who migrated to Davao The same with the Ilongos, Tagalogs ang the Ilocanos who speak their dialect when the came to Davao. We have relatives and kababayans there. It just happend that Cebuanos dominate the ethnic class. I don't know with Mayor Duterte, if he is related with the Dutertes' in Cebu. Check this figures:

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing
Table 5. Household Population by Ethnicity and Sex: Davao CIty, 2000

Ethnicity Both Sexes Male Female
Davao City 1,145,033 572,157 572,876
Cebuano 381,546 191,814 189,732
Bisaya/Binisaya 362,825 179,229 183,596
Davaweno 89,800 43,401 46,399
Boholano 75,721 38,821 36,900
Hiligaynon/Ilongo 42,431 20,910 21,521
Others 183,326 93,218 90,108
Other Foreign Ethnicity 4,185 2,329 1,856
Not Reported 5,199 2,435 2,764

Source: NSO, 2000 Census of Population and Housing

Jimbu

May 28th, 2005, 06:57 PM

http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2002/pr02123tx.html

sugarboy

May 29th, 2005, 12:45 AM

Maybe this woman was one of their ancestors, taken Bais - 1890, just the year my grandfather was born.
http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mestizafilipina_small.jpg

This woman in the photo could well be the mother of the lady I met in Ronda.

KulasKusgan

May 29th, 2005, 12:37 PM

I think Cebuano and Bisaya are almost of the same caliber when it comes to dialect. Probably 80-90% of Bisayan language are of Cebuano in origin or nature. Yes, Cebuanos and Dabawenyos can communicate with each other well but I don't think that your claim of Davao's progress had a connection with that of a Cebu (my Dabawenyo friends here thinks even that there's nil to connect at all). Davao can definitely stand for themselves as it is the largest city in the world (?) in terms of area. Their progress is 100% work of people of Davao and their good Mayor (Duterte). Don't be confused with that.

dont be confused with my statement. i dont mean to offend ilonggos or cebuanos or any people around here. the only connection there was the joke posted before. dont take it seriously. peace. :)

chymera00

May 29th, 2005, 12:40 PM

Well maybe the Cebuanos migrated to Davao because it was already a dynamically active city :)

Jimbu

June 1st, 2005, 04:58 PM

Well maybe the Cebuanos migrated to Davao because it was already a dynamically active city :)

Davao's progress, yes, credit it 100% to the people of Davao. The people of Cebu has nothing to do with it, but the Cebuanos who migrated to Davao, of course, the same with the Ilongos, Tagalogs, etc. have connection to it.

Duterte, Vicente. A lawyer and scion of the famous Durano clan of Cebu, he first gained prominence when he served as Davao governor from 1959 to 1965. Two of his sons, Rodrigo and Benjamin, followed his political career. Rodrigo would serve as Davao’s mayor (1988-1998) and congressman (1998-2001), and Benjamin, as councilor.

Duterte, Rodrigo y Roa. Born in Maasin, Southern Leyte, he is the son of Davao governor Vicente Duterte of Cebu for whom a street is named after, and Soledad Roa of Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte. After a short stint as assistant city fiscal, he was appointed vice mayor in 1986 in the Aquino government. In 1988, he tried his luck in the mayoralty and won. After three terms as city mayor, he was elected congressman of the city’s first district in 1998 under his own party.

Duterte, Soledad (nee Gonzales-Roa). Wife of the late Davao governor Vicente Duterte, she was born on November 14, 1916, in Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte to Eleno Roa and Fortunata Gonzales. A graduate of the Philippine Normal School in Manila in 1939, she was a Bureau of Public Schools teacher before marrying, but retired in 1952 as supervisor when her husband decided to join politics. A multi-awarded personality, she is known for her socio-civic involvement.

Duterte, Benjamin y Roa. Youngest son of Davao governor Vicente Duterte and brother of three-time Davao city mayor Rodrigo Duterte, he was elected city councilor of Davao in 1998.

wecky

June 1st, 2005, 08:50 PM

Maybe this woman was one of their ancestors, taken Bais - 1890, just the year my grandfather was born.
http://www.montinola.org/pics/skyscrapers/mestizafilipina_small.jpg

wow ... how old is this picture? over a century already?

c0kelitr0

July 20th, 2005, 04:08 AM

sugarboy

July 20th, 2005, 07:10 PM

I used to visit Bacolod often because my ex-bf lives there. The place is really clean and the people lavish in extravagant lifestyles. It's like every family has a big sugar plantation and they flaunt what they have. My ex told me that they're not as cash rich as they used to but they are so used to their luxurious lifestyle, they just have to do everything to live that way. My ex's grandmother, Doña Nena Lacson-Garcia, named Queen of Bacolod's Parties, throws party now and then only matched in The Great Gatsby.

well, you described bacolod as it is. you forgot to mention though that bacolod is such a small town that almost everyone knows each other (at least among the old families). so, having said that, let me take a shot at who your ex-bf was... could it have been -------?

Lili

July 20th, 2005, 07:56 PM

^ tsk, tsk. really small world.

But I really like the description of parties that can only be matched by those in The Great Gatsby.

That Spanish mestiza lady in the picture. I have a similar story about the sister of my grandfather (paternal side). She left just left the Philippines for Spain aboard a ship. They never heard from her again. They were originaly based in Catbalogan, Samar.

c0kelitr0

July 21st, 2005, 05:29 AM

well, you described bacolod as it is. you forgot to mention though that bacolod is such a small town that almost everyone knows each other (at least among the old families). so, having said that, let me take a shot at who your ex-bf was... could it have been javin?

OFF TOPIC:

OMG!!!!! I shouldn't have mentioned names!!! u know the guy?? i almost fell from my seat when i read his name!

ON TOPIC: I guess bacolod is a really small place...darn!!

kiretoce

July 21st, 2005, 02:59 PM

/\ :lol:

It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,
It's a small, small world!

sugarboy

July 21st, 2005, 09:04 PM

OFF TOPIC:

OMG!!!!! I shouldn't have mentioned names!!! u know the guy?? i almost fell from my seat when i read his name!

ON TOPIC: I guess bacolod is a really small place...darn!!

@c0kelitr0, i know who you are na :lol: javin told me .....hehehe, just kidding.

hey, don't worry. you guys are kids to begin with. i'm out of your league as i'm old enough to be an uncle. apart from bacolod being a small town, i guess you spoke too soon as you failed to consider how many male grandchildren tita nena has. kaya tuloy, sapul agad!

anyway, i have to congratulate you for at least having had a bf from bacolod. since this forum is about places, let's dwell on this.

cebu may always say that they are more developed, more prosperous etc, but i have yet to hear a girl from manila say "one day i want to marry someone from cebu". on the contrary, it seems like you can always get an earful hearing girls from manila saying, "one day, i'd like to marry a guy from bacolod and reside there living an idyllic life".

as the saying goes about bacolod, "apart from the place, it's the people!"

tigidig14

July 23rd, 2005, 10:42 AM

oy wheres the pics of sipaway island in this thread. i love that island

tigidig14

August 11th, 2005, 04:36 AM

kyle@1008

August 20th, 2005, 05:19 AM

hey... didnt know there was an original bacolod thread ... sorry .....

anyways, actually bacolod has social circles in which you get to meet everybody at your par,.... if you check in every single family tree of a prominent clan in negros,... and your of the "gentry" chance is youll locate your family name or even that of a grandparent or aunt or uncle...

and note bacolod has an uptown and a downtown... (you know where downtown is) so ill explain uptown...

Uptown is the cleaner part, It is lacson street, northdrive and la salle avenue,.. where all the trendy cafe shops, hotels , restaurants, art galleries, hip bars, as well as the grogeous capitol lagoon ( which according to the great leandro locsin is the country's most beautiful architectural edifice) ... note it is also the main financial, commercial, and politicAL center of the province... as well as home to most of it's high flying elite....

kyle@1008

August 20th, 2005, 11:48 AM

chymera00

August 20th, 2005, 01:15 PM

why does there have to be 2 negros threads and 2 cebu threads?

Sinjin P.

August 20th, 2005, 01:36 PM

why does there have to be 2 negros threads and 2 cebu threads?

I just created a new cebu thread thinking that the other is inactive... Now, both are active... If not active, I reactivate it by posting new articles I've researched.. :)

kyle@1008

August 22nd, 2005, 10:37 AM

I ddn't know....

wecky

August 22nd, 2005, 08:38 PM

@c0kelitr0, i know who you are na :lol: javin told me .....hehehe, just kidding.

hey, don't worry. you guys are kids to begin with. i'm out of your league as i'm old enough to be an uncle. apart from bacolod being a small town, i guess you spoke too soon as you failed to consider how many male grandchildren tita nena has. kaya tuloy, sapul agad!

anyway, i have to congratulate you for at least having had a bf from bacolod. since this forum is about places, let's dwell on this.

cebu may always say that they are more developed, more prosperous etc, but i have yet to hear a girl from manila say "one day i want to marry someone from cebu". on the contrary, it seems like you can always get an earful hearing girls from manila saying, "one day, i'd like to marry a guy from bacolod and reside there living an idyllic life".

as the saying goes about bacolod, "apart from the place, it's the people!"

I agree gid sugarboy .. daw amo gid ina ang matuod ... hehehe. Bacolod will never be a City of Smile for nothing. Ti, ready na kamo sa Masskara Festival niyo? My sister and her friends are planning to go there to attend.

tigidig14

August 22nd, 2005, 09:05 PM

ANY 1 KNOWS AN ISLAND ACROSS SAN CARLOS CT CALLED SIPAWAY. ITS VERY NICE I SWUM THERE N STAYED TO THESE PPOL'S HOUSE, VERY HOSPITABLE. THEY SAID THEY TRY TO CONVERT THAT ISLAND FOR TOURISM. BTW WHEN UR HEADING TO THEIR BUNCH OF BARRIOS, U CAN SEE THAT ISLAND FROM TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN THROUGH THE ZIGZAGGING ROAD OF NEGROS . I EVEN STAYED IN THE TOP OF THE JEEP VERY SCARY LIKE ROLLER COASTER AND RODE THE HABAL-HABAL. I REALLY HAD A BLAST IN NEGROES. A CAN SAY VERY MUCH CLEANER THAN CEBU. ANYWAY Y THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TOWN SPEAKS CEBUANO THEN BACOLOD SPEAKS ILONGGO.

kyle@1008

August 29th, 2005, 01:39 PM

and that's the main reason,... why negros oriental is a separate province

rustyboi

August 29th, 2005, 04:48 PM

c0kelitr0

August 30th, 2005, 03:11 AM

Iloilo is more compact and has that metropolitan feel. Bacolod has wider and better roads (better than cebu's IMO) and cleaner. the highway leading to talisay and silay are one of the best roads in the provinces with funny road signs!! Iloilo is more developed but Bacolod is not far behind with a strong middle class (and upper class).

Escalante in Negros Occidental is Cebuano but i think a couple of towns south of it are Hiligaynon.

chymera00

August 31st, 2005, 10:22 AM

yeah, i think because the oriental side of Negros is facing Cebu. i heard that all provinces / islands which shorelines facing Cebu can speak the Cebuano language. it's the same case i think with Bacolod because facing Panay island cya so that explains it. by the way, i've never been to Bacolod and Ilo-ilo City. which is more developed? :?
Also because many Negrenses (Occidental) are actually descendants of Ilonggos (Upper Class and their servants) who migrated to Negros Occidetal during the 'sugar boom', or is it after?

c0kelitr0 said it right. Bacolod is a new(er) city, unlike Iloilo which has roads originally designed for Kalesas it has wide avenues and boulevards. Bacolod is also a lot cleaner! (a lot cleaner), and less smelly odor (a lot less) because they have better and more efficient waste management. Iloilo on the other hand is still using the same sewage system, which has existed for centuries, on top of that the waste management in Iloilo sucks and most people here have absolutely no regard for the city's cleanliness (I've personally given up trying to teach them that garbage belong to the thrashcan)

But Iloilo is more developed and more urbanized ( in a sense because it experiences more urban problems like overpopulation, poluution, etc..)

kyle@1008

September 1st, 2005, 01:58 PM

Sinjin P.

September 1st, 2005, 02:07 PM

FYI, That poetry thing (Luntiang Pilipinas) is also seen as you exit the Mactan Cebu International Airport... so it serves as a welcome to visitors...!?! hehe...lolx!

kyle@1008

September 1st, 2005, 02:29 PM

bTw.... bacolod is a new city......

