Bacólod Heritage Watch

[SugarFreak]

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL Is a province teeming with national treasures, arts and cultural heritage sites. And it is for these reasons, among other things, that the region was chosen as special focus year by year.

[SugarFreak]

Brief History



The island of Negros was originally known to the natives as "Buglas". When the Spaniards discovered the island in April 1565, they named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found. Two of the earliest native settlements were Binalbagan and Ilog which later became towns in 1573 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, Bago, Marayo (now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan) and Candaguit (a sitio in San Enrique).

Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later transferred to Himamaylan. Bacolod became the capital in 1849.
The island was divided into Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental in 1890.
On November 5, 1898, a rebellion led by Juan Araneta and Aniceto Lacson began which ended with the defeat of the Spaniards. Following their victory, the revolutionaries formed a Republic of Negros which later included Negros Oriental.

Negros del Norte was created from Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986. Its creation was declared unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and was abolished on August 18, 1986.

[SugarFreak]

Papa Isio

Dionisio Seguela, more widely known as Papa Isio (Hiligaynon, Isio the Pope), was the leader of a group of babaylanes (shaman) who were, as conjectured by Modesto P. Sa-onoy, recruited from the remnants of the followers of Dios Buhawi upon the dissolution of his group under the poor leadership of Camartin de la Cruz during the years prior to the onset of the Philippine Revolution.[1]

According to Sa-onoy, Seguela's nom de guerre, Papa Isio, was partly dictated by the religious thrust of his revolt against Spain and the Catholic religion it championed. The title "Papa" was a repudiation of the Pope's (Santo Papa) authority - which Seguela then appropriated upon himself. This particular group of babaylanes were organized by Seguela in 1896 in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental.[2]

Seguela was the son of migrants from Panay, who cleared a small piece of land in the forests of Himamaylan. In his younger years, Papa Isio witnessed the loss of their small landholding to the marauding sugar barons of Negros. Fusing religion with agrarian reform and nationalism, Papa Isio called for the removal of non-Malays from Negros and the division of the land among the natives. It is contended that Papa Isio responded to the Philippine Revolution which was began in August 1896 by Andrés Bonifacio. The group of babaylanes was said to have adopted "¡Viva Rizal!" (Spanish, "Long Live Rizal!"), "¡Viva Filipinas Libre" (Spanish, "Long Live a free Philippines!") and "Kamatayon sa Katsila" (Hiligaynon, "Death to Spaniards!") as their battle cries.[3]

While Filipino revolutionary General Miguel Malvar, widely acknowledged to be the last leader of the Philippine Revolution to surrender to the Americans, actually capitulated on April 16, 1902, Papa Isio gave up his struggle very much later - on August 6, 1907. Finally cornered by government forces, Isio Papa surrendered to an American officer, Lieutenant J. S. Mohler.[4] At first, he was sentenced to death, but the punishment was later mitigated to life imprisonment. Papa Isio died in New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa in 1911.[5]

Babaylan

The Babaylan is a term identifying an indigenous Filipina (mostly female) healer, shaman, and community leader. "The babaylan in Filipino indigenous tradition is a person who is gifted to heal the spirit and the body; a woman who serves the community through her role as a folk therapist, wisdom-keeper and philosopher; a woman who provides stability to the community’s social structure; a woman who can access the spirit realm and other states of consciousness and traffic easily in and out of these worlds; a woman who has vast knowledge of healing therapies".[1] In addition to this, a babaylan is someone who "intercedes for the community and individuals" and is also someone who "serves." Any study of the Babaylan must take into consideration the suppression of the babaylanic practices since the onset of European and American colonialism in the Philippines.

