Jeremy Losbañes- San Miguel territory sales manager, George Jardiolin – SM City Bacolod Mall manager, Pinky Mirano- Ocampo – Bacolod Yuhum Foundation president, Jennifer Ann Fong- Megaworld Visayas vice president for sales and marketing and Rafael Jasper Vicencio – BingoPlus president (l-r) sign their MassKara memorandums of agreement.* Ronnie Baldonado photo
Four large firms signed up as major sponsors of the MassKara Festival in October at rites held Tuesday, September 27, “to bring back the smiles and boost the economy as Bacolod emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic”.
The representatives of San Miguel Corp., SM Prime Holdings Inc., BingoPlus and Megaworld Corporation signed memorandums of agreement with Bacolod Yuhum Foundation through its president Pinky Mirano- Ocampo, who is also the 2022 MassKara Festival director.
Jeremy Losbañes, San Miguel territory sales manager, said the beer firm has been a dependable and trustworthy partner of Bacolodnons and it believes it’s time to bring back the smiles to Bacolod after the COVID-19 pandemic.
George Jardiolin, SM City Bacolod Mall manager who represented SM Prime Holdings Inc., said they are supporting the MassKara because it is a festival that draws in national and international tourists.
“This is our opportunity to help revive the economy of Bacolod,” he said, adding that SM City will also be hosting MassKara activities.
Jennifer Ann Fong, Megaworld Visayas vice president for sales and marketing, said their township with the most beautiful avenue in Bacolod will serve as a perfect venue for the MassKara activities.
“We support the city and we’re very excited for this event, “she said.
Rafael Jasper Vicencio, BingoPlus president, said BingoPlus wants to be associated with the MassKara Festival and to bring back entertainment after the pandemic.
BingoPlus, is the first live streaming bingo firm in the Philippines, licensed by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and the flagship brand of Leisure and Resorts World Corporation’s subsidiary, AB Leisure Exponent Inc.
BingoPlus will also be running a MassKara raffle starting October 1 to 22, and prizes will be P100,000, P75,000 and P25,000 with the winners to be announced on October 23, he said.
Bacolod residents and festival visitors can log on to the MassKara website and click the BingoPlus logo to register to join, he said.
Mirano said with the help of the major sponsors, subsidies of participating barangays in the streetdancing and Electric MassKara competitions on October 22 and 23, respectively, will total P13 million.
Assistance to the 17 participating barangays in the streetdancing competition will be P500, 000 each with P300, 000 to be added by the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation to the P200,000 allocated by the city government, she said.
The grand prize for the street dancing competition will be P1 million, she said.
The 13 Electric MassKara participants will receive subsidies of P350,000 each, Mirano said, with P200,000 from the foundation and P150,000 from the city government.
The grand prize for the Electric MassKara is P300,000, she added.
They are trying their best to release the subsidies this week, Mirano said.
The MassKara Festival will kick off with a “Salubong” from 4 p.m. of September 30 to 1 a.m. of October 1 at the Bacolod City Government Center.*