Lifestyle

The Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition & Conference (VIVA ExCon) 16 that opened virtually on Sunday, November 8, recalibrated itself for the celebration of its 30th year of unimpeded continuance. Given the reality of the 2020 pandemic, the limitation imposed by necessary precautionary measures and the impact of such on the mindset of artists, VIVA ExCon 2020 has recalibrated the festival design to engage creative spirits in a virtual dynamics that is interactive, online and will bring together the creative community to rise to the challenge of the times.VIVA ExCon is a Visayas-wide biennale which was started by the art group Black Artist in Asia in 1990 in Bacolod City and whose hosting has since then toured the Visayan Islands every two years without fail.  It h...

A businesswoman from Bacolod City this week was the first Filipina to win the prestigious Qatar Woman Leader Award in recognition of her contributions to the Middle Eastern country’s economy.Clairevee “Aya” Gamboa, who has founded several businesses in the Middle East, was presented the award virtually by CMO Asia, at the World Women Leadership Award Congress and World Marketing Congress in Qatar.Gamboa, who has been in Bacolod since the COVID-19 pandemic broke, thanked the award-giving body for recognizing her contributions to Qatar’s economic diversity by “advancing a world-class hospitality, brand creations, business development” and her contributions to its “national security during its time of challenges”.“Being the first Filipina consultant in the Middle East to be recogn...

Some of the Finding Bon Marco cartoons*Bon Marco, the lemon Beagle*A series of cartoons about finding a mischievous lemon colored Beagle named Bon Marco has become a hit among social media followers of a Negrense retired college professor during the COVID-19 pandemic.It has also helped raise funds to buy meals for undernourished children and typhoon victims.The “Finding Bon Marco” series by Bugsy Lopez Bongco, 63, who taught accounting and auditing at Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod and the University of St La Salle in Bacolod City, are posted on Facebook and Instagram twice a week.The cartoon series used to be on her personal Facebook account, but as followers grew Bongco recently decided to start posting the Finding Bon Marco game on the FB page called The Legal Beagles.B...

The resident butterflies in the garden of Romana de los Reyes* A Christmas butterfly tree of Golden birdwings butterflies*A Common Leopard butterfly Christmas tree*Romana delos ReyesA retired professor has dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic with ease, thanks to a butterfly garden in her yard that has filled her world with the colorful wonders of nature.Romana de los Reyes, 74, who was director of the Institute of Philippine Culture, a social science research institute of the Ateneo de Manila University,  lives in her retirement home in Barangay Balingasag, Bago City.  “My garden began in 1997 when I decided to retire at 50,” she said.Among the flowers blooming in her garden are the kuisia with yellow flowers which local vendors call Ms. Philippines, the not-so-commo...

Photos courtesy of Bea CruzA budding Negrense fashion designer’s dream to make her mark in the international scene has come true.Bea Cruz from Victorias, Negros Occidental, did that by winning two major awards at the 14th International Virtual Art Renewal Center (ARC) Salon Exhibition and the Fashion Week San Diego in California.Cruz, who has a shop at 123 East Building along the Circumferential Road in Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City, won first place as top Fashion Week San Diego 2020 designer on October 17.She also bagged the Art and Beauty Behind Fashion best team award.The ARC Salon Exhibition was hosted by Sotheby’s New York.“The award I won from Fashion Week San Diego was my first win,” she said.“I was really surprised because I’ve always envisioned my w...

The ‘Star of Hope’ reminds one that faith overcomes fear, and courage sees one through crisis.*Christmas balls made from discarded Nespresso capsules.*Christmas is in the air at the Negrense Volunteers for Change as it artisans prepare for the holidays.The NVC “elves” are again working on Christmas ornaments from recycled materials to raise money to continue their mission to provide meals for malnourished children and create vegetable gardens to produce food for the poor who have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Among NVC’s newest ornaments this year is the “Star of Hope” made from scraps of the 17,040 PPE gowns NVC Foundation made and distributed to frontliners for its “Combat Covid-19” campaign, NVC president Millie Kilayko said.“This new ‘Star of Hope’ he...

Actress Assunta de Rossi, who is married to former Rep. Jules Ledesma (Neg. Occ., 1st district) gave birth to a baby girl Friday, October 23.The baby has been named Guilia Florentina Alessandra, and her nickname is Fiore, which means flower in Italian.The couple were married in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental in 2002, and Fiore is their first child.Assunta’s sister, Alessandra , posted a photo of her sister with the baby shortly after she was born. (Photos from posts of Alessandra and Assunta de Rossi)

Former Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, Maj. Dranreb Lansang and their twins.*Former deputy speaker of the House, Mercedes Alvarez, has given birth to twin boys.Alvarez, 38, who served as representative of the sixth district of Negros Occidental for three terms, said yesterday that she and her husband, Maj. Dranreb Lansang, 37, named the twins Genaro Francis and Benjamin Asher.The twins were born on September 3 to the couple who have been married for four years.Genaro is the name of her father and Francis of the pope, while Benjamin is name of the father of her husband and Asher means blessing, she said.Alvarez currently works as the chief of staff of her father Rep. Genaro Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District).It’s fun having twins but of course the work raising them is twic...

BY CARLA GOMEZThe Negros Season of Culture (NSC), a global messaging platform that will promote Negrense heritage and culture through a website, will be launched on November 5, its creative director Alan Gensoli said Wednesday.The NSC is a project of the Angelica Berrie Foundation that is also on Facebook and Instagram.Negrense multi-awarded actor and art ambassador Joel Torre.“We are living in an extraordinary time, in the midst of a global pandemic, in a moment of radical disruption. Our messaging is focused on the future. We want to inspire hope and tap into the creative spirit that has always been part of who we are as Negrenses,” Baba Torre, president of the foundation, said.The website will have five editorial categories - heritage homes, handicrafts, food, cu...

Photos from Capt. Joseph PartidasA police officer of Isabela town in Negros Occidental raffled off his painting to build a house for a senior citizen.Captain Joseph Partidas, chief of police of Isabela Municipal Police Station, said his team had been helping out 72-year-old Raymundo Remilla of Barangay 5, whose house needed repair, however, they needed funds for the project.When he checked on the senior citizen himself one day, he saw his painting materials sitting at his car trunk, and that gave him the idea to paint for a good cause. He added he did not want to ask money from the stakeholders.He said it took him two weeks to complete the “Ruins of Isabela” painting.He said he has to do the painting after his work, but there were days he could not even paint because he...