Prior to, during and after the Philippine Revolution of 1896-1898, the babaylanes of Dios Buhawi and Papa Isio of Negros Occidental participated in the struggle to throw off the Spanish yoke. Their primary agenda was religious freedom and agrarian reform; most followers of the babaylan tradition were dispossesed land owners thrown off their property by the Spanish hacienderos and in some cases by Spanish friars bent on acquiring land.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[SugarFreak]

Negros Occidental to host 1st National Arts Fair



Negros Occidental will play host to the First National Arts Fair to be held on February 28 to March 4, 2007 here in Bacolod City. This five-day event, held in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and Arts, the Negros Cultural Foundation, and the Province of Negros Occidental, will gather gallery owners, collectors, art brokers and artists around the country. Aside from being an avenue for gallery owners and artists to display and sell their artworks, the event will also feature a series of symposia on art-related topics, experts and leading patrons will give talks about various issues; workshops and demos intended to enhance skills related to art and arts management; and experiences including performances and alternative artistic endeavors. Please visit the website of The Negros Museum for details at www.negrosmuseum.org.

[SugarFreak]

Arts month celebration ends
IN ESCALANTE CITY

A cultural show capped the National Arts Month celebration on the theme "Ani ng sining, yaman ng lahi," in Escalante City, Negros Occidental recently.
The month-long celebration, that culminated in time for the 6th Charter Anniversary of the city, was spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, city tourism, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation, MCC Shakespeareans Club and the Association of Barangay Captains.

Festival Director is Brenda Fajardo. Also held were creative writing and visual arts workshops with Dr. RJ Baldonado and Antonio Tejado as resources speakers; seminar-workshop on basic museology and cultural mapping; and theater presentation of the Mabini National High School Cultural group and Alternative Learning School.

Present at the closing event were Mayor Santiago Barcelona, Jr., with city officials Ester Ampil of the Tourism Development, Alicia Barcelona of the Committee on Women and Children, Education and Culture, among others. source

[SugarFreak]

Altar of Saint Joseph Church a once described this as the Church of Angry Christ.


Victorias City ceiling of Church of Angry Christ.

[SugarFreak]

Bacolod PALACIO EPISCOPAL- (The Bishop’s Palace).
Older than the San Sebastian Cathedral by approximately 50 years,
the Palacio Episcopal was built in 1830 by Fr. Julian Gonzaga but
was eventually finished only in the 1890's. During and after the r
evolution of November,1898, the Palacio served as the refuge
for Spanish military and civil officials.

[kyle@1008]

How about this, Industrial heritage that is well preserved and still being used for its original functions

The Iron Dinosaurs of Negros











steam Locomotives at Hawaiian Philippines Co. or known as “Iron Dinosaurs” are among the oldest in the world.

they have been and are still being used to haul sugar cane form the Haciendas down to the sugarmill

they are dozens of them in Negros Occidental, and tourists are allowed to ride them, provided they make arrangements...

[SugarFreak]

That's from Sagay City Hawaiian Central, right? dalawa yong Sugar Central nang Sagay.

This is from Central Azucarera de La Carlota of La Carlota City.
Ang Sugar Central ni Piolo Pascual sa Piling Mo!...

[SugarFreak]

More pictures of Azucarera De La Carlota Sugar Central



(Muscovado Mills)

[Sinjin P.]

Interesting thread

[SugarFreak]

'Ilongga' art exhibit set in Silay City

Seven Negrense women visual artists will hold their third Feminine Touch art exhibit entitled "Ilongga" at the Bernardino Jalandoni Ancestral House-Museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental from March 31 to April 15.

The exhibit will feature the works of Annette Feria, Dolly Gatuslao, Sony Golez, Beth Puey, Teret Arnaldo, Miriam Bayles and Chrysee Samillano. Opening reception is on Mar. 31.

The group held its last exhibit at the lobby of Sea Breeze Hotel in Bacolod City in October 2006. Interested parties may inquire from Chrysee Samillano at 09196307585, about details, or visit their website at www.femininetouch.tk. source

[kyle@1008]

The Provincial Capitol of Negros Occidental

















Three blocks north of the cathedral, bound by Gatuslao and Lacson Streets is the provincial capitol complex. This consists of the capitol building and an artificial lagoon in a spacious park, in front of it. The capitol was built from 1924-35, following the Beaux Art style favored by the city planner Daniel Burnham, who came to the Philippines early in the century upon the invitation of William Cameron Forbes, appointed as governor general in 1904. Burnham recommended William Parsons as consulting architect for the Philippine government. Parson arrived in 1905 and organized the architectural office of the Bureau of Public works in which were employed American and Filipino architects, including Tomas Bautista Mapua, Juan Nakpil, Juan de Guzman Arellano. The Bureau favored the Neoclassic style for government buildings setting a pattern for many provincial capitols.

