Ten barangays and seven elementary schools are set to join the MassKara Festival 2025 arena and street dance competitions in Bacolod City in October.
The schools will perform on October 18, and the battle of the barangays will be on October 19, Dr. Bhadz Defensor, chairman of the arena and street dance competitions, said at a press conference on Friday, Sept. 19.
The performance order for the school category will be: Don Rodolfo A. Medel Sr. Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School, Andres Bonifacio Elementary School II, Asuncion L. Lizares Elementary School, Estefania Elementary School, Education and Training Center School I, and Paglaum Village Elementary School.
For the barangay category, the performance order will be: Barangay Handumanan, Barangay 21, Barangay 39, Barangay Tangub, Barangay 6, Barangay 29, Barangay Bata, Barangay 13, Barangay 11, and Barangay 7.
This year’s competitions will begin with the arena performances at the Paglaum Sports Complex, Nestor Guilaran Jr., director of the arena and dance competition, said.
The contingents will then proceed to the streets for the street dancing competition. All groups will then converge at the Bacolod Public Plaza for the announcement of winners and community dancing, Guilaran said.
Festival Director Rodney Ascalon said the format has been “flipped” to give both the arena and street performances equal energy and exposure.
“Instead of starting in the streets and ending in the arena, we begin at the Paglaum Sports Complex where contingents showcase their full performances, then bring the same energy to the streets,” Ascalon said.
“It allows both the judges and the public to experience the best of MassKara in two powerful stages of celebration”, he said.
Preparations at the Paglaum Sports Complex are already underway with support from the Negros Occidental provincial government, Ascalon said.
To support the participants, the Bacolod City government will provide subsidies of ₱750,000 for each barangay and ₱500,000 for each school.
Ascalon said the subsidies must be liquidated to ensure transparency and accountability.
Barangay Granada, which won for three consecutive years, will not be joining the competition to give others a chance, organizers said.
Barangay Bata, last year’s first runner-up, is seen as a strong contender for the chamionship.
Bata Barangay Captain Remus Abaring said their contingent has been practicing for two weeks already and is working hard for the competition.
However, he noted that the choreographer for Barangay Granada is now working with the Barangay Tangub contingent.
Barangay Captain Leonard Pascua said his Brgy 29 joined not just for the competition but in the spirit of unity.
“We will try to compete even if Barangay 13 is a small barangay. Residents are already very excited,” Barangay Captain Cecilia Chavez said.
Defensor said that revisions are being made to this year’s festival music following complaints from netizens. He said they will make sure there are no copyright violations.*