News & Events | Bacolod Living

Experience the Sights, Lights and Sounds of BacoLaodiat Festival in February 2013

January 12, 2013 by BacolodLiving.comAdmin 1 Comment

Yes, there will be lights, attractions, sounds, fireworks, parade, and more, as Bacolod City celebrate its nationally-known BacoLaodiat Festival from February 7 to 10, 2013.

This 2013 BacoLaodiat Festival, which celebrates the Chinese New Year in Bacolod, is now on the 8^th year.

The theme of the 2013 BacoLaodiat Festival is “Binding Cultures and Opportunities”, and is aimed to highlight and further strengthen significant ties that bind the Filipino and Chinese, the Festival organizers in their press release said.

The BacoLaodiat Festival in Bacolod follows the traditional practice of the Chinese in welcoming their New Year with firecrackers to drive away bad spirits and welcome good luck, as well as with lion and dragon dancers, Chinese lanterns to light up the streets, and their favorite Chinese food.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2013 is the Year of the Snake, the 6^th animal in the 12 year cycle.

As such, snake lanterns will be in the grounds facing the Bacolod City Government Center building (City Hall) and the Provincial Capitol Lagoon and Park for the judging of the snake lantern making contest, to be participated in by Bacolod City barangays and the Local Government Unit/open category.

As usual, the Chopsticks Alley at Lacson Street will open on February 7, and will feature a food walk and night market with colorful booths of delicious Chinese food, souvenirs, arts and crafts.

The festival organizers in their press release said Lacson Street, which is Bacolod’s Tourism Strip (22^nd to 4^th Lacson Streets) will feature the Dazzling Grand Parade on February 8 with floats, lanterns, lion and dragon dancers, Chinese schools and the Chinese-Filipino family associations.

In addition, dancers for the Street Lantern Dance Competition, using Chinese lanterns, choreographed in various formations will be shown at Lacson Street.

The longest ”human snake” will wind along Lacson Street followed by the Lantern Dance Competition.

The 8^th BacoLaodiat Festival will highlight on February 10, which is the Chinese New Year, which will feature fireworks display in the evening, according to the festival organizers.

So, enjoy the 2013 Chinese New Year in Bacolod City by participating in the 8^th BacoLaodiat Festival.

* photo credits: visayan daily star, negros daily bulletin, skyscraper city

A Wonderful New Year’s Resolutions!

January 2, 2013 by BacolodLiving.comAdmin Leave a Comment

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions?

Making New Year’s resolutions seems to be a ritual or a practice by many people on New Year’s Eve, or sometimes, after the new year. The writer Eric Zorn said making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility.

Talking about New Year’s resolutions for 2013, one of the best I’ve found came from Karen Burch, from her WayPoints Facebook page. The resolutions can be done everyday, as follows:

Give a flower.

Make a new friend.

Smile at a frowner.

Hug a lonely person.

Hold a child’s hand.

Greet a stranger.

Make a sad person laugh.

Give a pep talk.

Kiss a cheek.

Forgive a bad deed.

Do a good deed.

Give an apology.

Accept an apology.

Pat someone’s back.

Direct a lost person.

Wipe away a tear.

Listen to a venter.

Give another credit.

Appreciate a favor.

Sing a song.

Repair a rift.

Heal a wound.

Visit a sick person.

Thank a giver.

Stand by in support.

Be a giver.

Express your appreciation.

Touch another’s heart.

Say a prayer for someone.

Count your blessings.

Share your abundance.

Love the unloved.

Share your experience.

Volunteer your time.

Show your gratitude.

Recognize a miracle.

Feel thankful.

Be an ordinary hero every day.

Indeed, everyday could be a new year’s day, because everyday is a new day. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Write it on your heart that everyday is the best day in the year.”

To All Our Readers, Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2012 by BacolodLiving.comAdmin Leave a Comment

Christmas is here once again. It is a time of rejoicing, of celebration, of giving and sharing.

Since Christmas is sharing, we would like to share wonderful and timeless Christmas sayings and quotes from famous authors and personalities to our readers, as follows:

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.” – Taylor Caldwell

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.” – Peg Bracken

“Christmas, is love in action.” – Dale Evans

“Christmas is the keeping-place for memories of our innocence.” – – Joan Mills

“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” – Charles Schulz

“Christmas is sights, especially the sights of Christmas reflected in the eyes of a child.” – William Saroyan

“Earth, strike up your music, Birds that sing and bells that ring; Heaven hath answering music For all Angels soon to sing: Earth, put on your whitest Bridal robe of spotless snow: For Christmas bringeth Jesus, Brought for us so low.” – Author Unknown

“Love came down at Christmas; Love all lovely, love divine; Love was born at Christmas, Stars and angels gave the sign.” – Christina Rossetti

“There is no name so sweet on earth, no name so sweet in heaven, The name, before His wondrous birth, to Christ the Savior given.” – George W. Bethune

“Only in souls the Christ is brought to birth, And there He lives and dies.” – Alfred Noyes

“It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty founder was a child himself.” – Charles Dickens

“One of the nice things about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present.” – Author Unknown

“Christmas began in the heart of God. It is complete only when it reaches the heart of man.” – Author Unknown

Once again, we wish you a Merry Christmas!