Heritage features: The Bacolod Provincial is planned as an E. The central section is marked by a three story colonnade crowned by Corinthian capitals. From this central portion wings run parallel and come to a stop at wings built perpendicular to the central structure. Entrance to the capitol is through wide stairs equal in length to the colonnade. Three entrances lead to the central lobby. Directly in front twin staircases in tropical hardwood lead to the main session hall of the building on the second floor. Long corridors to either side of the lobby lead to the wings flanked by office spaces.

From the second floor secluded and narrow flights of stairs lead to an upper gallery (corresponding to the attic in the Neoclassical design) from which visitors could watch the proceedings of the provincial council.

Sculptures decorating the capitol and the adjacent lagoon are attributed to Guillermo Tolentino, national artist for sculpture.

[kyle@1008]

San Diego pro Cathedral, Silay City , Negros Occidental













Ruins of Spanish colonial church built of rubble and coral stand beside the present church. The old church was ruined by fire in 1926 but instead of rebuilding the damaged structure, the present church was built perpendicular to the ruins in the 1930s. Designed by an Italian architect named Lucio Bernasconi, the church was almost totally funded by the Ledesma family.

Heritage Features: The church is an interpretation of Romanesque and Renaissance designs. The prominent Roman arch of the façade is Romanesque, however, the twin bell towers and the dome over the transept crossing is Renaissance. The single-nave, cruciform church is flanked by aisles separated from the nave by a colonnade. Varnished hardwood altars decorate the interior. Floral elements decorate the reredos which are a harmonious blending of arches and niches.

[kyle@1008]

Bacolod Public Plaza and San Sebastian Cathedral




























The Cathedral


Built in 1876, the San Sebastian church become the nucleus of a new settlement which eventually became the present day City of Bacolod. The church was built upon the initiative of Fr. Mauricio Ferrero, a Recollect friar, and it become a cathedral in 1933. The San Sebastian Cathedral is today one of the century-old churches found in Negros Occidental. Located near Bacolod Public Plaza



The Plaza

The Bacolod Public Plaza was constructed in 1927 to complement the weekend cultural activities of the early Bacolodnons.

The Plaza has a rectangular shape land area with a forest type ambience, its north boundary is the San Sebastian Cathedral, Bishop Palace and La Consolacion College (LCC) along the street of Rizal, its south boundary is the Plaza Mart City Mall and various commercial buildings along the street of Gonzaga, to the west is the Reclaimation area the location of SM City Mall, BREDCO, Manokan Country and Bay Center, and to the east you will see the State Theater and various commercial establishments.

Inside the Plaza you will see beautiful fountains, monuments dedicated to heroes of World War II, a tree that was planted by famous Philippine President Manuel Quezon and many others.

If you have a good understanding about the Bible and believed that your religion is the right one, the only way to salvation, then exchange your idea or belief to the people of Public Plaza because in here you can find great bible debaters and philosophers.

[kyle@1008]

Maria Ledesma Golez House







Purchased by the Silay Branch of Republic Commercial Banking Corporation in 1992, the house was restored and was ready for occupancy by 1993. The house is an excellent example of architectural reuse. The lower floor of the house which was rented out to shops has been renovated to house a bank. The bank’s interior, though new, is done in a style consonant to the general design of the house.

Heritage Features: The residence is planned as a town house which combines living space on the upper floor with commercial spaces on the lower floor. Art Deco elements, especially in the archways, and the corner entrance and Classical motifs;masques and caryatid and lion heads decorate the house.