Before the war, the typical negrense ilustrado ,.. had an idyllic lifestyle,... back then negros was a feudalistic state,.. similar to europe during the middle ages.. with each hacenda independent of each other,...( so each plantation was actually a separate "kingdom")..... the most important city was silay,.. with its rows of colonial mansions and the famous kahirup theatre, in its heyday, silay was and is still considered the paris of the visayas and the nation's classical music capital,... oh and it produced the likes of madame gaston , the only filipina diva and the first asian to perform in new york's metropolitan opera house,... bacolod was just the capital... negrenses prefer to travel to europe or manila if they get bored... anyways this changed with the introduction of the sugar centrals (mills) , which disintigrated the indepence of each plantation since now ...each hacenda was subject to a milling distict where they have to send their newly harvested sugarcane,... plus during the war ... many of the hacenda houses where burned by the japanese ( half by orders of the owners themselves who refuse to have their stately homes used by the japs) remember ,.. oro plata mata?.... this caused a departure from the old style plantation living,....negrenses bagan building mansions in Bacolod city,... and started developing it to suit their preferences,... before the war,... bacolod was a very small town( almost a barangay) but building was rapid,... with the coming of the sugar boom during the 60's and 70's bacolod's population quadrupled..... silay remained important,.. but most of the province's elite were split between the two cities and the other cities in the fast growing province..... building slowed during the 80's when sugar prices fell... but picked up again with the 90's when diversification and sugar prices where stable again...,... in fact,... if one looks at bacolod ten years ago,... one would not recognize what it is today... you should hear how negrenses who leave for even just a year would react when they come back... building is kind of rapid,.. that not even the people of this city themselves know what's going on... like did you know how oblivious people here are,... I take my friends for example by a backroad, and their eyes go round, or I take em east,... and they are surprised at the structures and subdivisions rising amidst the plantations,... or I take em south to the borders beteween bago and bacolod and they are surprised to find a commercial center... far from the city center... they didn't even know that their was a club their... sheez

Sinjin P.

September 1st, 2005, 02:40 PM

Bacolod City
http://www.bacolodcity.gov.ph/header-1.jpg
source: www.bacolodcity.gov.ph
Negros Oriental
http://www.negor.gov.ph/imgs/tp_1.gif http://www.negor.gov.ph/imgs/tp_2.gif http://www.negor.gov.ph/imgs/tp_3.gif
source: www.negor.gov.ph
Bais City
http://www.bais.gov.ph/image/baiscity.gif
source: www.bais.gov.ph
Bayawan City
http://www.bayawancity.gov.ph/images/header/hd2.gifhttp://www.bayawancity.gov.ph/images/header/hd2_a.jpghttp://www.bayawancity.gov.ph/images/header/hd2_b.gifhttp://www.bayawancity.gov.ph/images/header/hd2_c.gif
source: www.bayawancity.gov.ph

wecky

September 2nd, 2005, 03:23 AM

Also because many Negrenses (Occidental) are actually descendants of Ilonggos (Upper Class and their servants) who migrated to Negros Occidetal during the 'sugar boom', or is it after?

c0kelitr0 said it right. Bacolod is a new(er) city, unlike Iloilo which has roads originally designed for Kalesas it has wide avenues and boulevards. Bacolod is also a lot cleaner! (a lot cleaner), and less smelly odor (a lot less) because they have better and more efficient waste management. Iloilo on the other hand is still using the same sewage system, which has existed for centuries, on top of that the waste management in Iloilo sucks and most people here have absolutely no regard for the city's cleanliness (I've personally given up trying to teach them that garbage belong to the thrashcan)

But Iloilo is more developed and more urbanized ( in a sense because it experiences more urban problems like overpopulation, poluution, etc..)

I agree with you gid, Chymera.

wecky

September 2nd, 2005, 03:28 AM

oh you mean the tree poetry thing??... trust me it's all over the country... It is Sen Legarda's way of wasting tax money.... forgive me lolo jess...

oh come'on .. give sen legarda a little bit of credit, too ... hehehe

wecky

September 2nd, 2005, 03:29 AM

dominique

September 2nd, 2005, 09:49 AM

dominique

September 2nd, 2005, 09:53 AM

I was referring to the above statement that Bacolod has widers streets than Cebu only.

Sinjin P.

September 2nd, 2005, 12:38 PM

May I pose a question which long before has risen in my mind? Which is a bigger city in terms of establishments, developments, potential, ...? Bacolod or Dumaguete? Thanks! :D

kyle@1008

September 2nd, 2005, 01:52 PM

May I pose a question which long before has risen in my mind? Which is a bigger city in terms of establishments, developments, potential, ...? Bacolod or Dumaguete? Thanks! :D

dumaguete, is a small town.... I mean really little.... but I wouldn't change it for the world... bacolod is way bigger....

BTW... I remember walkin around dumaguete and pointing out their tallest building.... the remark of the gentle people??... that it was a nuisance and is blocking their view of the mountain ... I love em, just love em....

Sinjin P.

September 2nd, 2005, 01:58 PM

wow! each place really has its own distinct features :D

kyle@1008

September 2nd, 2005, 02:10 PM

"Iloilo is more compact and has that metropolitan feel. Bacolod has wider and better roads (better than cebu's IMO)"

I dont absolutely agree with the statement above. looks can be deceiving and it would give you an optical illusion. better road? this is subjective because it connotes cleanliness, quality of cements, smoothness of pavement, etc..but wider than cebu? please use figures here. we've got to measure its width to prove our point. Bacolod doesnt have roads with center islands except that in front of the city airport in singcang which is very short. Almost all city streets in Bacolod are one way flow thus no congestion is visible creating an illusion of wide avenues. Denser volume of vehicles is only visible in the national highway (araneta up to mandalagan in front of robinson's place), average city streets here is only 4 lanes. In fact due to the light volume of vehicles there are no visible traffic lights on intersections, traffic aides can handle them.

Cebu's streets are definitely wider though it looks narrower due to constant congestion of vehicles. It is manifested by the number of traffic lights on every intersection. Cebu's streets have 3 to 4 lanes in each direction which means 6 to 8 lanes wide on opposite sides. moreover, center islands in cebu abound.

Based on the facts presented, draft your deductions...there's no comparison here.

no, center islands are found in north drive and the shopping area, up to talisay highway,.. and also down inthe west negros area ...many of our roads have center islands and the proper term would be boulevards ( not to be confused with the term for water side highways),.. most of our one way flow highways are limited to the downtown area and C.L montelibano drive... which is a small part of bacolod.... but... our back highways unknown to outsiders ( and some people who live here) are also used as shortcuts, it is understandable that cebu would have bigger traffic jams due to to it's bigger population... and density equal to its land area ... cebu's main highways are wide... but most roads are not the same... quality of roads are highly subjective ,.. it can only be rated by motorist surveyers... so let me rephrase what has been said before.. bacolod has better traffic ,... cleaner roads(maybe?) it has been judged by the denr as such.... we won it fair and square... anyways one can't judge the city by the center,.... bacolod is wider than that...

wecky

September 3rd, 2005, 06:52 AM

May I pose a question which long before has risen in my mind? Which is a bigger city in terms of establishments, developments, potential, ...? Bacolod or Dumaguete? Thanks! :D

In my opinion having been to both cities, Dumaguete is far too rural compare to bustling Bacolod ... if you've been to both cities ... you'll see the great difference .. big, I guess. It's like saying that Dumaguete city is Siliman University and nothing more ... try to check, you'll see.

kyle@1008

September 4th, 2005, 04:55 AM

true... dumaguete is tiny... but it has it's charms

ferrersky

September 4th, 2005, 01:19 PM

ferrersky

September 4th, 2005, 01:24 PM

I pity Dumaguete! By the way my dad was born there so you should be expecting me to defend the city. I think the reason why Dumaguete is not that competitive is because it is being sand-wiched by two strong developing cities, Bacolod and Cebu. But in fairness with them, their historical parks have improved a lot and they already have Lee Hypermart.

ferrersky

September 4th, 2005, 01:24 PM

Hi!!!

ferrersky

September 4th, 2005, 01:25 PM

sugarboy

September 5th, 2005, 12:15 AM

Hey, this thread is quite rough! We should have peace men!

I am from Iloilo but my mom and dad were all born from Negros.

To tell you honestly, I was a victim of this "One City Policy" sickness. To make this simple, I defended Iloilo and hated Bacolod. I was thinking that some opportunities that should be in Iloilo went to Bacolod.

But that opinion is so unfair!!! Right!

Each city has its own unique features. I agree with what our friend had posted before. We should be helping each other, like before. If you are interested with history, you will know that Bacolod and Iloilo have ties.

Even though I still have a bit of bias against B.C., which is my Patriotism for Iloilo that is talking, I just think of the positive things that happened to my hometown. Thanks for reading my reply, even though you might say that the issue is out-of-date already.

Will it be possible that Iloilo and Bacolod will be super twin cities; that someday LRT's and bridges will be made to connect them?

Lastly, now I'm beginning to like Bacolod with Iloilo again!!

I think people should go back to the history books and rediscover the synergy betwen Iloilo and Bacolod. That is what is missing now. Iloilo thinks on its own and Bacolod thinks on its own. It's sad.

Recall the pre-war time when the synergy between the two cities were impregnable. They were not only an economic force to reckon with due to the amount of sugar being exported to the US (which by the way was a major pillar of the Philippine economy), the two cities actually sired not only notable statesmen like Speaker Gil Montilla etc. but were actually the kingmakers of the time. President Quezon would always visit Bacolod and Iloilo because of the great support being lent by the sugarmen to his administration. The coconut industry in South Luzon was ailing and so he turned to Western Visayas for unwavering support.

In that time, long before the Gothongs and the Chiongbians came into the shipping scene, the forefathers of Jules Ledesma IV were already dominating the sealanes with Negros Navigation.

Metro Manila would be pitch black today if not for Meralco...a Lopez company.

For the younger folk in this forum, this strength is the main reason why the Marcos dictatorship had to crush the strong ties between both, including their intrinsic strengths...in order to neutralize the potent economic synergy between Bacolod and Iloilo. This is further evidenced in the fact that upon declaring Martial Law, Marcos tried to crush the Lopez empire with a vengeance. And to think that not too many years before martial law, Marcos had strategically taken in Fernando "Nanding" Lopez as his running mate in the elections.

I long for the day when a strong Ilonggo leader can rise. Both cities need a leader who can see beyond the physical divide of the strait of Panay and see Western Visayas as a potential economic powerhouse...the way it used to be. I believe that Bacolod on its own can never exceed Cebu. Neither can Iloilo exceed Cebu. But when these two come back together, it may take a long, long time til they get to where Cebu is...but I'll tell you, all guns will be blazing!

Bacolod will never be what it is today if not for Iloilo. Iloilo on the other hand would also be in the backwoods if not for Bacolod.

Put together, man, this would be awesome!

With all that said, Cebu's real strength is not its economy. The economy is only the byproduct. Cebu's real strength is unity. We could only wish that someone could re-unite Bacolod and Iloilo to bring in the same binding force to propel the whole Western Visayas forward!

amras

September 5th, 2005, 06:25 AM

We could only wish that someone could re-unite Bacolod and Iloilo to bring in the same binding force to propel the whole Western Visayas forward!

and the Philippines as well :)

chymera00

September 5th, 2005, 12:27 PM

This is globalization for you ...

Total collapse of sugar industry by 2010 feared

BY KARL G. OMBION

BACOLOD City – “Unless the government gives full protection and support to the sugar industry, the industry will be gone after 2010, when all the tariffs on imports of agricultural produce, including sugar are removed.”

This was the sentiment expressed by Jose Nadie Arceo, president of the United Farmers Association of Negros-South Inc. (UNIFARMS), an association of small sugar landowners affiliated with the United Sugar Planters Federation (UNIFED), based in southern Negros. The members of UNIFARMS are sugar planters with 25 hectares or less of cultivated lands.

Arceo believes that to save the sugar industry, the country must revert back to a regulated regime. “Our average sugar production every year is at 2.0 to 2.1M metric tons almost equal to our domestic consumption. With an annual increase of just 3 percent to 5 percent in domestic consumption, we could easily cope with the demands,” he said.

The problem with the current liberalization and deregulation policy of the government, Arceo also said, is that the local industry is losing out to the massive imports of sugar from countries with highly efficient, technology-wise, and heavily-subsidized sugar industries.

LACK OF SUPPORT

Arceo compared the failure of government to support the sugar industry with the problems confronted by the government’s agrarian reform program.

“The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP),” he said, “is a good program, that is why many of us small farmers have offered some of our lands for CARP coverage. But it failed because the government did not provide poor farmers with access to capital and subsidies to make their lands productive”.

“The government does not also have a comprehensive program to support the sugar industry. We have several government agencies that are supposed to assist sugar producers, like the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Quedancor, among others, but we do not know what they are doing,” Arceo added.

The sugar planter said “For example, if the government had only set up a system of centralized procurement and sale of fertilizers, the sugar producers would have saved and earned a lot. But the case now is that, sometimes the price of a bag of fertilizer is even higher than a 50 kg bag of sugar. Government agencies are still buying fertilizers from local private traders which normally charge higher prices.”

