There’s no stopping it. The Masskara fever seems to have infected Bacolodnons. This is seen by the fact that almost everybody talks about it at presentations in malls and other places. The city is festooned with Masskara pennants from one end to the other.
But the local celebration was boosted by the fact that the Bacolod Diocese is also celebrating the diamond anniversary of the Bishopric. That is the reason why Bacolenos are thrilled with the reported return visit to Bacolod by Papal Nuncio Edward Damas on Oct. 23. Of course, it is primarily to attend the Diamond Jubilee of the Bacolod Diocese.
The Papal envoy will preside and deliver the homily in the Thanksgiving Mass on Oct. 24 at the San Sebastian Cathedral that will be followed by the grand parade of floats from different parishes of the diocese.
That also marks the final day of the Grand Reunion of lay and priest-alumni of the Sacred Heart diocesan seminary.
Vicar general Msgr. Vic Rivas said the Nuncio will also join the clergy from Bacolod, Dumaguete, Kabankalan and San Carlos and from the Panay diocese in Omaggio.
This, Msgr. Rivas explained, is a dance and musical extravaganza. This will be held at the University of St. La Salle coliseum.
Msgr. Guillermo Gaston, the choir master, described over the weekend how he had managed to whip into a choir the different voices of the clergy.
It was a challenging task, Gaston explained, while he also discussed the presentation of another cultural dance (Negrense) with Girlie Belzunce, former Bayanihan dancer and now with the Negros Occidental Historical Council.
Omaggio will pay tribute to Negrosason community for their support for the Church, Rivas added.
The highlight will be on Oct. 16 when 60 priests of the diocese, under the baton of Gaston, will lead the one-and-a-half hour concert that will feature a repertoire of liturgical hymns, classical and popular songs in Latin, English, Tagalog and Ilonggo.
The concert will be accompanied on the piano by Mary Jo Wright Tanpinco who has been at it during the rehearsals. She will later be joined by her sister, Mary Ann Wright Anover.
Philip Khalid will also play the cello while Edny Alarcon, Mikee Legaspi and Ela will play the violin on concert night.
In short, while thousands flocked last night at the SM Event Center for the initial presentation of the 15 contestants for the Masskara Queen, the Bacolod Plaza was bursting with activities, especially beer drinking and a lot of others.
The other forthcoming activities include the participation of art students of La Consolacion College in the production of the design for the pageant of the Masskara Queen. Bamboo Tonogbanua, according to Mate Espina, Masskara Queen 2008 chairperson, also enabled the presentation of the artistic talents of young students.
Masskara 2008 gives visitors a real glimpse into the culture, history talents of Negrenses as well as the economic progress of Bacolod which has become one of the vital telecommunications center in the country.
The latest addition is the Convergys which President Arroyo inaugurated last week. She also had lunch with the corporate officers and local political leaders of the province and Bacolod.
Sotero Nillos, president of the Lay Alumni, reported that the reunion of former seminarians will be on Oct. 20-21. This will include a stay together affair where former students will sleep in the seminary and try to renew their experiences and friendships forged during their studies.
The most important, Negrenses will have a chance to present their artistic and cultural abilities with Majica Masskara starting tomorrow, to be held at the Orange Gallery in Mandalagan, according to Manny Montelibano, project director.
Among the Majica participants are Peque Gallaga, Elsie Coscolluela, Kristel Yulo, Karil Aguila, Michael Varca, Poli Gonzales, and Angel and Jack Trino.
The problem will be the obsessive focus on Masskara which could distract attention from equally important events. For example, it is fact that in Iloilo, the city government had just started a debate on amendments to Regulation Ordinance No. 2002-177. The proposed amendments, according to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas, include penalties for violating the rules on the use of cellphones, pagers, beepers, and two-way radio transceivers inside movie houses, classrooms, libraries, churches, gasoline stations and government offices, including courtrooms.
Anyway, until this is approved by next week, it is expected that violators will be fined P200 for the first offense or to render 72 hours of community service. This increases to P500 for the second offense or 100 hours of community service and P1,000 for the third offense.