Lifestyle

The recent 6-day Bacolod Dancing Traffic Enforcers Challenge held from October 5 to 19 in Bacolod City ended with Hazel Nagar as the champion. The performances were held six times in three busy intersections of the city and every day there were three different judges. Event creator Toots Jimenez Jr . said having new judges for every performance really proved who among them would top the competition. Scores were accumulated to get the top three winners. Fourteen BTAO traffic enforcers qualified for the competition after the elimination process of 20 entries. "There was really fun on the road as drivers and commuters were amused with their dancing skills while on duty", Jimenez said. BTAO head P/Maj. Junji Liba inspired his personnel to deliver their traffic signaling ...

Jojie Dingcong (center, standing) with some of his volunteersChole Cuenca-Chua, Bing Villanueva, Ginnette Yanson-Dumancas and Bingbing Yusay-Sison (l-r) at Sugarland Hotel.* Big names from the world of entertainment, politics and society will be gracing the highlights of this year’s 43rd MassKara Festival. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and son, Vinny Marcos, along with Vice President Sara Duterte, plus a host of political stalwarts, top stars and celebrities will be at the MassKara Arena for the Street Dance competition this weekend. Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez and MassKara Festival national honorary chairman, Jojie Dingcong, were instrumental in bringing in the A-list celebrities that will put the festival on the map again, after m...

Bacolod will have its new queen crowned in a star-studded Miss Bacolod MassKara beauty pageant at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 19. Two former national beauty titlists, Billie Hakenson and Pauline Amelinckx will be hosting the pageant night and high profile personalities in the world of pageantry and entertainment have been invited to judge the event. Hakenson was Miss Universe Philippines 2020 fourth runner-up while Amelinckx was most recently crowned as Miss Universe Philippines Charity 2022. Rodney Ascalon, pageant director said winners of the tilt will automatically represent the city national beauty pageants. As such, most of the judges are known in the pageant circles, including this year’s Miss Universe Philippines 2022, Celeste C...

La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Nicor Mangilimutan with the Bailes de Luces dancers in South Korea.* Ronnie Baldonado photo The Bailes de Luces dancers of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, won the best foreign performer excellence award at the 2022 Chungjang World Festival of Recollection in Gwangju City in the Donggu District of South Korea, on Saturday, October 15. La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Nicor Mangilimutan who led the Bailes de Luces delegation said she was very happy that they won despite the difficulties they went through in raising the funds and availing of visas to join the festival. She also thanked the dancers for all the hard work they put into their performance. They won 2 million Korean Won (P81,738.6), the mayor said. Although the prize is not very much it ...

Rafael Paderna's towering sculpture "Rock On."* This year’s art offering for the 43rd MassKara Festival from the artists’ community in the Orange Project is a mix of the unknown and the reality. “Elemental Majica” which opens its doors on Saturday, October 15, is the most in-depth and wide-range collaborative exhibition of over 60 artists who worked ceaselessly for months to transport art lovers to a world of magic through art installations, sculptures, paintings, music, dance and an interactive AI installation from foreign artists, among others. Guest artists Juliana and Andrey Vrady with Charlie Co and Bong Lopue (l-r).* At the helm of it are artists, Charlie Co and Bong Lopue, the men behind Orange Project that has nurtured and provided space for local artists for almost tw...

Nanette Milabo, Board Member Rita Gatuslao, Dolly Gatuslao, and Marie June Castro (l-r) at the opening of an all-female art exhibit "Women Strokes" at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, Bacolod City Monday* The Feminine Touch artists launched a group art exhibit for-a-cause at the ground floor of the Ayala Malls Capitol Central, Bacolod City, Monday that will run until October 19. Titled "Women Strokes", the show features the works of Dolly Gatuslao, Genevieve Abeto, Miriam Bayles, Doreen Dofitas, Sony Golez, Pablita Nava, Patty Jane Ong, Sandy Solinap, Svetlana Sevilleno, Konica Faustino, Chin Guanzon-Romorosa, and Chrysee Samillano. Genevieve Abeto, Svet Sevilleno, Pablita Nava, Patty Jane Ong, Nenette Milabo, Board Member Rita Gatuslao, Dolly Gatuslao, Sony Golez, Doreen Dof...

Around 20 Traffic Enforcers of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) will showcase their dancing prowess while performing their traffic signaling duties in a competition at the corner of Lacson and BS Aquino Drive starting 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 5. Police Maj. Junji Liba, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office head, provided the list of contestants for the pre-qualification round, organizer Toots Jimenez Jr. said. This will be BTAO's participation in the Balik Yuhum MassKara Festival 2022, he said. The qualified entries will perform in a competition set October 7, 11, 13 and 17 with the finals on October 19. "We created this event in 2014 and 2015 and it was tagged by the Department of Tourism as a Road Tourism attraction. We are bringing this back again under the ad...

A flying man, in the installation, who is distinct from the other figures has his right hand across his chest and is dressed in a suit with the colors, the stars and the sun found in the Philippine flag. Six flying figures that look like superheroes form part of the installation art, “Soaring High: The Power of Imagination,” at the fountain in front of the Bacolod City Government Center that will be unveiled during the MassKara Kick-off Salubong 4 p.m. Friday, September 30. The installation art was conceptualized by artist Charlie Co in collaboration with Neil Benavente and 10 others for the 43rd MassKara Festival. The inspiration of Soaring High took its flight in Dubai where Co was one of the Filipino artists featured in the Dubai World Expo last year. “We are bringing t...