[SugarFreak]

SAN CARLOS CITY Borromeo Cathedral






100 and 8 years today. From the research of Emmanuel Luis Apuhin Romanillos. San Carlos City was still a Barrio Nabingkalan of Calatrava in 1892 when it received its first priest, Fr. Pedro Ulirete, OAR. Father Ulirete stayed only 21 days, the shortest assignment on record in the parish of San Carlos Borromeo. In this brief tenure, however, Fr. Ulirete was able to start the construction of wood and nipa church in a lot owned by Andres Bracamonte and the Broce-Apurado Family. Fr. Eusebio Valderrama, OAR succeded him. During his time, Catholicism flowered, as evidenced by tremendous marriages and baptisms recorded. Fr. Valderrama brought in the children for Doctrina Christiana instruction in a modest parochial school below the parish house. It was only in 1929, however, the arrival of Fr. Manuel Gomara, OAR, that the present Catholic was constructed. The concrete edifice rose on the generosity of the Broces and Ledesmas and other prominent families, haciendas and corporations. During his term, the Diocese of Bacolod was separated from the mother diocese of Jaro, to which San Carlos parish belonged, until the erection of the Diocese of Dumaguete on April 5, 1955.

When San Carlos City was proclaimed City in 1960, parish priest Fr. Victor Celiqueta, OAR was given coadjutors to assist in the spiritual administration of the expanded area. Father Celiqueta's departure in 1975 ended the long line of Augustinian Recollects in San Carlos.

The year 1975 saw a new secular parish priest, assistant parish priests and new programs for the parish. Father Elmo Vergara became the first diocesan parish priest with Fr. Alijandro Gronifillo as parochial vicar. The new parish priest and assistants joined in pulling together all efforts to facelift the physical appearance of church and in establishing a genuine Christian community, After them follwed other priests namely: Msgr. Benjamin Hiponia and his parochial vicars. The former priest program continued until the arrival of Msgr. Salvador T. Modesto, D.D. and late of Msgr. Tomas Avenido in 1984, and who was parish priest till the 1993. His administration saw the erection of the Diocese of San Carlos in February 10, 1988 with His Excellency Nicholas M. Mondejar as first bishop. The Cathedral became the see of the diocese. His parochial vicars before were Rev. Frs. Enrique M. Samson, Jr., then the Vicar General of the Diocese of San Carlos, Otillo Arriola, and Ricardo Pomar and Felix Martinito, newly incardinated into the diocese from OAR.

The Cathedral parish is now comprised of 18 center chapels in the rural areas and minor chapels in the urban area are grouped under the Cathedral. She also booted a total of 18 religious organizations and association of the Knights of the Altar and Lay Ministers. They formed the basic and fundamental unit of the Parish management which is the PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL, together with some person-appointees.

Then and now. The San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral parish in response to the thrusts of the local Church the Diocese of San Carlos, in here vision/mission statement, carried out varied activities by the WESTOY apostolate. Bringing this about are the priest and lay faithful of the parish with leadership and active involvement of the Parish Council. Before there were the core conduits, which served as implementing arms of the Council, such as the Parish Action Team Representing Religious Organizations against Lawlessness (PATROL), Marian Core, and Kapilya Core, under the leadership of Fr. Samson. Giving the apostolate boost were the assistants. Frs. Ariola and Martinito, in their respective apostolate.

The parish had till today a fully implemented tithing scheme. The funds are being handled by the PPC and tapped for catechetical program of operations. The parish then had a parochial newsletter called KATILINGBAN, until it became a diocesan one in 1991.

The Cathedral parish, under MSGR. Avenido's administration, flourished in faith and structural developments as the newly renovated rectory and office building for the efficient pastoral management of the parish, a beautiful Cathedral plaza, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto and the annexed prayer Sanctuary.

Memorably, the parish celebrate her centennial on 4 November 1995, the faithful were witnesses to the regular grace-filled diocesan and parish events in her domain, being the See of Diocese of San Carlos. Faith has mushroomed with the establishement of Gagmay ng Kristohanong Katilingban or Basic Ecclesial Communities.