Arceo added that the problem is further compounded by the smuggling of sugar by some big people in the industry and in government.

RAMPANT SMUGGLING

Arceo also said that the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is not doing anything about the smuggling of sugar.

“The SRA should focus its efforts and resources on curbing rampant sugar smuggling, which remain the most debilitating problem facing the entire Philippine sugar industry, especially the small sugar landowners,” Arceo added.

Arceo believes that the culprits of sugar smuggling are big and moneyed syndicates with links to big names in the sugar industry and higher ups in the government. He said that the operations of the smugglers are obviously well-organized, well-planned, well-coordinated and well-financed.

He mentioned the case of Kraft Food Philippines that was able to import premix products at three percent tariff. This, according to him, was a clear violation of Presidential Executive Order 295 pegging the tariff on all imported premixes containing more than 65 percent sugar at 48 percent.

He said that they have joined several other sugar federations in filing a case against Kraft Food Philippines.

They filed the case to show that they are serious in penalizing errant players in the industry. This is a case for testing the “political will of our sugar industry leaders”.

Arceo revealed that he once wrote SRA stressing that the final solution to sugar smuggling is an all out, well-planned and well-financed campaign against sugar smugglers. He later got a rebuff stating that “there is no final solution to the problem.”

Still, Arceo believes that sugar smuggling can be stopped, if the SRA and the government get their acts together and gather the support of the whole industry, not just the voice of the Philippine Sugar Alliance, which according to him is dominated by big sugar landowners, millers and traders.

He is however wary of the ambivalent responses he is getting from industry leaders and even the SRA. He quoted SRA chief James Ledesma as saying, “I don’t want to get killed.”

DEARTH OF INDUSTRY LEADERS

Asked why sugar smuggling continues unabated despite several pronouncements by SRA and top government officials that it is under control or manageable, Arceo said, “Well, we need industry leaders who are honest, not selfish and with a strong political will.”

Arceo also laments that most often small sugar landowners associations are not consulted on matters that concern the industry. He specifically scored SRA saying that “The SRA consults only the leaders of big federations, and seldom, or not at all, the small sugar planters associations.”

In addition, he said, SRA is inutile in controlling sugar smugglers, and regulating the ups and downs of the sugar industry to benefit not only the big sugar landowners and big traders, but also the small sugar landowners.

He also said that “Industry leaders seem only concerned with their own interests and survival, unmindful of small sugar landowners who need more support than them. They should not forget that this industry has developed not only because of their efforts but also that of the more numerous small sugar landowners, the sugar workers and farmers.”

“We really need leaders who care for the welfare of the entire industry and the people not just their own interests. These leaders should unite the different member organizations, also listen to associations of small sugar landowners like us, and demonstrate the capability and political will to resolve key issues in the industry,” Arceo averred.

To attain this, Arceo suggests that the government should convene an assembly of more than 150 sugar associations nationwide, from small to big ones, to ensure a truly broad and democratic consultation among all the stakeholders in the industry.

This, according to Arceo, will guarantee that the sugar industry will become “truly dynamic, equitable and beneficial to all players and their dependents.”

ADDITIONAL LEVIES

Another issue confronting small sugar landowners is the move of the SRA to continue imposing a levy of PhP 2 (three cents) per kilogram of sugar produced.

Sugar Order no.2 Series of 1995-1996 provided for a lien of Php 2.00/l kg bag on all sugar produce in favor of PHILSURIN. It is due to expire 31 August 2005. The SRA’s Sugar Order No.8, Series of 2004-2005, issued August 18, 2005 provides for the continuity of Sugar Order No.2.

UNIFARMS says that the additional levy is “illegal and confiscatory”.

Arceo said, “We are not against the Php 2 lien per se, we have done that before with the Social Development Fund, among others. But this time, we were not only uninformed, we were even given vague reasons”.

Arceo said that they have always been supportive of the moves of SRA especially when they know that these were for the good of the sugar landowners, the sugar industry and the people.

“The problem is,” Arceo claimed, “there has been no consultation and no clarity where the money should go except for the vague ‘monitoring service fee’ and supposedly to fund the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation Inc. (PHILSURIN), which is a private sugar research agency”.

Arceo said, if that is the only purpose, the funds to be generated for the fiscal year will be more than enough to finance the entire inventory. He also asserted that sugar planters do not need additional researches as there are enough studies regarding high yielding sugar varieties and higher productivity schemes. He also questioned the need to fund a private agency when there are enough government agencies to conduct researches.

Due to vehement protests from various sugar federations, James Ledesma, Head of SRA suspended, August 30, the implementation of Sugar Order No.8, stating that “We need more discussions with all the industry stakeholders, so it’s better to listen to them first”.

Two other organizations of big sugar landowners, the National Federation of Sugar Planters (NFSP) and Negros Del Norte Planters Association Inc., have also opposed the continuation of the Php 2 lien.

Arceo said that they would not oppose the PhP 2.00 levy if it is used to fund a campaign to curb the smuggling of sugar and the formation of an Anti-Smuggling Task Force.

Arceo said “If spent for the right purpose and managed by honest, corrupt-free leaders, the estimated Php 80 million we could generate annually from Php 2.00/lkg lien, would be enough to run after big smugglers.”

HOPE FOR THE INDUSTRY

On the upside of the industry, Arceo hopes that the government is serious in developing ethanol as alternative fuel. According to Arceo, the production of ethanol may save the sugar industry in case the 2010 removal of tariffs on agricultural imports becomes irreversible.

He said that the development of ethanol production will inject new life to the dying sugar industry. The demand for sugar will increase. But instead of producing raw sugar as a finished product, the sugar industry will be geared towards processing sugar directly to ethanol fuel. Not only will it save the industry, the production of ethanol could also save the country a lot especially in the face of rising prices of imported petroleum products.

“Other than ethanol, there are still numerous sugar by-products, which if fully harnessed, with the support of government, would keep the viability of the industry, and spur more jobs for our people,” Arceo concluded.

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 12:54 PM

we are developing ethanol... that's old news...

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:02 PM

oh by the way... we need additional volounteers for the sea games.... choose your sport,... application forms are available at the bay center....

here are the list of the events and their venues

football.... paglaum and panaad stadiums
boxing.... university of st. la salle coliseum
volleyball..... west negros gym
beach volleyball.... university of st. la salle grounds
weight lifting.... bacolod convention plaza hotel, island ballroom

your country needs you.... lets show the world what we've got okay .. thanks

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:25 PM

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:27 PM

10 DEGREES,40 MINUTES, 16, 14 SECONDS LATITUDE
122 DEGREES,56 MINUTES, 28, 12 SECONDS LONGITUDE
BENCHMARK IS THE BACOLOD PUBLIC PLAZA
Bacolod City is located in the central part of the Philippines, in the Western Visayas Region.
By air from Manila, Bacolod can be reached in 50 minutes; from Cebu, 30 minutes.
By boat, Bacolod is 20 hours from Manila and approximately 7 hours from Cebu.

LAND AREA:
16,145 ha. including straits and bodies of water

LOCATION: Northwest Coast of Negros Occidental.

BOUNDARIES:
Northwest: Talisay City
Northeast: Silay City and Victorias City
East & SW: Municipality of Murcia
Southwest: Bago City
West: Guimaras Strait

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:29 PM

CLIMATE
Bacolod City has 2 pronounced seasons, wet and dry. The rainy season starts from May to January with heavy rains season occurring during the months of August and September. Dry season starts from the month of February up to the last week of April. December and January are the coldest months while April is the warmest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DEMOGRAPHY
Total Population: 429,076 (Bacolod City)
Growth Rate: 1.39%
Projected Population - 459,737 (2005)
2,136,647 - Negros Occidental
Population Density: 27 persons/ha

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:30 PM

LAND USE

TOTAL AREA %
agricultural 9101 ha. 56.4%
vacant (A) 41 ha. 0.3%
7,027 has. or 72% of the whole area is planted to sugarcane
1,077 has. or 11.83% is planted to rice

residential 4675 ha. 29.0%
roads 827 ha. 5.1%
institutional 442 ha. 2.7%
commercial 321 ha. 2.0%
rivers 243 ha. 1.5%
fishponds 173 ha. 1.1%
industrial 155 ha. 1.0%
open space 167 ha. 1.0%

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:41 PM

TRANSPORTATION

TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED VEHICLES

2003 2004
Private 35,208 37,551
For Hire 6,464 6,203
Government 763 785
Total 42,435 44,539
Variance: 2,104
& increase: 49%

TOTAL NO. OF REGISTERED VEHICLES IN NEGROS OCCIDENTAL: 105,000
An estimated 50% of these vehicles use the roads of Bacolod City daily
Source: Mr. Norman Saril, LTO, Bacolod

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:44 PM

NUMBER OF BANKS IN THE CITY

Commercial 30
Rural 9
Government 3
Savings 6
Development 2
Thrift 7
TOTAL
57

The province has the most number of banks in Western Visayas, more than Iloilo and Guimaras combined

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:47 PM

People
The charm of Bacolod City is her PEOPLE Smiling, fun-loving, zestful, and always flowing with optimism. The most well-known is the Bacoleño brand of hospitality whose warmth, sincerity, and natural friendliness could make every visitor come again to Bacolod.
Thus, BACOLOD CITY is the CITY OF SMILES.

For Conventions
Known as the CONVENTION CENTER OF THE SOUTH, Bacolod has facilities for conventions as big as 1,000 delegates or a small meeting of ten. Pre-convention and post convention activities are varied, while support facilities and services are handled by friendly efficient and professional staff.

Gateway to Sugarlandia
The capital of the Province of Negros Occidental which is the Sugarbowl of the Philippines, Bacolod City serves as the entrance tot he sugar-rich cities and towns of the Province of Negros Occidental. Visitor's facilities abound, modern means of in-land transport can take guests for business or leisure activities to any point in the island of Negros.

Investments
Bacolod is fast becoming the center of growth and development in the region. Other than sugar, fishing, small and medium industries abound. Construction is booming and the city is, indeed, ripe for investments and business opportunities.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Because of the numerous resources in Bacolod City and the rest of Negros Occidental, various opportunities are available for prospective investors. These include:

Information Technology

Processed Foods

Manufacturing

Power generation

Gifts, toys an house ware

Garments

Metalwork

Cut flowers and ornamentals

Furniture

Banking and Finance

Travel and support services

Sports and eco-tourism

Mass housing

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:49 PM

Rank CITY SCORE
1 BACOLOD 6.62
2 San Fernando, Pampanga 6.24
3 Cagayan de Oro 6.18
4 Batangas 6.14
5 General Santos 6.05
6 Iloilo 6.06
7 Baguio 5.87
8 Angeles 5.73
9 Lipa 5.71
10 Iligan 5.44
11 Zamboanga 5.32
12 Butuan 5.30
13 Tarlac 4.98

Ranked 1st in Quality of Life
Ranked 1st in Human Resources and Training
Ranked 1st in Infrastructure
Ranked 2nd in Responsiveness
Ranked 2nd in Dynamism of the Local Economy
Ranked 3rd in Cost of Doing Business

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:52 PM

Total Crime Volume: 564
Total Crime Solved: 562
Index Crimes: 164
Non-Index Crimes: 400

Crime Solution Efficiency (CSE)

99.6%

There are 66 security agencies in the city that contribute to the maintenance of peace, security and well-being of the population. In the Barangay level, there are 787 Barangay Tanods. There also exists other peace and order advocate and organizations.

kyle@1008

September 5th, 2005, 01:55 PM

I guess I'am just bored... got all that from the bacolod city website

rustyboi

September 5th, 2005, 02:20 PM

rustyboi

September 5th, 2005, 02:28 PM

In my opinion having been to both cities, Dumaguete is far too rural compare to bustling Bacolod ... if you've been to both cities ... you'll see the great difference .. big, I guess. It's like saying that Dumaguete city is Siliman University and nothing more ... try to check, you'll see.

