First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos flanked by Olivia Yanson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the Masskarade Ball.*Ronnie Baldonado photo
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, October 21, called on Filipinos from around the country to join Bacolod’s MassKara Festival.
Marcos, in a statement released by Malacañan Palace, said he invites “people from across the country to join in, explore unique places in the city, and meet new people along the way, as they may fill the great and urgent need to uplift our dispositions at this crucial time”.
“May the vivid colors and smiles so common and abundant during the festivities serve as declarations of resilience, even as we tackle our deepest concerns and overcome our greatest hurdles, especially now that we are steadily gaining grounds on the difficult task of nation-building,” he added.
Marcos said he wishes that this year’s festival brings out the best in everyone for a renewed sense of purpose.
The MassKara Festival was conceived to counter the despondency brought about by the challenges of the time, the president said.
“Today, as we find ourselves facing a similar dilemma, let this year’s festivity resonate ever so deeply and find even greater meaning in its joyful observance,” he said.
The festival began in 1980 as Negros Occidental and Bacolod were reeling from a sugar crisis that caused the economy to plunge during the term of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and following the death of many Negrenses on board the MV Don Juan that sank in the Tablas Strait off Mindoro.
MASSKARADE BALL
First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Rep. Sandro Marcos (Ilocos Norte, 1st District) joined celebrities, city officials led by Mayor Alfredo Benitez, Bacolodnons and Negros Occidental mayors in a Masskarade Ball to raise funds for charity at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod on Friday night Organizers said P100,000 raised from tickets sold for the ball will be turned over to Operation Smile.
Benitez thanked the First Lady for attending the Masskarade Ball, which made the MassKara Festival even more successful, he said.
This year’s festival, after the COVID-19 pandemic, is geared towards bringing back the smiles to Bacolodnons and boosting the local economy, he said.
Rep. Marcos said this year’s MassKara is an indication that Bacolod under the leadership of Benitez has been tested for bigger and greater things as the city opens up to the rest of the country.
It also shows that the Philippines is finally opening up again after COVID, which is very encouraging, he said.
The congressman reiterated his father’s message of unity and for everyone to be partners in progress.
The president is set to join the MassKara Festival on Sunday, October 23.
Among the celebrities present at the Masskarade Ball were Pops Fernandez, Derek Ramsay, Ellen Adarna, Bayani Agbayani, Tessa Prieto, Korina Sanchez, Vicki Belo, Hayden Kho and Sue Ramirez, who was accompanied by her boyfriend Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez.*