The past composition of the Lord's shepherds were: Most Reverend Nicolas M. Modejar, D.D., Bishop of San Carlos and parish priest, Rev. Msgr. Enrique M. Samson, Jr. Vicar general and parish Rector, Rev. Fr. Rannie C. Veriña, Chancellor and parochial Vicar of the parish, Rev. Fr. Hermenegildo V. Limbaga, also a Parochial vicar. Clergy helpmates were Rev. Fr. Larry Martinez, Director Commission on Youth, Rev. Frs. Victor Valencia, Daniel Parcon, Otillo Arriola & Nick Domocol, all from the Seminary.

Active proponents of the parish apostolate today is the Parish Pastoral Council composed of religious organization and movements, center chapels or Gagmay'ng Kristohanong Katilingban.

[SugarFreak]

BACOLOD TOURIST IS FRIEND!!!



Tour Bacolod - 1
BACOLOD CULTURAL TOUR
Tour Bacolod - 2
BUSINESS / INDUSTRIAL and EDUCATIONAL TOUR
Tour Bacolod - 3
AGRICULTURAL AND GAMEFOWL BREEDING FARM TOUR
Tour Bacolod - 4
RELIGIOUS TOUR AND PILGRIMAGE
Tour Bacolod - 5
LGU BEST PRACTICES AND EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNANCE TOUR
Tour Bacolod - 6
BACOLOD- GATEWAY TO ADVENTURE NEGROS

Tour Bacolod - 1
BACOLOD CULTURAL TOUR
- Duration: 3 hours, with option as a day tour inclusive of areas outside Bacolod City
- The tour introduces you to the City of Bacolod landmarks and points of interest.

Churches:
San Sebastian Cathedral, Saint Jude Thaddeus Church, San Antonio Abad, etc.
Public Parks/ Plaza:
Bacolod City Plaza, Capitol Lagoon and Park, Pana-ad Park and Sports Stadium, Rizal Park
Museums:
Negros Museum and the University of St. La Salle Museum
Malls/Department Stores for Shopping
Masks, Souvenirs and Handicrafts:
Central Market, the Showroom of the Association of Negros Producers, other handicraft and mask producers.
Antique Shops/Art Galleries
Sports Stadium
Pana-ad Park and Sports Stadium, Paglaum Sports Stadium and school-based sports center.
Golf Courses and other Sports Facilities:
Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club, Bacolod Golf and Country Club, Badminton and Tennis Courts, sports club of exclusive subdivisions (by appointment)
Government Offices and Centers;
Bacolod City Hall, Provincial Capitol, Hall of Justice, others.
Food, Restaurants and ?eats?
Bacolod chicken barbeque or ?inasal? and the ?pala-pala? restaurants are a must. Native and international cuisine are available. Fast food chains and food alleys are all over the city. Souvenir food shops sell native delicacies like ?piyaya? and ?baye-baye?.
Spa:
Now abounds in the city. Services offered range from simple foot spa to a relaxing body scrub to healing massage, reflexology and aromatherapy.
Mansion and old houses:
Special arrangement. appointment with owners
Schools, universities and colleges that offer courses of specific interest to a particular group e.g. tourism, hotel and restaurant management.
Nature Center
The Negros Biodiversity and Conservative Center located within the city breeds and preserves endangered species until the animals are strong enough to be returned to their natural habitat.

TOUR OPTION
Outside Bacolod
Northern Negros tour goes to..
Silay City (15 kms.) for the Antillan homes or old houses and museums and delicacies. Or a ride on the old steam locomotives (by appointment and special arrangement)
The City of Victorias is included for a tour of the sugar mill and a visit to the Church of the Angry Christ. (37 kms from Bacolod)
Southern Negros tours goes to?
Bago City for the silkworm farm, museum, the Rafael Salas Nature Center and the
Eduardo Cojuanco Jr. Farm for the fruit orchard and cut flowers (48.5 kms from Bacolod
White sand beaches, natural flora and fauna towns and cities outside Bacolod.

N.B.
A Special itinerary for a specific group can be arranged depending on the time and group?s preferences.