IMO, the statement is exaggerated. i watched Living Asia channel and Dumaguete city was featured this morning. you said Dumaguete city is Siliman University and nothing more BUT i saw otherwise. :) rather appealing and has lots to offer. it has a night life, beautiful parks, historical sites, diving resort owned by foreigners, busy streets and generally clean! ;) there may be quite a comparison but IMO, dumaguete is just like bacolod city and iloilo if we are to base the pics in their respective threads :) mixture of rich history and development. you don't wanna hear other people saying "Iloilo is the Heart of the Philippines and nothing more", do you? *peace* :D

sugarboy

September 5th, 2005, 06:22 PM

we are developing ethanol... that's old news...

i second the motion. the collapse of the sugar industry is old news.

re: the development of ethanol, it's good that the sugarmen are now open to the idea...only because it's in the news. but months ago when the undersecretary for energy was in a forum with the sugarmen in negros, the sugarmen were still skeptical about the matter. so now that there exists the demand for ethanol, negros missed out on being able to supply the darn thing for the first few months due to the dilly-dallying.

sugarboy

September 5th, 2005, 06:26 PM

there are plans for a bridge that will connect Iloilo to guimaras to pulupandan which is in the southern area of greater bacolod

yes there are plans. it would be exciting to see that happen. but practically speaking, if the airport in silay is not yet in place (and it has been so many years now since they talked about that new airport in silay), then we'd be fortunate if we can even see the first pile driven for that bridge by 2015.

c0kelitr0

September 6th, 2005, 03:22 AM

c0kelitr0

September 6th, 2005, 03:34 AM

"Iloilo is more compact and has that metropolitan feel. Bacolod has wider and better roads (better than cebu's IMO)"

I dont absolutely agree with the statement above. looks can be deceiving and it would give you an optical illusion. better road? this is subjective because it connotes cleanliness, quality of cements, smoothness of pavement, etc..but wider than cebu? please use figures here. we've got to measure its width to prove our point. Bacolod doesnt have roads with center islands except that in front of the city airport in singcang which is very short. Almost all city streets in Bacolod are one way flow thus no congestion is visible creating an illusion of wide avenues. Denser volume of vehicles is only visible in the national highway (araneta up to mandalagan in front of robinson's place), average city streets here is only 4 lanes. In fact due to the light volume of vehicles there are no visible traffic lights on intersections, traffic aides can handle them.

Cebu's streets are definitely wider though it looks narrower due to constant congestion of vehicles. It is manifested by the number of traffic lights on every intersection. Cebu's streets have 3 to 4 lanes in each direction which means 6 to 8 lanes wide on opposite sides. moreover, center islands in cebu abound.

Based on the facts presented, draft your deductions...there's no comparison here.

i should have included the adverb, "relatively" to describe wider :D restated, IMO, bacolod's roads are relatively wider than cebu's. quality of cement and smoothness? have you driven a tamaraw FX up and down bacolod's highways and get the feeling of driving a land cruiser instead? i definitely have! i couldn't forget that because my friends asked if the FX got air suspension! :lol:

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 10:05 AM

IMO, the statement is exaggerated. i watched Living Asia channel and Dumaguete city was featured this morning. you said Dumaguete city is Siliman University and nothing more BUT i saw otherwise. :) rather appealing and has lots to offer. it has a night life, beautiful parks, historical sites, diving resort owned by foreigners, busy streets and generally clean! ;) there may be quite a comparison but IMO, dumaguete is just like bacolod city and iloilo if we are to base the pics in their respective threads :) mixture of rich history and development. you don't wanna hear other people saying "Iloilo is the Heart of the Philippines and nothing more", do you? *peace* :D

Dumaguete is beautiful, I love their port and rizal boulevard,... and having silliman is something to be proud of, heck it's the best university in southern phils... also dumaguete is multi cultural with a large population of foreigners and out of towners...

yes it is small... but that's where the charm of dumaguete lies
and I agree it's like bacolod... only bacolod is much larger... P.S. if you had seen the capitol of negros oriental and freedom park... it's actually a miniature version of negros occidental's capitol and lagoon park...

and please don't judge bacolod just by the pics.. come and see it for yourself.. the pictures in this thread are not even 10% of what bacolod is.... peace :)

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 10:09 AM

yes there are plans. it would be exciting to see that happen. but practically speaking, if the airport in silay is not yet in place (and it has been so many years now since they talked about that new airport in silay), then we'd be fortunate if we can even see the first pile driven for that bridge by 2015.

don't wory the airport in silay is already being constructed... and San Carlos is building it's own airport too...

the bridge is a little hard to do ... because aside from that one there are also plans to build a bridge that will connect negros and cebu...

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 10:12 AM

Making Negros name
ring around the world
Posted: 0:33 AM (Manila Time) | Sep.. 06, 2002
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Inquirer News Service

WHEN people think about the Negros provinces, thoughts of piaya, barquillos, bachoy and the chicken inasal come to mind.

The Negros provinces, however, produce much more than just food and the numerous other products are what the Association of Negros Producers want to showcase to Manila and export markets in its annual trade trade fair.

Doreen Alicia G. Peña, president of the Association of Negros Producers Inc., said the Negros provinces are actually known in increasingly wider circles for houseware, handmade paper, ceramics, baskets, furniture, garments, costume jewelry and even furniture.

Many of these products decorate homes in the United States, Japan, Africa, Middle East, Scandinavia, Europe and other areas in Asia and for many of the exporters, Manila has been the jumpoff point.

"Many people still go to the trade fair because of the food, so it is a pleasant surprise for them to see that there are so many other products that the association produces," Peña said.

The Association of Negros Producers came about in the 1980s as a result of the sugar crisis which left more than 150,000 workers displaced.

The crisis inspired 15 Negrense women based in Manila to think of ways to contribute to the crippled economy of their home province through the House of Negros Foundation.

This later became the Association of Negros Producers, which was founded in 1988 as a non-stock, non-profit organization composed of professionals, entrepreneurs and housewives.

Since then, the association now has about 80 member-firms, of which 20 percent are exporters.

"One of the strengths of the association is that everybody is committed to helping the people from Negros and to helping people have a decent livelihood. Being small, we can easily mobilize," she said.

The association was organized for its member-producers to:

represent, promote and lobby for the interest of the small and medium-scale producers in Negros Occidental

encourage cooperation among producers, government and business sectors here and abroad

promote the marketing and quality image of Negros-made products, and

promote the culture of productivity and technological upgrading of the manufacturing sector in Negros.

The unity of purpose has enabled the association to go into projects such as the Negros Showroom in Bacolod, which has been declared by the Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotions as the No. 1 trade house in the Philippines.

The Negros Showroom displays the products of association's member-producers and serves as their business center.

The association has also set up The Designers Guild Philippines Negros Island Inc., which is committed to the development of a design-oriented culture that would push Negros in the international market and make it a major design center in Asia.

Christina Gaston, president of the Designers Guild, said the group goes around to help provide design concepts to the producers in a bid to widen their market and increase market acceptability of their products.

One of the latest projects is the Negrense Island Inc., a private firm set up to promote Negros products under a single brand name-Negrense Island Inc.

"We want the people to connect the Negrense products with creativity, quality and craftsmanship. People saw we are creative by nature so we want to promote that," Peña said.

Peña said that just like any organization, there are disagreements and differences in opinion.

These are easily resolved, Pena said, because the association is committed to make the Negros name ring around the world.

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 10:16 AM

The Negros Summer workshops

The first Negros Summer Workshops in 1991 was conceived as a means of uniting the arts community and revitalizing Negros province.

Peque Gallaga and a group of film and theatre professionals from Manila gave intensive month-long workshops consisting of courses that dealt with the various aspects of film, theatre and advertising. It was held in the University of St. La Salle.

Realized by creative arts veterans and Project Chairs ~ Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, Bro. Gus Boquer, FSC, and Dr. Elsie Coscolluela ~ the mission of the Negros Summer Workshops is to attract and inspire students of arts and communication from all over the Philippines and reinforce Negros’ tradition of film and the creative arts.

Peque Gallaga
Rodell Cruz with his Production Design Students

The workshops are conducted by a professional team of artists: Peque Gallaga (film and stage director, production designer and scriptwriter), Lore Reyes (film & TV director and scriptwriter), Don Escudero (film director and production designer), Rodell Cruz (production designer), Rene Hinojales (actor and choreographer), Gabriel Fernandez (acting coach and stage director), Richard Padernal (film and video cinematographer) and Elsie Coscolluela (screenwriter and playwright) as resident resource persons.

A list of the resource persons in the past include: Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Gina Alajar, Janice de Belen, Mel Chionglo, Mark Gil, Jay Herrera, Jaclyn Jose, Ricky Lee, Leo Martinez, Michael de Mesa, Bibeth Orteza, Cherry Pie Picache, Jose Javier Reyes, Fe de los Reyes, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Jerry Sineneng, Mario Taguiwalo, Dennis Tan, Noel Trinidad and local writers ~ Alice Tan-Gonzales, Cirilo Bautista, Elsa Martinez-Coscolluela, Leoncio Deriada, Marjorie Evasco, Vince Groyon III.

Film Production Graduates

Now on it's thirteenth year, the NSW has to date graduated over 3,000 students, teachers, performing artists, and production professionals. Graduates of the workshops have provided the seedbed for the renewal of theatre groups and performances in the Southern provinces (in Negros, Iloilo, Palawan, Dumaguete, Cebu and Mindanao), for school and community based theatre groups.

The NSW have also graduated a number of students who are leading professionals in the film and advertising industry in Manila.

The first Negros Summer Workshops in 1991 was conceived as a means of uniting the arts community and revitalizing Negros province.

Peque Gallaga and a group of film and theatre professionals from Manila gave intensive month-long workshops consisting of courses that dealt with the various aspects of film, theatre and advertising. It was held in the University of St. La Salle.

Realized by creative arts veterans and Project Chairs ~ Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, Bro. Gus Boquer, FSC, and Dr. Elsie Coscolluela ~ the mission of the Negros Summer Workshops is to attract and inspire students of arts and communication from all over the Philippines and reinforce Negros’ tradition of film and the creative arts.

Peque Gallaga
Rodell Cruz with his Production Design Students

The workshops are conducted by a professional team of artists: Peque Gallaga (film and stage director, production designer and scriptwriter), Lore Reyes (film & TV director and scriptwriter), Don Escudero (film director and production designer), Rodell Cruz (production designer), Rene Hinojales (actor and choreographer), Gabriel Fernandez (acting coach and stage director), Richard Padernal (film and video cinematographer) and Elsie Coscolluela (screenwriter and playwright) as resident resource persons.

A list of the resource persons in the past include: Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Gina Alajar, Janice de Belen, Mel Chionglo, Mark Gil, Jay Herrera, Jaclyn Jose, Ricky Lee, Leo Martinez, Michael de Mesa, Bibeth Orteza, Cherry Pie Picache, Jose Javier Reyes, Fe de los Reyes, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Jerry Sineneng, Mario Taguiwalo, Dennis Tan, Noel Trinidad and local writers ~ Alice Tan-Gonzales, Cirilo Bautista, Elsa Martinez-Coscolluela, Leoncio Deriada, Marjorie Evasco, Vince Groyon III.

Film Production Graduates

Now on it's thirteenth year, the NSW has to date graduated over 3,000 students, teachers, performing artists, and production professionals. Graduates of the workshops have provided the seedbed for the renewal of theatre groups and performances in the Southern provinces (in Negros, Iloilo, Palawan, Dumaguete, Cebu and Mindanao), for school and community based theatre groups.

The NSW have also graduated a number of students who are leading professionals in the film and advertising industry in Manila.

The first Negros Summer Workshops in 1991 was conceived as a means of uniting the arts community and revitalizing Negros province.

Peque Gallaga and a group of film and theatre professionals from Manila gave intensive month-long workshops consisting of courses that dealt with the various aspects of film, theatre and advertising. It was held in the University of St. La Salle.

Realized by creative arts veterans and Project Chairs ~ Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, Bro. Gus Boquer, FSC, and Dr. Elsie Coscolluela ~ the mission of the Negros Summer Workshops is to attract and inspire students of arts and communication from all over the Philippines and reinforce Negros’ tradition of film and the creative arts.

Peque Gallaga
Rodell Cruz with his Production Design Students

The workshops are conducted by a professional team of artists: Peque Gallaga (film and stage director, production designer and scriptwriter), Lore Reyes (film & TV director and scriptwriter), Don Escudero (film director and production designer), Rodell Cruz (production designer), Rene Hinojales (actor and choreographer), Gabriel Fernandez (acting coach and stage director), Richard Padernal (film and video cinematographer) and Elsie Coscolluela (screenwriter and playwright) as resident resource persons.

A list of the resource persons in the past include: Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Gina Alajar, Janice de Belen, Mel Chionglo, Mark Gil, Jay Herrera, Jaclyn Jose, Ricky Lee, Leo Martinez, Michael de Mesa, Bibeth Orteza, Cherry Pie Picache, Jose Javier Reyes, Fe de los Reyes, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Jerry Sineneng, Mario Taguiwalo, Dennis Tan, Noel Trinidad and local writers ~ Alice Tan-Gonzales, Cirilo Bautista, Elsa Martinez-Coscolluela, Leoncio Deriada, Marjorie Evasco, Vince Groyon III.

Film Production Graduates

Now on it's thirteenth year, the NSW has to date graduated over 3,000 students, teachers, performing artists, and production professionals. Graduates of the workshops have provided the seedbed for the renewal of theatre groups and performances in the Southern provinces (in Negros, Iloilo, Palawan, Dumaguete, Cebu and Mindanao), for school and community based theatre groups.

