All Smiles In The City Of Smiles

Two Fridays ago, Tito Douglas Quijano, Richard and I flew to Bacolod upon the invitation of director Peque Gallaga who is now based there. Being involved in the Negros Summer Workshop in La Salle, Bacolod, he asked Richard to be a judge in the said workshop. I’ve never been there and I was only too willing to tag along, knowing that it would only be for one day and I wouldn’t have to spend even a night away from Juliana. Tito Dougs, on the other hand, has frequented Bacolod but it did not take much to convince him to come along. He said he loved the place for the wonderful food it has to offer and en route he already had down pat in his mind all the goodies he wanted to try and take home.

We took the earliest flight out via Philippine Airlines and shortly after I got some shut-eye in the plane, the next thing I knew we were already touching down.

Bacolod, at first take, reminded me so much of Ormoc except for the fact that Bacolod seems much bigger. But the feel of the place and the warmth of the people are very much like my hometown. As it was very early in the morning, the city was just starting to stir. From the airport, we went straight to L’Fisher Hotel to have some breakfast. I was all set to skip it since I’m not a morning person anyway but when I saw the buffet spread, I immediately changed my mind. It looked so inviting – admittedly heavy – but I might as well, right? I lacked sleep so I could use the extra boost of energy. They had a selection of bread and cereal but I went for the sausage omelette and the beef steak with rice. Hearty.

From there we had roughly an hour to rest in our room before Richard had to be in La Salle to start viewing the short films. I think we fell asleep the moment our heads touched the pillow. I woke up to see Richard dressing up and, seeing me still sleepy, he prodded me to just stay in the hotel and get some more rest until lunchtime. I readily agreed.

I slept soundly and didn’t wake up until my mobile rang hours later. They were apparently already on their lunch break and were on their way to pick me up. Together with Boots Anson-Roa, direk Lore Reyes, Charito Motus, Atty. Philip Dabao, Elvert Banares and direk Peque Gallaga, we had lunch at Bob’s in Gaisano mall. We were able to go around the mall for a while and it was impressive. They have their local restaurants alongside popular fastfood chains – all of which, according to Atty. Dabao, are doing really well. They also have a huge National Book Store in the mall and I couldn’t help but wish that Ormoc would have its own National Bookstore in the very near future as well.

Lunch at Bob’s was wonderful and delicious. We had chicken inasal, a delicious oriental salad that was crispy and light, and molo soup. Remarkable was their fruit punch which direk Peque highly recommended. And rightfully so. It was refreshingly delicious, the perfect foil to a hot summer day. It had chunks of watermelon, mango fruit cocktail, pineapple and an unexpected inclusion of wide buco strips. It was wonderful. They serve it in a tall glass, halo-halo style.

Direk Peque is a wonderful host. He is very warm and being with him makes you feel you’ve already known him for a long time. He regaled us with stories of his life in Bacolod, his obvious passion for teaching and you cannot help but admire his desire to give back and share his knowledge as a filmmaker with others. As he often said over lunch, who knows where the new breed of directors would come from? With summer programs like that, it could very well be from Bacolod.

Happy and satiated with the meal we had, we all agreed there was no room for dessert. Or so we thought. Direk Peque now asked the waiter to bring out a plate of freshly-baked oatmeal cookies. After my wonderful fruit punch experience, I was ready to try anything he recommended. Well, true to form the cookies were heavenly. They’re huge – some have almost the same circumference as a small cup – but don’t let the size intimidate you. It’s so delicious you’re sure to polish off every bite. It’s chewy and not so sweet, absolutely delightful. And addictive.

From there I joined them at La Salle to view the remaining half of the short films. I am no critic and neither am I learned in the technical aspect of film but I did enjoy viewing them. For four weeks direk Peque taught his students the ropes of filmmaking – the culmination of which was the production of a short film to be written, produced, edited and directed and shot on video by them. This was a fitting vehicle upon which each student could showcase the best of what he has learned. Their work was what they submitted for the Piyaya Awards which has been in the running for about nine years now. There is also a category open to all, which is the Crystal Piyaya Award and that has been around for six or seven years already. It’s in the Crystal Piyaya Award where they actually give a cash prize to the winner. The workshop teaches a total of 20 subjects, all related to film. Direk Peque says they teach the technical aspect for four weeks but the awards night is a vehicle to teach them about show business (read: the glamour of dressing up, being recognized and awarded for your work, accepting your award graciously on stage and saying your thank-you speech, etc.) It is a wonderful project and it is direk Peque’s dream to get scholars from other places as well and be able to establish cultural contacts.

We barely had time to go around Bacolod to try their famous chicken at Bacolod Chicken House, try the mango tart at Virgie’s, look around the Negros Showroom and visit Sister Lucy Togle who used to be assigned at my alma mater, St. Peter’s College, in Ormoc but who is now based in St. Scholastica Academy. We only had time for a quick stop at Dan’s Bike Shop where Richard often gets his mountain biking accessories and athletic wear.

And we were only able to witness the opening ceremony of the jam-packed awards night at the Peque Gallaga Theater Hall in La Salle because we had to catch the 7:30 p.m. flight back to Manila. We rushed to the airport, but not before buying several bags of edibles Bacolod is known for – siopao from Bob’s, napoleons, and piyaya. Alas we had no more time to go back to Bob’s for some oatmeal cookies to take home.

I was craving for them as soon as we got home and luckily for me, Tito Dougs remembered that direk Peque was due in Manila shortly after our trip there. He was kind enough to bring a whole batch for me. I was so happy. Just last night, I finished off the last two pieces, warming it for 30 seconds in the microwave oven. At the risk of sounding like a broken record it was yummmmmy.

I would definitely want to go back to Bacolod. It is also known as the City of Smiles and I couldn’t agree more for the people are very warm and friendly. But perhaps the next trip should be longer – an overnight stay at the very least – just so there would be enough time to really go around. If you happen to find yourself there sometime in the near future, do drop by Bob’s. Oh, and don’t forget to take home with you a whole big batch of their oatmeal cookies.