MassKara keeps us united: Mayor Bing
Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday attributed the success of the MassKara Festivals to the support and cooperation of the people of Bacolod City.
“Holding the MassKara keeps us one as a people. It keeps us united and makes us work together,” he said.
Leonardia said the opening of the 37 th MassKara Festival Sunday by President Rodrigo Duterte was perfect and the weather was “manna from heaven.”
The Mayor said that while he was speaking at the plaza Sunday, the MassKara dancers were performing in Korea because Bacolod was chosen in the whole Philippines to represent the country in the ASEAN event.
“Every time we hold the MassKara Festival, it becomes a reunion and homecoming for all the Bacolodnons and it is a time to show to the world we are one as a people and that we have an icon and this is our identity and this is what keeps us together,” Leonardia said.
“We are also in the front pages of national papers. That is how far the MassKara has gone. What we are worried about is that we may have so many tourists with the interest being generated by the festival,” he said.
In his speech, Leonardia said the MassKara has gone to proportions “beyond our wildest dreams and it exceeded all our expectations because there would have been no MassKara without the people of Bacolod. If everybody did not cooperate in all activities of the MassKara there would have been no MassKara, he said.
Leonardia dismissed reports that there were P100 bills being given out to lure people to attend the official opening of the MassKara saying that the President himself is a crowd drawer and is a magnet. That came from people who are jealous. If their opponents are doing that, it is a testimony that indeed the MassKara is a big success, he said.
Festival director Eli Tajanlangit yesterday announced the unveiling of the “Golden Age of Change” an art installation by Bacolod artist Charlie Co's installation at the Bacolod City Government Center fountain area at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Part of the artworks will be paper boats on which people of Bacolod will write their dreams. We call this “boats of dreams” which they will start installing at the lobby where people can write dreams on and this will sail when they open the art installation on Saturday, he said.
In the meantime, they are running the “Tanda, Sing Na,” the barangay level singing and dancing contest every night at the plaza. Eliminations will be held during weekdays and semi-finals on weekends. The grand finals will be on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the plaza, he said.
Meanwhile, Police Supt. Noel Polines, City Joint Operation Center chief, said the implementation of their security package was successful during the visit of the President since they involved all forces in the community.
There were no reported incidents except for the pro-rally. The entire nation is on full alert but, so far, they have not monitored any threats with regards to the festival, he said.
Polines said they have deployed 1,200 personnel who include force multipliers. They have implemented strict security measures at all the festival sites. The first two days were very peaceful and the local government has been very supportive to them.
Leonardia said all these measures and pronouncements are meant to assure the people and not to scare them.*CGS
First published in the Visayan Daily Star by CHRYSEE SAMILLANO
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2016/October/04/topstory3.htm
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