The NSW have also graduated a number of students who are leading professionals in the film and advertising industry in Manila

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 10:19 AM

oops sorry bout that... I wasn't looking

c0kelitr0

September 6th, 2005, 10:36 AM

oh you mean the tree peotry thing??... trust me it's all over the country... It is Sen Legrada's way of wasting tax money.... forgiv me lolo jess...

no, not that...someone in bacolod please post pics of those funny road signs hehehe...

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 10:42 AM

Like what?? the negros museum is this way sign??? hehehe

c0kelitr0

September 6th, 2005, 10:49 AM

no, those funny signs along the highway going to talisay/silay :D

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 11:19 AM

mmmm... near ayala northpoint??? all i remember are sen. legarda's poetry

kyle@1008

September 6th, 2005, 02:03 PM

Why I Love Bacolod
( opinion of the author only.... OPINION)

Ah yes the city of smiles,.. which among any place in the world is my favorite,.. confession though I wasn't born here,.. I was born in makati medical center in where else but makati city, the nation's business and financial district. But I do have strong and true negrense ,blood courtesy of my dad of course. I didn't grew up in bacolod,.. but in Manila as a kid I remeber going unto ayala center hearing my uncle recite mass and playing with their touch screen computer, I remeber going to sm megamall when there was only buiding A and the stores half filled.

My return to bacolod happened during my highschool life when I transfered to University of st. la salle integrated school touted as having the most expensive tuition in Western visayas , yes even against colleges . Wasn't surprised though ,.. if your highschool was fully airconditioned with every classroom having it's own TV , Ohp and to think we even had a Mcdonalds inside the foodcourt. Anyways this started my strong exposure to bacolod culture, there were a few vacations in my youth, but then a tourist is actually diferent from a resident right?

Typical of any manila bred individual I would scoff at how small the city to me is compared to the megalopolis that is metro manila. But luckily I was exposed to the society of the young elite of negros after ,all I did study in the fanciest school in the city and I had my last name to booth and that started it...

I stared to appreciate the beauty of the city... both the place and it's people .... I discovered its inate quality and strength. I love strolling aroung the Lagoon park facing the provincial capitol,... which in my thought must be the fairest among all the parks in the country... I love Bob's and many of bacolod's other coffee shops and restaurants ,... particularly their good taste in architecture,.. which by itself could match the finest in makati. I love the fact that bacolod has lovely streets ... wide open roads, and landscaped sorroundings with majestic boulevards. I love bacolod's many art galleries and antique shops something that i try to find in other cities to no avail.... or the fact that bacolod has a fine street life unmatched,... the best stores , restaurants are by the streets,... something few cities could achieve since bacolod's cleanliness allows it... ... I don't like box like malls which huddles inside everything.. I like the fact that most of bacolod's homegrown shopping centers like Lopue's have chosen to place strips outside the place ,... kudos to gaisano city for the great neon palms and strip they incorporated in the mall design as well as robinsons metro bacolod for the wise creation of an ascending walkalator and for placing a mall in front of the airport... of course there's also robinson's place bacolod with it's great cinemas.... the cool design and seating is as good as any I have seen in makati or abroad.

And then there's the nightlife,.... two casinos,.... night clubs..... the lounge bars,.... artists pub and twenty four hours internet shops to keep you awake...

and then there's the low crime rate... I feel safe walking around in the middle of bacolod as late as 3-4 am because of this.....

and speaking of walking.... bacolod especially the downtown area is pedestrian friendly,... with clean air, neat streets and tree lined areas to protect you from the sun...whats more with minimal traffic thanks to wide roads, it is nice to ride mass transport even for the elite....something you don't see in makati

and then there's the suburbs,... well designed and maintained , la salle avenue in itself reminds me of forbes park... what is more bacolod is famous for it's parties the last year alone saw the coming and going of prince andrew of UK and princess stephanie of monaco who were charmed by bacolod's beauty,.... according to manila socialite constance brooke-pendleton " bacolod is just too chic like savanah" true to point the city is classy,... why would danding cojuangco aruably the richest and most powerful man in southern phils chose to live here .... or the fact that rose hancock-lacson porteous ,.... a negrense and now australia's richest woman would build a mansion in bacolod despite her having everything in prix d' amour..... if it's good enough for both foriegn and pinoy royalty... then it certainly is good for me....

wecky

September 7th, 2005, 12:30 AM

wecky

September 7th, 2005, 12:33 AM

in my opinion, dumaguete is just a small town...very laid back, and relaxed. incomparable to bacolod and iloilo. wecky was right in saying that dumaguete is just silliman university and nothing more...take the silliman and st. paul's away and the city IMO would definitely struggle. nightlife? busy streets? thanks to students.

I bet you've been there yourself, Coke ... or probably we just have same point of view ... right in the perspective of those who've visited the place itself.

c0kelitr0

September 7th, 2005, 02:46 AM

@wecky, yes, i've been there several times and i stayed for a two months at one time so i probably know what i am talking about :D

kyle@1008

September 7th, 2005, 03:44 AM

yup... dumaguete's tiny ,.. but I reiterate therein lies it's charm

rustyboi

September 7th, 2005, 11:02 AM

that's what I've seen, Rusty .. have you been to see these three cities ? By then you will know what I mean ... nightlife? busy streets ? (with what ? tricycles). I am not against any city here .. I am just stating the fact as what I've seen comparing the Bacolod and Dumaguete cities. If you are just relying with Living Asia channel and haven't been yourself, you'll better not comment otherwise. To say the least, visit the three cities and compare ... you'll see and get what you want. It's a big challenge though.

i'll be very glad to visit those places someday. but i made it clear about the comparison. "mixture of rich history and development". i wasnt referring to buildings, infrastructure, size and local economy. no one from dumaguete would say his city is "Siliman University and nothing else". i guess that's what i'm trying to point out. Living Asia channel was not solely my basis, but at least i'm sure now Dumaguete city is more than just Siliman. and of course no one can stop me from making comments, afterall this is a forum :D cheers...

kyle@1008

September 7th, 2005, 11:20 AM

Dumaguete is more than just silliman .... it's about rizal boulevard,.. apo island and more... besides for a city of it's size dumaguete is highly multicultural in the international sense,... heck when I go there I don't even have to speak cebuano... english is the norm ... since dumaguete has a large population of expats...

chymera00

September 7th, 2005, 04:32 PM

IMO, the statement is exaggerated. i watched Living Asia channel and Dumaguete city was featured this morning. you said Dumaguete city is Siliman University and nothing more BUT i saw otherwise. :) rather appealing and has lots to offer. it has a night life, beautiful parks, historical sites, diving resort owned by foreigners, busy streets and generally clean! ;) there may be quite a comparison but IMO, dumaguete is just like bacolod city and iloilo if we are to base the pics in their respective threads :) mixture of rich history and development. you don't wanna hear other people saying "Iloilo is the Heart of the Philippines and nothing more", do you? *peace* :D

I've been watching living asia intently, I've seen their specials. Dumaguete has its charms. Night markets and a some bars, are the focus of nightlife there ... reflecting laidback rural and student-driven consumer demand there.

Negros Occidental is very impressive, especially in marine resources, gusto ko mag diving doon! :) But economically speaking . Dumaguete is far from Bacolod and Iloilo, but it has all the potentials.

i second the motion. the collapse of the sugar industry is old news.

re: the development of ethanol, it's good that the sugarmen are now open to the idea...only because it's in the news. but months ago when the undersecretary for energy was in a forum with the sugarmen in negros, the sugarmen were still skeptical about the matter. so now that there exists the demand for ethanol, negros missed out on being able to supply the darn thing for the first few months due to the dilly-dallying.

They should develop ethanol. It will bring a more reliable sources of income, because it will be driven by local demand for power. It will be a very wise move

wecky

September 7th, 2005, 10:11 PM

i'll be very glad to visit those places someday. but i made it clear about the comparison. "mixture of rich history and development". i wasnt referring to buildings, infrastructure, size and local economy. no one from dumaguete would say his city is "Siliman University and nothing else". i guess that's what i'm trying to point out. Living Asia channel was not solely my basis, but at least i'm sure now Dumaguete city is more than just Siliman. and of course no one can stop me from making comments, afterall this is a forum :D cheers...

I don't see anybody's stopping you from commenting here ... just like anybody else, I guess .. we are all entitled to our own opinion so no harm if I see things in a different light as you are. Lived experience is more than what a tele tell, say or do. Anyway, hope you'll have a lovely visit there someday and see it yourself. As for me, all I can say is "I've been there ... and that's how I sees it".

Dumaguete has still a long way to go to compete with Bacolod in terms of economy, infras, etc. On potential basis, every city has potentials to grow more and developed more, if you'd asked me. Wishing it all the best gid.

Ciao!

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:15 PM

the ethanol plant is already being built in san carlos city... their target is to have ten percent of phil fuel to be made of ethanol by 2010... to reduce our dependency on oil... rep. miguel zubiri and sen. mar roxas are the major advocates....

and btw... prices of sugar are rising again

Sinjin P.

September 8th, 2005, 01:27 PM

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:34 PM

SEA Games Preparation Mayor Bing's Top Concern at Peace
and Order Council Meeting

Mayor Evelio Leonardia reminded members of the City Peace and Order Council, especially the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies, to start preparations for the forthcoming Southeast Asian Games slated November this year.
"We cannot afford anything to happen," Leonardia said during the Council's first quarterly meeting on Tuesday, stressing that the City's hosting of some of the major events such as boxing, weightlifting, football and volleyball will surely draw much from everywhere.
He said that this year's MassKara Festival will be made as a "rehearsal" prior to the games in November to be able to find out how to respond to certain situations.
The Mayor also congratulated the Bacolod City Police Office for being the "No. 1 Police in Western Visayas for 2004. A resolution was also passed by the Body to officially commend the BCPO.
On the proposal for the creation of a citizen's movement against terrorism, Leonardia suggested that, for it to materialize, a core group composed of the PNP, AVSECOM and a representative from the City Mayor's Office shall initially meet and come up with a concept paper to be presented to the Council. (CMO/PIO/jmi)

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:37 PM

this is good news since oil prices are rising P0.50 per week :)

yes, it would improve our nation as a whole... anothermajor source of our power aside for the ethanol plants being raised in negros is of course palawan's malampaya gas plant

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:40 PM

Bright prospects seen for ethanol production

First posted 11:16pm (Mla time) Sept 01, 2005
By Carla P. Gomez
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on Page A19 of the September 2, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

BACOLOD CITY—The future of the sugar industry in Negros Occidental is in ethanol.

So said Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of House Bill 2583 that seeks to promote the use of ethanol as alternative transport fuel and to establish the National Fuel Ethanol Program for the purpose.

He explained that the future of the sugar industry in the province is in ethanol production because the price of sugar would drop once tariffs on the entry of imported stocks are lifted.

Ethanol, he added, would allow sugar planters to earn much more. Ethanol is an alternative energy source produced from crops such as sugar, corn, grain, sorghum and wheat.

The much-needed ethanol-blended gasoline will make the province a leading producer of ethanol in the next five to six years, he added.

“Negros sugar planters will be the fuel barons of the future,” Zubiri told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Tuesday.

He said San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. (SCBI) in

northern Negros Occidental is expected to begin producing ethanol by the second half of 2007.

More ethanol plants are expected to be built in the province, he added. “Negros has a capacity for nine ethanol plants,” the congressman said.

The SCBI is a joint venture of Bronzeoak Philippines, the National Development Corp. and three groups of sugar planters.

These are the Valmayor Hermanos Inc., Gamboa-Ledesma Hermanos, and the GH Farmworkers Multipurpose Co-op, which signed an agreement to supply 200,000 of the 300,000 tons of sugar needed by SCBI annually.

Zubiri was in Malacañang on Monday to join the launching of the E-10 Program (10 percent ethanol-blended gasoline).

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:45 PM

P1.5B ethanol plant to
rise in San Carlos
IT WILL ALSO GENERATE POWER
BY CARLA GOMEZ

A P1.5 billion ethanol and power plant will be operational in the second half of 2007 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. It will be the first in the country.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, who was in Negros Occidental Saturday with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, told the DAILY STAR the production of ethanol from sugar will provide a long-term solution to the sugar industry's need for product diversification.

Arroyo Saturday urged the private sector to go into ethanol production to address the country's need to veer away from too much dependence on expensive imported fuel.

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:46 PM

PGMA launches National Ethanol Fuel Program

SAN CARLOS CITY, Negros Occidental – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today launched her administration’s National Ethanol Fuel Program with the start of the construction of the first bio-ethanol manufacturing plant in the country.

Bio-ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is a type of "alternative fuel" being groomed to substitute traditional, oil-based fuels like gasoline and diesel.

Since it is a combustible liquid, bio-ethanol can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including as liquid fuel in internal combustion engines either on its own or blended with petroleum.