The Negros Environment & Sustainable Tourism Forum: Get Involved. Join Now!

November 17, 2012 by BacolodLiving.comAdmin 1 Comment

Registration is now on-going for the two-day “Negros Occidental Environment & Sustainable Tourism Forum” this coming November 22 – 23, 2012 at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.

The Forum is organized by the Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development, Inc. (SSTDI), a SEC-registered non-government organization.

The objective of the Forum is to bring together stakeholders from the tourism sector, government regulatory agencies, resort-hotels, travel, transport and tourism related business industries, non-government organizations (NGOs), and the academe to enhance their knowledge on environmental responsibilities, best green experiences and Sustainable Tourism principles & practices.

The activity is important as it aims to produce a comprehensive Environmental Conservation, Social Responsibility and Sustainable Tourism Initiatives for Negros Occidental and the West Visayas, focused on the Environment.

The experts and resource persons invited include:

Guilberto Borongan, Programme Officer at the Regional Resource Center for Asia and Pacific (RRCAP) at the Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani, Thailand;

Marco Andreozzi, the Italian CEO of Pegaso Canton who has a doctorate in Engineering Management, a global senior professional with substantial industrial practices in Low-carbon economy and sustainable energy resources;

Carlos “Caloy” Libosada, co-founder of My Travel Asia and has been a tourism advocate and practitioner on product development, destination planning, education, and information systems;

Liza J. Paguntalan– Director for Field Operations of Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc.;

Reinero “Rei” S. Medrano, Manager of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Department of the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), a Filipino renewable energy company; and

Susan Santos de Cárdenas, Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development Inc.-SSTDI, CEO & President, Sustainability Guru of Asia Pacific specializing on Sustainability projects, Green Hotels and Events with Corporate and Community Social Responsibility (CSR) at grassroots application.

Think Environment. Think Sustainable Tourism and its impact on the local economy, business and livelihood. Come and register now to participate in the Negros Environment and Sustainable Tourism Forum.

For more details contact: Ms. Ruth Concepcion, Executive Director, Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development Inc.- SSTDI, Email: sstdi@yahoo.com.ph, Tel +34 468 -0314. Website: http://sstdi.org.

Cinco de Noviembre and The Negros Republic, A Momentous Event in Negros’ History

November 4, 2012 by BacolodLiving.comAdmin 3 Comments

What is the significance of the date Cinco de Noviembre (November 5) in Negros Occidental that it was made a special non-working holiday in the province every year?

: The Cinco de Noviembre marker in Silay City

Cinco de Noviembre is Negros Day in Negros Occidental that Negrenses is celebrate every year, to commemorate the Negros Revolution that happened during the Spanish colonial rule of the island.

This year, Negros Occidental will be marking the 114^th anniversary of the 1898 Negros Revolution on Monday, November 5, 2012. The day, which falls on a Monday, is again a special non-working holiday in the entire province.

Why is Cinco de Noviembre memorable in Negros Occidental? What is its significance for the province?

Cinco de Noviembre, Spanish term for November 5, was the culmination of the secret political movement that in the year 1898 or 114 years ago, had created a government in Negros Island.

Thus, its significance in history was that the political movement had created the revolution which peaked on November 5, 1898, thereby ending the Spanish rule in Negros Island.

Therefore, it was on the Cinco de Noviembre of 1898 that resulted to the establishment of the short-lived Negros Republic, a government run by the Negrense leaders composed of the elite landowners, led by Aniceto Lacson and Juan Araneta.

The Negros Republic, though historical, existed for about three months only, as it ended abruptly when the American forces landed on Negros Island unopposed by the Negros Republic leaders on February 2, 1899, as they welcomed the Americans. The arrival of the American forces ended Negros’ independence.

The Cinco de Noviembre revolution in Negros Occidental was a culmination of secret planning by the Negrenses to throw Spanish rule in the island.

The Negrense revolutionaries agreed that the revolt would begin on November 3, 1898. From northern Negros, it was to be led by Aniceto Lacson, a rich landlord from Talisay, with Nicolas Gólez as deputy commander.

From central Negros, the revolt would be led by Juan Araneta, a sugar baron of Bago City with Rafael Ramos of Himamaylan as deputy commander.

: The marker at Cinco de Noviembre Street in Silay City. The street was named to commemorate the historic event.

On Cinco de Noviembre (November 5, 1898), the revolt, now popularly known as the Negros Revolution, started in Central and Northern Negros and spread to other towns including Cadiz in the north. It was the beginning of the end of the Spanish colonial rule in the island.

The rest, as they say, is history.

To commemorate the historic event in Negros Occidental, the so-called Negros Day or Negros Revolution, November 5 was declared by President Corazon Aquino as a special non-working holiday in the province through Republic Act No. 6709 signed on February 10, 1989.