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Tour Bacolod - 2
BUSINESS / INDUSTRIAL and EDUCATIONAL TOUR
Tours to various business, small and medium scale industries, hotels and restaurants, bottling companies and subdivisions can be arranged for specific students or business groups.
Call Centers (4) and Medical Transcription College
Bottling Companies, brewery, distillery and water refilling stations.
Ceramics and candle making
KINDLE CRAFT FACTORY
OBRA NEGRENSE
Central Negros Electric Cooperative, First Class hotels, Restaurants and Pensions,
Schools, colleges and universities offering
Courses of interest to the visitors or groups
Food, Delicacy-making shops
* Requests and appointments are subject to company?s action

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Tour Bacolod - 3
AGRICULTURAL AND GAMEFOWL BREEDING FARM TOUR
Agriculture Departments of two universities offering a course in agriculture
Cutflowers,Orchid Gardens and Organic Farms
OrchidGlo
Rene Dofitas Bloomington
Maribel Torre?s Garden Treasure
The Flower Place
Sweet Greens
Gamefowl / fighting cock farms
Piggeries and Poultry Farms Feed mills
Silkworm Farm and Silk Production (Bago City)
Fishponds and Fish Drying
Sugarcane Farms
Rice lands
Western Visayas Clonal Nursery
Provincial Plant Nursery
Vermicomposing farm
* Requests and appointments are subject to company's action

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Tour Bacolod - 4
RELIGIOUS TOUR AND PILGRIMAGE
The tour and pilgrimage especially for Catholics is a walking rosary to vie churches corresponding to the five mysteries. Ideal in October as the Holy Rosary Month.
Another tour is the Way of the Cross with each station said in different churches. Tour is ideal during the Lenten Season.
For non-Catholics, the tour is a historical, cultural and artistic experience that will enhance understanding of human faith and religiosity.
San Sebastian Cathedral- the main church' cathedral of Bacolod
Sacred Heart /Lupit Church
San Antonio Abad Church
Queen of Peace
San Nicolas de Tolentino
Barangay sang Virgin Church
Our Lady of Candles
* Healing mass be arranged

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Tour Bacolod - 5
LGU BEST PRACTICES AND EXCELLENCE IN GOVERNANCE TOUR
Bacolod City is proud to share with other local government units certain best practices and excellence in governance which are regional and national award winners; thus this combination of an official visit and learning tour for inter and intra-regional government officials /employees.
Courtesy call on the mayor
Interaction with local officials
Project Site Visits
Child Friendly Barangays
Solid Waste Management
Insumix Feeding Program
An Anvil Awardee and Regional Excellence in Governance Finalist
Program on Persons with Disability-A Gawad Apolinario Mabini Awardee
Employees Housing Program
National Finalist in the Best Peace and Order Council of the Philippines
Business, Agricultural, Religious, Cultural Tours to be arranged according to the Preferences of the group.

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Tour Bacolod - 6
BACOLOD- GATEWAY TO ADVENTURE NEGROS
Bacolod as the capital city of the Province of Negros Occidental is also the gateway to ex eco-tourism tours and adventures in the northern and southern parts of the province. Explore, experience and enjoy the following:
Mt. Kanlaon Volcano climbing, hiking or trailing ( in coordination with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office and LGU concerned)
SCUBA/ deep sea diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, banana boating or simply lazing in the white sand beaches north and south of the province.
Island hopping and island resort holiday in the northern part (80 kms. away)
SPELUNKING or cave exploration in the caves of the Municipality of Candoni (137 kms. South) and the City of Escalante (102 kms. north)
Mountain Resort hopping at Mambucal Resort 37 kms southeast of Bacolod and Buenos Aires Mountain Resort in Bago City, 21 kms. south.

Bacolod Tours
BACOLOD CITY TOURISM OFFICE
San Juan Street, Bacolod City
Tel No. (034) 434-6751 / 708-3066

[sugarboy]

Bacolod the bountiful

By Constantino Tejero
Inquirer
Last updated 01:17am (Mla time) 03/25/2007

MANILA, Philippines - The fabulous wealth of the fabled island of Negros has its source in its basically volcanic soil, which is ideal for agriculture, says a tourism guide. Eighty percent of its arable land is cultivated.

With the collapse of the textile industry in Iloilo in the 19th century, there was mass migration and movement of capital as the Ilongo elite flocked to this neighboring island across Panay Gulf and fueled the sugar industry.