A bill co-authored by Bukidnon Congressman Miguel Zubiri and Senator Aquilino Pimentel seeks to implement a five percent blend of bio-ethanol and gasoline by the start of the bio-ethanol plant’s operations here in 2007, then increase it to 10 percent blend by 2010.

The President said the launching ceremony signals the start of the second phase of her economic reform agenda.

"The successful utilization of ethanol blends combined with energy generation from sugar reinforces the second phase of our economic and social reforms, as they will reduce our oil imports, help diversify the products of the sugar industry and give extra income to the sugar planters and workers," the President said.

She noted that the use of ethanol, combined with other "indigenous sources that are abundant in the country," would further reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuel "as the primary source of energy."

"We used to be over 60 percent dependent on crude oil as our primary source of energy. During my administration, we brought it down to just 37 percent because we’ve been using indigenous sources that are abundant in the country such as geothermal, natural gas, wind and solar energy and now ethanol," the President said.

"But for fuel for our cars, we are importing 99 percent. So we are still very dependent on importation," she added.

She called on the people to act on this dilemma so as "to make our people less vulnerable."

"We must fight for energy independence side by side with energy conservation," the President said.

"I have faith in the Filipino. With the combination of hard work and ingenuity, I know that we will win the struggle for energy independence," she added.

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:56 PM

As one can see... it is of national importance that these plants be set up,.

fuel is a basic commidity, everything in the economic spectrum relies on it....
if fuel goes up so will everything else

anyways.... if negros " island of the sugar barons" becomes " island of the fuel barons"
and sugarland becomes feulandia... I'll laugh,.. it's kind of funny but fuel baron doesnt sound as good as sugar baron or oil baron its actually kinda well ... duh

but feulandia has a ring to it... negros will be something like the saudi of the country...
happy days are here again hehehe

kyle@1008

September 8th, 2005, 01:57 PM

Philippines needs more ethanol plants to keep up with demand

At least 25 ethanol-producing plants are needed if the Philippines intends to meet demand for a gasoline additive in the next three to four years, according to a legislator.

Unless these plants are constructed, the country may have to resort to importing ethanol from Brazil or Thailand, which will defeat government efforts to achieve energy independence, Rep. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri of Bukidnon told reporters Tuesday night.

"With the ethanol production, the Philippines might be a major exporter of ethanol to Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia," he said, adding that each plant will require P1.5 billion in investments.

He added that fuel is going to be so expensive that Filipinos will need to develop engines that can run of higher blends of ethanol fuel.

Currently, San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. (SBCI), a joint venture between Bronzeoak Philippines and the National Development Co., is involved in the ethanol facility in San Carlos, Negros Occidental, which is expected to commence operations by 2007.

The SCBI integrated facility will have a cane milling plant with a through-put capacity of 1,500 metric tons of cane daily, a cogeneration nine megawatt power plant, and a distillery plant that will also produce 100,000 liters of bio-ethanol a day.

Petron Corp. recently entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SCBI, for the use bio-ethanol for blending with its gasoline products.

The production of ethanol as a gasoline additive is expected to spur capital investment, job creation and economic development in the country, especially in rural areas.

In a related development, Zubiri said Congress is trying to out another amendment to the Bio-Ethanol Bill, which is expected to be approved before the end of the session next month, to include the promotion of other alternative fuels such as coconut biodiesel and other biofuels sourced from agricultural products.

Zubiri together with Representatives Alfredo D. Maranon III, Jacinto V. Paras, Ignacio T. Arroyo and Monico O. Puentevella authored the Bioethanol Fuel Act of 2005.

Zubiri added that they will also amend the title into Bio-Fuels Bill, which will mandate the creation of a Biofuels Board to be spearheaded by the Department of Energy.

Zubiri assured that the price of bioethanol will not be more than P25 a liter, warning local producers that the country could source cheap ethanol from Brazil if they fail to come up with a cheap price.

To lure local and foreign investors, Zubiri said Congress will be inserting a set of incentives for investors interested in biofuels, adding that this will jumpstart production.

"We are preparing some attractive fiscal incentives to give investors more bang out of their buck, where biofuel producers will be exempted from paying tariff and import duties of all types of inputs and machinery they will use," Zubiri said.

Taxes imposed on bioethanol fuel will have the same rate as those for unleaded gasoline at the time of the law’s passage. Even if taxes on gasoline go up, biofuel taxes will be maintained at its old level for 10 years.

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:11 AM

Oh and here's additional info on san carlos city.. this thread has always been about bacolod city but as I have said there are other progressive cities in the province and I'll share a few info about them....

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:13 AM

The Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (FCCH) acknowledged the hosting for the delegation of the 18th Trade Mission to the Philippines in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. The trade mission was co-sponsored by the State of Hawaii’s Department of Business Economics Development and Tourism (DBEDT), which took place from November 15-27, 2003 in Metro Manila, Dagupan/Lingayen (Pangasinan), and Bacolod/San Carlos (Negros Occidental). The theme for the year’s trade mission was “Building Partnerships for Economic Development”.

Preparatory Activities. Aside from the quick information dissemination campaign within San Carlos by SCDBI regarding the FCCH delegation, Business Concept Proposal forms were sent to the local business groups in San Carlos for possible business partnership with the FCCH delegates. The following is a summary of the project proposals collected by the SCDBI secretariat:

1. San Julio Realty, Inc.

Fiesta Conference Inn

A Motel type Inn of 24 rooms expandable to 6 sites in Barrio Fiesta Restaurant.

P50 M

2004-2006

2. San Julio Realty, Inc.

Vista Resort Hotel

50 Room Hotel with facilities for Weddings, Large parties, etc.

P100M-P200M

2006-2010

3. San Julio Realty, Inc

Leisure Facilities Operator

To take over management of Vista Hotel and Fiesta Conference Inn with option to operate whole Sports and Leisure Complex.

P10 M

2004-2006

4. San Julio Realty, Inc

Warehouses for SEZ and for Commerce in Business Park

Property company to build warehouses in the San Carlos City Special Ecozone and for Commerce in Business Park

P250 M

2006-2010

5. Gamboa Hermanos, Inc.

Root Crop Growing, Processing and Export

Growing of various tropical crops & processing into powder, paste or other processed form for export.

P50 M

2004-2006

6. Gamboa Hermanos, Inc

Asian Vegetable Production, Packaging and Export

Export of Asian vegetables, spices, etc. to Hawaii, Guam and mainland U.S.

P50 M

2006

7. San Julio Realty, Inc.

City Entertainment Center

An Entertainment Center that will house two or three movie homes, bowling alleys, billiards, etc.

P100 M

2004-2006

8. San Carlos Development Board

Key Locator Search

Developers willing to donate or no cost lease for 50 years to major key locator in the Ecozone or other areas.

P200 M

2006 onward

9. San Julio Realty, Inc.

Broker for Business Park and residential lots

Broker for Business Park, residential lots in South Villa expansion areas, and future Fortuna Park Tourism Zone, offering 5% commission for lots sold.

Varying

Immediate

10. Judito Medina Salvador

Mountain Resort

Mountain Resort with complete facilities for Convention & other major functions and with an overlooking view of the city.

11+ hectares

1 – 1 ½ years

11. Woodland Stroll Upland Resort

Woodland Stroll Upland Resort

Tie up with different tourism assistance to promote the resort worldwide.

10 Has.

2 years

12. Agbulod Sericulture Farmers Association

Expansion of Sericulture Program

Sustainable livelihood for upland farmers engaging in sericulture

20 Has.

3 years

13. CAFC

Charcoal Briquetting

For alternative source of fuel.

P 150K

1 year

14. City Government of San Carlos

Construction of Pinta Flores Activity Center

Will serve as venue for the Pinta Flores highlights and other celebrations and activities.

8,980 sq. m. floor area

365 working days

15. Kasipagan Association of Mothers’ Club

Marketing of Handcrafted products of the Association

To market handcrafted products in order to implement advocacy programs for a more economically capable and empowered Association.

US $ 20K

1 year

16. Dr. Jose Carlos L. Villarante – Rotary Club of Metro San Carlos

Multi-purpose Cooperative

A multi-purpose cooperative engaging in meat processing, food production and fish canning.

Small

2004

17. Rev. Tim P. Tapang

San Carlos News (Weekly Newspaper)

A weekly newspaper covering the area of Negros Island.

Small

2002-present

18. Mr. & Mr. Elias L. Combate, Jr.

La Costa Verde Beach Resort

Class A Beach Resort & Hotel Rooms/Pavilion & Restaurant, Fishing garden & swimming lagoon

Total Area – 6.749 Has.

Developed Area – 1.5 Has

Undeveloped Area- 5.+ Has.

3-5 years

19. Julio & Florentina Ledesma Foundation, Inc.

Post-Graduate Program and Strategic Research Center

Setting-up of a Post-Graduate Program for Managers & Technocrats leading to a Master & Doctoral Program as well as establishment of a Strategic Research Center for Management and Public Policy.

P40 M

2005 and beyond

20. JF Ledesma Foundation—Agricultural Productivity Training Center (APTC)

Food Processing and Marketing Support

High value crop food processing and cut flower contracting and marketing support.

P15 M

2004-2006

FCCH Delegates and Itinerary. Fifteen delegates arrived in San Carlos City last November 24, 2003. The following is the list of the delegates and their respective affiliation:

1. Vergel Adonis Small Business Advocate, City & County of Honolulu
FCCH President
2. Richard Agbunag Operations Manager, Romeo’s Construction
3. Harry Choy Consultant, Hawaii Food Products, Inc.
4. Brian Leslie Gray Owner, Self-employed
5. Roderick Medallon Broker, Capital Source One Realty, Inc.
6. Nilda A. Quindara Manager, Hawaii Food Products, Inc.
7. Pedro G. Quindara Job Developer, Dep’t. of Labor, State of Hawaii
8. Norman Oshiro Exec. VP/CEO, Hawaii Food Products, Inc.
9. Leticia Tesoro Saban Pres. & Gen. Manager, Diplomat Tours & Travel
10. Vladimir Saban International Consultant, Self-Employed
11. Ruby Sarmiento President, Atlas Tours & Travel
President, Atlas Shippers Hawaii
12. Rhodelia Soliven Sales & Marketing, Hawaii Food Products, Inc.
13. Gloria Sun Eng C. Uy President, Golden Coin Food Ind., Inc.
14. Manny Valin Valin & Co., Inc.
15. Dr. Myrna Valin Physician

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:28 AM

and here's more good news from kabankalan city in southern negros occidental..

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:30 AM

Kabankalan City to have an Airport soon
Publish Date : 27-07-2005 12:23:00 Source : Tourism Office

The city will soon have an airport. More investors and visitors are expected to come that will push up the economy of the city.

A 40-hectare site in Sitio Cabangahan, Brgy. Hilamonan has been picked up by the Air Transportation Office technical officers as the location for this airport.

ATO personnel have already visited Kabankalan and gathered data for the technical requirements for the proposed airport with an initial 1.8 kilometer runway.

City engineer Rogelio Diaz said the airport will initially cater to light aircraft and will have the capacity for airplanes similar to those that land at the Bacolod airport. This will be funded by the Kabankalan government with a counterpart from the provincial government.

The airport is being eyed to boost tourism and economic activity in our area, Zayco said. He said its construction will not be too expensive as the city government has the equipment for leveling the gravel runway. The mayor hopes the work on the airport will start this year.

Meanwhile, Gov. Joseph Maraon said the Kabankalan airport is targeted to be a domestic airport that can also cater to flights from neighboring countries bringing in tourists to southern Negros.

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Copyright © City of Kabankalan 2005

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:31 AM

with these results ... the province of negros occidental will have two domestic airports in ... san carlos city and kabankalan city...

and an international airport in Bacolod-silay

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:47 AM

BACOLOD CITY, February 26, 2005 (STAR) THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina The Philippine Star 02/26/2005

An enthusiastic hotelier was captured by television cameras yesterday chortling contentedly that the PAL Inter-Club Golf Tournament will mean at least P20 million in cash infusion into the Bacolod economy.

That, to a certain extent, affirmed the importance of sports in promoting tourism as capsulized by the recently concluded sports tourism seminar which saw PITC’s Obet Pagdanganan rooting enthusiastically for sports tourism.

Local hotels and pension houses are bursting to the seams. And many of the participants of the golf tournament are living in with host-families. After all, most of them are also related by blood or affinity to some of the local participants.

Actually, the Inter-Club tournament kicks off today in different venues. But the tournament week actually began last Thursday with the ceremonial drives at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club in Marapara, Barangay Bata. That signaled the start of the PAL Seniors Inter-Club’s 19th edition for players aged 55 and above.

PAL president Jaime Bautista led the tee-off. He was joined by Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod City), Mayor Esteban Coscolluela of Murcia, and Jose Ma. Zayco of the provincial government. Also, the group was joined by PAL executive Domingo Duerme, chairman of the Inter-Club.