Touted as the new frontier, the island also attracted Spaniards from Spain and Manila, the French, and people from the neighboring provinces of Cebu, Bohol and Antique. But what are now known as the Negrense hacenderos (sugar barons) are largely from Iloilo in origin or ancestry.

Those migrants from Panay infused not only capital into the booming industry of Negros but also brought along their culture, from cuisine to traditional crafts, language, music, dance. This is evident even to virtual outsiders who can hardly distinguish people from Iloilo from those of Bacolod yet can readily differentiate the Ilongos from their nearest neighbors in Panay (Capiz, Aklan and Antique).

Visitors may want to imbibe of Negrense culture after the Holy Week, when Panaad sa Negros festival will be celebrated in Bacolod on April 9-17. The city, entry point and capital of Negros Occidental, is 50 minutes by plane or 18 hours by fast ferryboat from Manila.

Phenomenal growth

Bacolod is a relatively young city. The island called Buglas was discovered by Spanish explorers and divided into encomiendas (Spanish colonial settlements) in the late 16th century, but it was not until the mid-19th century that the province experienced a phenomenal growth. Bacolod was then a small village along Magsungay River.

Says the guide: "The expansion of the sugar industry in the 1850s and the opening of the Suez Canal flooded Bacolod with European fineries and artworks. Baroque churches and sprawling mansions rose across the Negros landscape, and Spanish culture flowered in the tropics. Evidence of this can be seen in the downtown San Sebastian Church and in the ancestral homes of the Locsins, Lizareses, Aranetas, Gastons, Lacsons and other old families in Talisay, Silay and Bago."

A good way to start one's cultural tour is a visit to the Negros Museum, a neoclassic building on Gatuslao Street formerly occupied by the Ministry of Agriculture and converted by the Negros Cultural Foundation into a museum that houses not antiquities but stories of the Negrense.

Leisure and labor

Upstairs are displayed in dioramas, murals and archival materials the lifestyles of Negros' pygmy aborigines, pre-Hispanic natives, hacenderos and sacadas; models of the molino de sangre (primitive sugar mill producing muscovado), sugar-production laboratory, the typical plantation house; an archive of the hacendero's affairs; lines from folk songs inscribed on swathes of sheer fabric, such as "Ay, ay, Pagkakapoy!" (sung by the bone-weary sacadas) and "Dandansoy" (the original love song composed by Augorio Abeto in the 1930s).

One hall is divided into sections showcasing foreign influences on the natives: Spanish, American, British, Chinese, Japanese. The Spanish section has a photo of La Iglesia de Nuestra Sra. de Magdalena de Hinigaran, built in 1858, the oldest church on the island.

The American section has a locomotive which used to transport sugarcanes from the field to the sugar central. The Japanese section has design photos showing the influence of the Japanese garden and bathhouse in the construction of the Mambucal Summer Resort.

Artworks and artifacts

On the lobby is an authentic batil (small ferryboat) laden with barter goods from Iloilo. There's also a photo of the first airline in the country, the Iloilo-Negros Air Co., which the Aranetas, Lizareses, Santoses and Lopezes started operating in 1936.

In another room are heirloom pieces consisting of the three kinds of fan (silk, feather and ivory) respectively wielded by the doña according to the occasion; a 150-year-old dress of piña-jusi from the Montinola Silos family; mementos from the Kahirup Ball that Ilongos and Negrenses annually held in Manila Hotel before martial law; pictures of that legendary Negrense beauty, Susan Magalona.

There is a scale model of the original Luzuriaga Mansion, now the old City Hall. There is also a footnoted picture of Farmacia Locsin in Silay, where the Republica Cantonal de Negros was declared in 1899 by the revolutionaries with Gen. Aniceto Lacson as presidente - a republic that lasted for three months.

Downstairs is a gallery for changing exhibits, at this time showing artworks by Negrense artists Lino Severino, Jess Ayco, Larry Tronco and Eliazar Santiago. One hallway is adorned with photographs of the 54 churches built by the Augustinian Recollects in Negros.

Near the museum shop is the Jose Garcia Montelibano Gallery of International Folk Arts and Toys, a mazelike room touted as the biggest toy gallery in the country. It has 22,400 items ranging from dolls from all over the world to national costumes and playhouses. Museum assistant curator Raymond Bayot says it takes them two weeks to clean the pieces.

Culture high and low

The house of Bamboo Tonogbanua, an art instructor at La Consolacion College, has a similar display called Christmas Village, a roomful of kinetic miniatures celebrating Yuletide in snow country. Culture snobs may dismiss such as kitsch, but, really, it does not fail to impress.

Tonogbanua also has an impressive collection of artworks by the so-called Black Artists in Asia - Nunelucio Alvarado, Charlie Co, Dennis Ascalon.

Another epitome of folk art that doesn't fail to impress is the chapel in Sta. Clara Subdivision at Mandalagan (referred to as Bacolod's Forbes Park). On the central wall of the altar is a mural mosaic of a native Madonna in tapis carrying a Child Jesus with rosary, done in capiz-shell squares of varying sizes.

That and all the other mosaics and statuary of the Stations of the Cross, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Virgin of Guadalupe, the St. Joseph, the San Lorenzo Ruiz, and even the altar table are done in 95,000 squares of capiz shell in the 32 shades found off the Negros coast.

Barangay sang Virgen Chapel was designed by Norman Campos. The mural mosaic was created by Leticia Ledesma.

The rich and the famous

Trying to resist the flux of time and the vicissitudes of fortune are the hulking edifices dotting the Negros landscape, foremost of which are the heritage structures of Talisay and Silay.

Many of these mansions, such as the Aniceto Lacson House, also known as the Claparols Mansion, in Talisay, 7 km from Bacolod, may be crumbling now, but they have been duly recorded in films such as Lino Brocka's "Gumising Ka, Maruja" and Negrense Peque Gallaga's "Oro Plata Mata."

Balay ni Tana Dicang, or the Lizares Mansion, also in Talisay, shows a similar decrepitude, and the saddest part is, it hasn't been declared a heritage structure by the National Historical Institute yet.

And it contains treasures: Art Nouveau rosette wall ventilation of tindalo; Moorish window patterns; an angel of molave retrieved from the family cemetery and now guarding the stairway's descando(landing); Placido Mapa's desk; artworks, including early drawings by National Artist Arturo Luz.

Silay City, 14 km from Bacolod or a 20-minute ride away, is known as the Paris of the South for its 31 ancestral houses identified by the NHI. It is the hometown of National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin, opera singer Conchita Gaston, culture writer Doreen Gamboa Fernandez, Celia Diaz Laurel, Sen. Jose Locsin.

Silay's most famous landmark is the Church of San Diego, with its Romanesque architecture, silver dome and big clock. Even El Ideal Bakery itself is part of the Negrense cultural heritage - the Cesar Lacson Locsin Ancestral House, declared a heritage structure in 1993 by the NHI.

Living the good life

The Bernardino Jalandoni Museum, often referred to as the Pink House, was declared by the NHI as Silay's first National Historical Landmark. About 90 percent of the existing structure is still the original, from its ceiling of embossed metal sheets from Hamburg to its calado ventilation.

In the kitchen is a primitive refrigerator of hardwood lined with metal. In those days, 10 pounds of ice, brought by steamboats from Massachusetts, was delivered daily to the household for P5 a month (equivalent to P3,500 today).

On the stairway's caeda is a hardwood rack for hats and canes, carved in the form of the Mexican eagle. There is a 1910 rotary telephone at the top of the stairs.

The lampshade in the sala is of Baccarat crystal. The chamber pot in the bedroom is of precious porcelain from Europe.

There is, of course, the much-written-about Balay Negrense, the Don Victor Gaston Ancestral House, which was converted into Negros' first lifestyle museum in 1990, showcasing how sugar planters lived at the turn of the 20th century.

Enter this domain and see that those Negrense hacenderos weren't just boasting of their wealth. Why, they actually lived it.

[sydneygrrl]

I am such a big fan of this thread! Sorry to buhat our own bangko...