The heads of the two host clubs — Dr. Toto Rivera of the Negros Occidental GCC and Ed Gasambelo of the Bacolod Golf and Country Club — also attended the ceremonies in Marapara.

The Luisita Golf and Country Club of Tarlac, headed by former Tarlac Rep. Jose Cojuangco Jr., the new team captain, is shooting for an unprecedented sixth straight championship.

The eyes of Negrenses are focused on the Negrense members of the Luisita team. They include Iggy Clavecilla, Carlos Gamban, Alex Montelibano, Francis Gaston and Richie Garcia.

Aside from Wack Wack, other local clubs challenging Luisita are the Alabang, Manila Southwoods and Villamor golf clubs.

There are also clubs from the United States, Canada, China, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan.

Tourism-oriented establishments are naturally looking only at the projected expenditures of the visitors and their families. But what may have escaped them is that several of the top business executives and investors joining the tournament have been busy talking business with some local partners.

Former vice governor Roy Gamboa, for example, was busy telephoning friends from Silay City to a closed-door meeting scheduled Friday with a group of balikbayans from the United States who are "interested in investing in land business ventures."

That may be a sideline impact. But overall that is something that the PAL Inter-Club may bring to the local community — potential business ventures.

That may explain why Sammy Palanca, president of the Bacolod Public Estate Development Corp. (BREDCO), raised last week the idea of putting up another golf club in Bacolod or in a nearby place. That could even be right at the BREDCO reclamation area which now boasts of the Port of Bacolod City.

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:50 AM

ATO to check Sipalay airstrips first, Cano says
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan

BEFORE chartered flights could be allowed, the Air Transportation Office will first conduct an ocular inspection on Sipalay City's two airstrips in Barangay San Jose.

Ricardo Tan, Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) assistant secretary, said the plan to use the airstrips for commercial domestic flights was forwarded to his office.

"It's good," Tan said.

He, however, added that ATO will first check the area to ensure the capacity and the capability of the mini-airport of then Maricalum Mining Corporation.

DoT Region 6 director Edwin Trompeta earlier said that Tourism Sec. Ace Durano contemplated on opening chartered flights from Boracay to Sipalay.

Also considered are flights from Manila to Sipalay, Cebu to Sipalay and Palawan to Sipalay.

The project will maximize the tourism promotion of the fine beaches in Sipalay, dubbed as haven of corrals in Negros.

Trompeta said he negotiated with the DOT and the MMC management on the airport project.

Governor Joseph Marañon lauded the plan that could be realized within this week.
"Sipalay may be the next Boracay Island in Western Visayas," said the governor.

With seven fine beaches, coves and beautiful corrals, Sipalay is being frequented by tourists.

Tan said their office and the ATO are also awaiting the official letter from Sipalay City Mayor Oscar Montilla Jr. on the use of airstrips.

kyle@1008

September 11th, 2005, 05:52 AM

okay I was wrong....

make that four domestic airports and one international for the province of negros occidental... does anybody now another city in the province opening another airport???

Sinjin P.

September 12th, 2005, 02:05 AM

BACOLOD CITY - Governors Joseph Marañon of Negros Occidental and George Arnaiz of Negros Oriental have signed the articles of incorporation for the foundation that will make Negros Island "Organic Food Island of Asia."

The two governors inked the article of incorporation at the Capitol here on Tuesday for the creation of Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation here.

Marañon said that by joining forces, the two provinces could do a lot.

"We failed to have an island region but we have realized a one-island project [that will create more jobs]," he said.

Arnaiz, for his part, said the foundation will carry out the vision of making Negros as "Organic Food Island of Asia," through the production of organic poultry, livestock, sugar and fertilizer."

The foundation is tasked to carry out the two provinces' sustainable agriculture and rural development program.

Last Aug. 4, both governors signed a memorandum of agreement for the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Program in the presence of President Macapagal Arroyo in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental.

Among its mid-term visions is to use 10 percent or about 80,000 hectares of Negros Island's agricultural land for organic production, said Edgardo Uychiat, a local businessman who is a member of the foundation board of trustees.

He said among its projects will be the Negros Agribusiness Processing Zone in Sagay City in Negros Occidental that will have a 170-hectare model site for sustainable development.

Alfredo Marañon Jr., the brother of Governor Marañon and former congressman of Negros Occidental second district, sits as president of the board of trustees.

Negros Oriental board member Pyrde Henry Teves is vice president. Pamela Henares and Nestor Jalandoni are secretary and treasurer of the board respectively.

Henares owns farm that produces organic products in Negros Occidental while Jalandoni is a businessman from Negros Occidental.

Four of the board trustees are from Negros Oriental. They are Provincial Veterinarian Antonio Mutia, agriculture officer Gregorio Paltingca, Valencia town Vice Mayor Deodoro Olasiman and Ernesto Quiamco of the Negros Oriental Investment Promotion Center.

The other members are Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Isidro Zayco, Uychiat and Australian Richard John Hughes.

Hughes represents the cattle breeders of the Northern territory in Australia where the cattle to be used for organic breeding will come from.

kyle@1008

September 15th, 2005, 04:52 AM

Exhibition introduces Dubai to a host of Filipino products
By: Glen Victor (Gulf Today: 10/7/2003)

PHILIPPINE manufacturers are displaying a host of household decor items at the Ambiente Arabia exhibition that opened at the Airport Expo on Monday.

Participating under the banner of Negrense Island Inc., (NII), the marketing arm of the Negros Producers Association, they are keen to utilise this opportunity to introduce Dubai to a host of products that are made exclusively in the Philippines.

"This is the first time we are participating in the exhibition and are confident of taping this market. We received a lot of inquiries from UAE buyers during our participation in exhibitions in Europe and we thought of coming here ourselves this time," said Maria Cecilia E. Gallaga, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of NII.

NII was created in the year 2000 primarily to undertake marketing activities for members of the Association of Negros Producers.

Since then, it has actively engaged in identifying, developing, marketing and consolidating shipment and documentation of goods from Philippine factories in various provinces to the rest of the world.

At Ambiente Arabia, there are eight manufacturers participating and are displaying handicrafts, fashion accessories, housewares and furnishings.

"We have nearly 100 manufacturers under our banner and we have eight here. We would have had more but this was a last minute decision and many had already made plans to exhibit elsewhere. The NII goes to exhibitions where producers do not go individually due to the expenses incurred," said Gallaga.

Speaking about the UAE, Gallaga said she was delighted by the cosmopolitan nature that can be seen all around.

"We are in love with the country. When we first came here we expected to see all products with an Arabic flavour. But moving around made us realise that the nature was a lot more cosmopolitan. Hence we feel this will be an ideal destination for products from the Philippines," she said.

One of the most interesting items on display at the Philippine pavilion are lamination products. "This is something that is new to this market and we are hoping to receive a big response to it. We have used shells, seeds, tree barks and anything that can be put together for the lamination products. A lot of the fashion accessories are also laminated using semi-precious stones mixed with indigenous products," she said.

NII is accepting combined orders from some or all of the eight companies covered under one documentation.

"The company attends to quality inspections of the participating factories, insures on-time delivery, and allows the buyer to save money under the single documentation scheme. The process also allows the buyer to purchase a basket of goods without the need for individual transaction from each of the companies," she said.

Based in the central Philippines, NII was established to select the best of the island's world class crafts, food and amenities and market them to the rest of the world through efficient trade and delivery systems.

"So far we have done pretty well marketing our products especially as we have been around for just two years. We have several projects lined up to continue our marketing strategy and exhibiting in Dubai is one of them. I am confident that we will do well and we will be able to get a bigger delegation to the next exhibition," she said.

Expressing happiness at the participation, Gil Herico, Philippine trade representative in Dubai, hoped that the products that are on display will appeal to those attending the exhibition.

"We have a very good response here and some of the finest products are on display. We will continue to make our presence felt in the country through our products," he said. The exhibition will conclude on Oct.9.

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Design and Administration by Eng. Milo Torres
copyright © Dubai, UAE

kyle@1008

September 15th, 2005, 05:03 AM

Bacolod City, Philippines Friday, August 12, 2005

ANP invites producers to make
souvenir items for SEA Games

The management of the Association of Negros Producers will meet with barangay-based producers and non-ANP members at 2 p.m. today at the ANP office in Lacson Street, Bacolod City, a press release from Bacolod SEA Games Organizing Committee said.

ANP officials Christina Gaston and Marivic Rio are inviting barangay-based producers in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental who are not ANP members to produce souvenirs and gift items for the 23rd Southeast Asian Games in Bacolod City on November 20 to December 5, it said.

The ANP has been given the rights by the Bacolod SEA Games Organizing Committee to produce and market these products and manage the 23rd SEAG Souvenir Shop to be set up in various games venues in Bacolod City, the press release added.

At least 2,000 athletes and officials are expected to arrive in Bacolod for the Games which is considered the biggest sports meet hosted by the city.

Bacolod will host the men's football, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, weightlifting and boxing events.

Interested producers may call the BaSOC at tel. nos. 432-1859 or ANP at 433-0252 for details.*

kyle@1008

September 15th, 2005, 05:17 AM

SILAY: THE PARIS OF VISAYAS

MANILA, December 23, 2002 By Tina H. Lapres - (9th Prize Winner, Philippine STAR Travel Now Essay Writing Contest, co-sponsored by Philippine Tourism Authority, Sun Village Boracay Resort and Smart Communications)

Barely 14 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Negros Occidental, or a mere 15-minute drive from Bacolod, lies the city of Silay. Dubbed in the 1920s as the "Paris of Negros," Silay has always been the acknowledged cultural and intellectual seat of the province, a distinction that persists up to now and which its officials and residents help to perpetuate.

Oldtimers love to talk about the old Silay, of how performers from Europe would come to perform in the town instead of Bacolod. Of how the strong voice of the Italian tenors would seemingly break the window panes. Our late father, during the last years of his life, would recall with undisguised pleasure how he and our mother would deposit the older children with our grandmother so they could watch the opera in the evening. Even in his old age, he remembered how the visiting Europeans would pick up and smoke the cigars discarded by the landed Silaynons.

From our father’s account, as well as those of the surviving members of that past generation, almost every house had a piano or a violin or both. The electronic age was ages away and entertainment for the family came from these musical instruments. This passion for music and the arts gave Silay – and the Philippines – its first international star: Conchita Gaston, the mezzo soprano who in the post-war years performed in major operas in Europe. Ms. Gaston was reportedly the first Filipina to cut a record in America. Up until her passing, she was a revered figure in her city of birth.

In later years, Silay would produce a National Artist for Architecture: the late Lindy Locsin who designed the palace of the Prince of Brunei, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philippine International Convention Center, and many other impressive buildings along Ayala Avenue in Makati.

Driving to Silay from Bacolod City, one notices that the four-lane highway suddenly narrows down to form a bottleneck as he enters the city. Soon enough, one gets a glimpse of the old houses and buildings that line this portion of the highway, or Rizal Street, which traverses the center of the city. Later, one learns that the continued existence of these structures is mostly credited to a motley group of Silaynons who had the sense of history to work against their destruction in the 1970s.

Fully convinced that these houses and buildings, as well as the other ancestral houses in the city, were worth fighting for, the nucleus of what was to become the Silay Heritage Foundation went around getting signatures and effectively putting a stop to the ongoing street-widening project of the government. It is a testament to the foresight of these men and women that these landmarks were spared from destruction in the name of progress. Today, these ancestral houses and buildings form part of the charms of the city, attracting foreign and domestic visitors.

In recent years, two of these ancestral houses have been turned into lifestyle museums that give a glimpse of what life was like for the so-called sugar barons of old: the Balay Negrense on Cinco de Noviembre Street, and the Don Bernardino-Ysabel Jalandoni House Museum on the northernmost end of Rizal Street.

Balay Negrense was home to Don Victor Gaston, eldest son of Yves Germaine Leopold Gaston, the Frenchman who came and settled in a place called Buen Retiro in Silay during the latter part of the 19th century. Yves Gaston, who previously worked as a technician in a sugar farm in Batangas, was largely credited with the development of the sugar industry in Northern Negros. Perhaps it is also safe to say that it was this older Gaston and his descendants who imbued the then pueblo of Silay with the unmistakable French flavor, giving rise to the Paris of Negros tag.

In the 1980s, when Negros Occidental suffered from its worst economic crisis, the Gaston house was deserted and left to the elements. For many years it remained unoccupied and neglected, its sorry state resulting in stories about it being haunted. Now restored to its former glory with the help of the Department of Tourism, the century-old Gaston mansion, now called Balay Negrense, is being run by the Negros Cultural Foundation.

The first to be declared a National Historical Landmark in the City of Silay by the National Historical Institute on November 6, 1993, the two-storey residence of the late Don Bernardino and Ysabel Jalandoni is typical of the opulent houses of the early 20th century. Built in 1908, the well-preserved house was constructed with materials meant to last a lifetime, with the hardwood coming from faraway Mindoro.

Although one cannot see the resemblance, the design of the house is said to have been influenced by the native nipa hut. Its steel-trayed ceiling, on the other hand, was molded in Hamburg, Germany. Run by the Silay Heritage Foundation, a non-government organization, the Pink Museum, as the Jalandoni House is sometimes referred to by locals, occasionally serves as the venue for cultural, educational and artistic activities for Silaynons.

Just a short walking distance from Balay Negrense is another ancestral house that is similarly identified with the NHI marker. Owned by the late Manuel and Hilda Hofileña, this family abode was opened much earlier to the public, its main attraction being the private art and antique collection of son Ramon. Probably the biggest and most interesting in the province, Ramon’s collection includes works of contemporary artists as well as masters, among them Luna, Rizal, Amorsolo, Manansala, and Abueva.

An avid art connoisseur, Ramon Hofileña used to bring art exhibits to this city, perpetuating in the process the image of Silay as the center of the arts. He also conducted printmaking workshops for the young in the family house, with the hope of discovering yet another artist. A visit to Ramon’s collection, and with him providing the annotation, can be very educational, and never fails to impress visitors.

These three notable houses – Balay Negrense, the Bernardino Jalandoni house-museum, and the Hofilena ancestral house cum art gallery – have been featured in glossy magazines and lifestyle sections of major papers. Along with the 30 or so ancestral houses of varying designs and architecture, they have earned for Silay the unofficial tag as Museum City.

Some sectors may lament what they consider as obstruction to progress, but these vintage structures are attracting visitors to the city. They have also, in the words of a National Historical Institute official, given Silay the "soul" that is sadly lacking in many modern cities.

In contrast to, or perhaps complementing the ancestral houses, the San Diego Pro-Cathedral must be one of the most beautiful modern churches in the province. Built in 1925 and designed by an Italian, its domed architecture resembles that of the basilicas of Rome. Like the old award-winning plaza that in the 1970s was sacrificed in the name of beautification, the Pro-Cathedral evokes images of Europe and its old-world charm.

Another tourist come-on of Silay, though of a different kind, are the "dragons" of the Hawaiian-Philippine Company, one of the 15 sugar mills that can be found in the province. Used to transport sugarcanes as well as bags of sugar, these vintage steam locomotives are among the oldest remaining steam locomotives in the world. Railway enthusiasts from Australia, Japan, and Europe, have visited this sugar company in their desire to see the Baldwins and Alcos, to photograph them as they perform their task during the milling season, and most importantly, to experience a ride on one of them.

Other sugar mills are also hosts to these huge machines, although they have mostly been replaced in sugar operations by diesel-fueled locomotives for economic reasons.

Remarkable as they are, the ancestral houses, art collection and museum pieces are not Silay’s only tourist attractions. Thirty-two kilometers east of the city is Patag Valley, which in the last remaining months of World War 11, was the last stronghold of the Japanese Imperial Forces. For this reason, Japanese – as well as American – war veterans make sentimental journeys to this historic place. These memorial tours peaked in the late ’70s and early ’80s when then Tourism Secretary Jose Aspiras institutionalized the Reunion for Peace. The project encouraged former enemies to come together and to visit scenes of battle where comrades lost their lives.

Today, Patag is more than just a historical site. Surrounded by mountains and blessed with a year-round cool climate, the valley with its hidden waterfalls and scenic beauty has been declared an ecotourism zone. Some local entrepreneurs have started building resorts in the area and it continues to be a favorite campsite for young scouts and plain nature lovers.

Known for its excellent food and pastries, Silay is a veritable gourmet paradise, a place where cooking and eating is an art to be savored and enjoyed. Here, family recipes are treasured and guarded like some valuable heirloom, to be brought out and served on special occasions.

It is said that piaya, probably the most in-demand take-home item or pasalubong, originated from Silay. So with the fresh lumpia ubod the city is also known for. The fame has so spread that sellers elsewhere, to convince an undecided customer, would claim that their goods came from Silay.

A visit to Silay will not be complete without a stop at El Ideal Bakery & Refreshment. Located just a few meters from the public plaza, El Ideal has built a reputation for producing excellent pastries, pies and breads. It seems this bakery had always been there, and it does not only count on visitors or tourists for business. Silaynons, as well as other Negrenses driving to the northern towns of Negros Occidental, invariably stop there for their favorites. Depending on the time of day, and the number of buyers who have come before, one will find freshly-baked pies, chocolate and cassava cakes, puddings, panara, empanada, piaya, an asssortment of cookies and the chewy meringue.

For the really famished, there is the nourishing batchoy and arroz caldo, or the halo-halo to beat the summer heat. Standouts among the bakery products, as far as visitors are concerned, are El Ideal’s buko and guapple pies, the last an original recipe of the bakery.

Established by the late Alice Villanueva family in 1920, the fame of El Ideal has reached other shores. Sometime in the 1980s, the British Broadcasting Corporation did a documentary film on Food and Eating Habits Around the World. Somehow the crew found its way to Silay and El Ideal was fortunate to have been included in that documentary, with the BBC crew filming the making of guapple tarts. The docu was later shown in the United Kingdom and in other Asian countries.

Another proof that Silay is indeed the place to be for food-lovers is the proliferation of the so-called manuglibod or sweet-sellers. These women – and a few men – go around carrying flat native baskets on their heads filled with all sorts of pastries and goodies. In the old days when there were just a few of them, the manuglibud would go around the town, calling out to the housewives and mothers who were mostly home in those days. Untying the katsa or white cloth that they knot around the basket, children would then be made to choose from the variety of offerings from the well-stocked kalalaw or bilao.

Today, the Silay sellers do not confine their selling to their hometown. In the morning one sees them gathered in a place near the public market, waiting for their suppliers to deliver their orders. From there they take the jeepneys to Bacolod and proceed to their respective "territories": a subdivision, a commercial bank, a school, or the Capitol, where they have become a familiar sight.

Like the El Ideal, the sweet sellers of Silay were also immortalized in that BBC documentary. So with the Hofileña ancestral house. They have also been featured in glossy magazines and travel articles. To be sure, more TV producers and filmmakers came after BBC to capture this aspect of Silay lifestyle. Cultural and historical landmarks, lifestyle museums, ecotourism sites, good food. These things, plus its proximity to the capital city, have drawn Filipino and foreign travelers to Silay. Convention time in Bacolod would invariably find Balay Negrense, Jalandoni House-Museum and the Hofilena ancestral house, swarming with the participants on a pre- or post-convention tours. El Ideal’s products are also gobbled up in minutes.

Fortunately for Silay and its people, the local government sees what tourism can contribute to the economy, and have responded positively to the call of the times. A tourism and a cultural office are now in place to take care of tourism-related activities. There is the Kabataang Silay Ensemble and Rondalla, a school-based group of dancers and musicians who have earned honors here and abroad. Dubbed the Young Ambassadors of Silay, they contribute to the image of Silay as seat of culture with the excellence of their performance. To ensure its continuity, the city government conducts a one-month workshop every summer to prepare replacements for the graduating members.

Like the rest of the province, the city has developed its own festival called Kansilay which spices up the annual fiesta in November.

Local entrepreneurs, like Aquilles Baldevia, have ventured into the hotel and restaurant business, providing much-needed facilities for those who want to imbibe the special ambience of the city by actually living in it, if only for a few days. Last summer Baldevia opened his latest project – a resort near the sea complete with a regular-sized swimming pool, picnic sheds, and cottages for overnight visitors.

In a few more years, an airport of international standard is expected to rise in Silay. This will – hopefully – enable the city to live up to its new title. Not anymore as the Paris of Negros or the Museum City, but to its 21st century distinction bestowed by the Department of Tourism: One of The 25 Top Tourist Destinations in the Philippines.

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rustyboi

September 15th, 2005, 05:18 PM

TeleTech to expand to Dumaguete City
By MARICEL E. ESTAVILLO, Reporter

US-based call center firm TeleTech Customer Care Management Phils. will build 200-seat facility in the next 18 months in Dumaguete City in central Visayas.

Once set up, TeleTech will be the first call center locator in Dumaguete City, a university town which counts Silliman University among its tertiary schools.

"We chose Dumaguete City because of its superior workforce and highly developed telecommunications infrastructure," TeleTech Philippines vice-president and general manager Craig Reines told BusinessWorld.

In a separate interview, Dumaguete City mayor Agustin Perdices said the local government is considering the "exclusivity" request of TeleTech that will prevent other call center operators from entering Dumaguete City.

Mr. Perdices said TeleTech is looking to lease two floors of a three-story building inside the city and will eventually renovate to expand the facility.

Last week, the city council of Dumaguete passed a resolution granting TeleTech a first mover incentive status for four years beginning in 2005. Under the incentive program, the City will support TeleTech in recruiting qualified candidates and in promptly securing government certification and permits.

"We are grateful to the Dumaguete City Council and the Oriental Negros provincial government for inviting us to Dumaguete City and for offering us an attractive incentive Program," said Mr. Reines.

With 4,000 call center agents to date, Teletech has:

a 7,000 square meter and single-floor building at the Bay City in Pasay City, southern Metro Manila;
an exclusive partnership agreement with ePLDT Inc. on Vocativ Systems, Inc. (VSI) at the Hatch Asia building in Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Muntinlupa, also in southern Metro Manila; as well as
a facility inside the Gokongwei-owned Robinson’s Place in Novaliches, Quezon City, northern Metro Manila.
Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, TeleTech Holdings Inc., the mother company of the Philippine subsidiary, has a global network that extends across 64 management centers through North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America. It offers call center solutions to a variety of industries, including automotive, communications and media, financial services, government, healthcare, logistics, retail, technology and travel.

sugarboy

September 15th, 2005, 06:08 PM

okay I was wrong....

make that four domestic airports and one international for the province of negros occidental... does anybody now another city in the province opening another airport???

To date, people still conclude that Silay will be an international airport. Lest we be misinformed, Silay will actually have an airport of international standards. This again does not mean that international flights will be jetting into Silay.

kyle@1008

September 16th, 2005, 01:06 PM

that's just phase one... phase two is expansion... to accomodate international flights

kyle@1008

September 16th, 2005, 02:19 PM

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

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Festival Dates : October 1-19, 2005
City Charter Day Anniversary: October 19, 2005

Organizers:
Silver MassKara Festival Organizations, Inc.
in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and Arts.

Festival Framework:
With the SEAGames coming up in November, MassKara Festival 2005 will have a Southeast Asian flavor to it. This will implement in the major activities of the festival which will accent on "The Masks of Southeast Asia"

MassKara Dance Parades:
Friday, October 14, 2005 - Schools Category
Saturday, October 15, 2005 - Barangay Category
Sunday, October 16, 2005 - Open Category
(Invitations are being sent out to SEA nations to tie-up with the entries or send cultural troupes to the city that will showcase their masks or cultural flavor)

MassKara Festival Queen Beauty Pageant:
Pageant Night: Thursday, October 13, 2005
Talent Night; Sunday, October 10, 2005

Pasundayag sa MassKara
MassKara Fantasy Costume Show - Monday, October 17, 2005
A parade of MassKara fantasy costumes designed by budding and veteran designers of Negros Occidental. Araneta Street, 7 p.m.
Street Party/ Concert follows

Majika MassKara
MassKara as Art: A show of masks designed by Negros Occidental's biggest names in art spearheaded by Charlie Co, Nunelucio Alvarado and Dennis Ascalon of the Black Artist in Asia, Inc. Gallery Orange, Mandalagan, Bacolod City. October 5 to 31, 2005.

Countdown to Charter Day Mardi Gras Party - October 18, 2005 - 8 p.m.
Biggest Street Party ever held in Bacolod: Araneta St., from Corner Libertad to the Plaza will be closed. Bands will play at intersections. Giant screens will b set up. 67 seconds mass countdown to October 19. Light show and fireworks. Church bells will peal as crowd sings Happy Birthday, Bacolod!

Festival Sites
Reclamation Area and Bacolod Public Plaza will have beer and food kiosks, special events, concerts, street parties, product demos, food tasting, etc. There will be two MassKara dance performances - at the Paglaum sports complex before the parade starts and at the public plaza and will exit to the reclamation area. (Each contingent will dance at the Paglaum before going out for the parade)

MassKara Sugar Show October 1-19
A show on everything about sugar: from pasalubongs to socio-economic projects.

MassKara Sugar Tours October 1-19
A tour of sugar-based pasalubong makers as well as landmarks in the making of sugar: a plantation, an hacienda house, railcars, a sugar mill.

Note: MassKara Dance Parade and MassKara Festival Queen Beauty Pageant
are fixed dates. All other activities will be on Oct. 1-19, 2005.

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For More Information
E-mail: masskara2005@yahoo.com
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