Bacolaodiat Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger)
February 12 to 14, 2010
“LEAP OF COURAGE WITH RENEWED VITALITY”

San Enrique Motocross
February 2010
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The event is in connection with their festivity.

BROKEN EVERY WALL
Taken at Sum-ag, Abuanan, Araneta Street, Bacolod City

Jesus Name was being posted everywhere, that is how Jesus is popular to all people but sad to say, only few people are enjoying Jesus, and calling His name.

I have Found a Place | Batuan, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
This was taken during the visitation of the area.

In order to promote locally, nationally and internationally the work that ICM is doing, we are pleased to announce to you the ICM Video Contest.

The first stage of the competition will be the Regional Contest, with the top three from each of our five regions winning a cash prize and qualifying for our national finals, which will be held in Manila in June.

The top three in the Regional Contest will receive one-on-one coaching from Michal Joachimowski, a professional videographer, to help improve their videos through editing or reshooting, before submitting them to the National Final. The winning videos will be considered for use in the Hong Kong, Manila and USA annual fundraising banquets, as well as further cash prizes for the top three videos in the National Contest.

The criteria are as follows:

• The videos should be between 3 and 5 minutes long.
• Each video should highlight the need for help in ICM’s area and what are ICM’s efforts to bring hope. For example the videographer could find a particular person or family that have been helped by ICM and tell their story of need and ICM’s assistance. Or they could do a day in the life of an ICM program or staff member (remember you will need the permission of the person being filmed to show them on video). There are good example videos on the ICM website.
• We encourage people from outside the organization to make the videos and therefore to learn more about, and publicize ICM’s work. The local area finals will be held in March and the National Competition in Manila will be in June.

LOCAL PRIZES:
1ST PLACE - P10,000.00
2ND PLACE - P 5,000.00
3RD PLACE - P 2,000.00

NATIONAL PRIZES:
1ST PLACE - P30,000.00
2ND PLACE - P20,000.00
3RD PLACE - P10,000.00

Entries need to be submitted a DVD to the ICMPI office by 5pm on Friday 26th March 2010, along with the details of the film on an entry form (available at the ICM office or at www.caremin.com)

We are looking to you and your teams to help us make this contest a success, so please publicize it as widely as possible and assist the competition entrants in any way that you are able.

I’m available to answer any questions you may have. Please contact us at 708-2363 and ask for Kenneth or email us at support@tinkerspot.com. For more information on ICM and our programs, please visit our website at www.caremin.com.

Good news to all Music Lovers and Enthusiasts, there will be a song writing contest this month of November sponsored by Citizen’s Crime Watch and Youth Gig. The contest aims to be aware and to fight against illegal drugs that could harm people leading to drug addiction towards death and crimes. For more information, visit www.youth616.tk

October is fast approaching, and with the said month it carries a spectular highlights of the 30th Masskara Festival. So get ready to have fun, enjoyment and entertainment because it’s just a month away in experiencing the Masskara Festival.

The festival first began in 1980 during a period of crisis. The province relied on sugar cane as its primary agricultural crop, and the price of sugar was at an all-time low due to the introduction of sugar substitutes like high fructose corn syrup in the United States. It was also a time of tragedy; on April 22 of that year, the inter-island vessel Don Juan carrying many Negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in Bacolod City, collided with the tanker Tacloban City and sank.

An estimated 700 lives were lost in the tragedy. In the midst of these tragic events, the city’s artists, local government and civic groups decided to hold a festival of smiles, because the city at that time was also known as the City of Smiles. They reasoned that a festival was also a good opportunity to pull the residents out of the pervasive gloomy atmosphere. The initial festival was therefore, a declaration by the people of the city that no matter how tough and bad the times were, Bacolod City is going to pull through, survive, and in the end, triumph.

The word “MassKara” is a portmanteau, coined by the late artist Ely Santiago from the word “mass” meaning “many or a multitude of the people”, and the Spanish word cara meaning “face”. A prominent feature of the festival is the mask worn by participants; these are always adorned with smiling faces.

MassKara thus means a multitude of smiling faces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MassKara_Festival

Unexpectedly, District 9 a movie produced by Peter Jackson also a director of both Lord of the Rings Triology and King Kong was a dark horse because of having a small budget of 30 million USD, it surpasses its cost of production on its opening day having 37 million USD, as of August 30, 2009 it had an earning of $106,827,329 worldwide.

Here is the synopsis of District 9 courtesy of http://www.imdb.com:

The film opens with a documentary-style series of interviews that introduce the situation. Twenty years before, an alien ship is seen coming towards Earth and arrives above Johannesburg, South Africa. It hovers above the city for three months without any contact; eventually humans take the initiative and cut into the ship. They discover a large group of aliens who are malnourished and sick. The aliens are later assessed as apparently being all “workers”, with their leadership mysteriously missing (it is hypothesized that a plague may have wiped out all of the leadership-caste). Grainy footage shows part of the ship (supposed to be a command module) falling to Earth, but nobody has been able to find it, leaving the ship inoperable.

The creatures, called “prawns” as a derogatory reference to the sea creature which they resemble, are housed in a government camp. The alien race’s true name is never learned; they are primarily referred to as “prawns” or, more rarely, “non-humans”. Overcrowding and militarization eventually turn the area into a slum known as District 9. A massive black market is set up between the aliens and a group of Nigerians primarily led by Mumbo, a paralyzed warlord. In addition to inter-species prostitution, the Nigerians exchange canned cat food for alien weapons, of which the cat food has a similar effect to catnip on
the aliens.

The movie takes place in 2010. Patience over the alien situation has run out and control over them has been contracted to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company that shows little regard for the aliens’ welfare. MNU is interested in using the aliens’ advanced weaponry, but its integration with alien biology makes it useless for humans.

An MNU field operative named Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), is set with a task to move 1.8 million aliens to a new District 10 camp located 240 km from Johannesburg, with help from private security forces working for MNU. While inspecting a suspicious alien residence, Wikus handles an alien device which squirts a dark liquid into his face. He becomes very sick and collects the device as evidence.

A rapid transformation begins to occur, and shortly after exposure to the liquid, Wikus’s left arm mutates into a claw exactly like that of a prawn. After collapsing at a surprise party in his house, and a doctor at a local hospital discovers his alien left arm, Wikus is taken into custody and a series of tests and experiments are performed on him; these reveal that his alien

DNA allows him to operate alien weapons. The scientists discover that his DNA is currently “in balance” with the alien DNA, which is gradually taking over. They decide to harvest his body for biological material at this critical point, to have the greatest chance of replicating his ability to use alien technology in other humans later. To reduce any side-effects, no anesthetic was used. However, during the attempted vivisection Wikus escapes after overpowering his captors, and flees from MNU.

Wikus seeks refuge in the run-down shack of an alien called Christopher Johnson, who has a small son, the same alien who Wikus attempted to evict earlier, who created the alien device that infected Wikus. The device contains fuel that Christopher scavenged from various alien parts scattered around District 9.

It is hinted that Christopher might be a surviving member of the prawn leadership caste, as he shows much more knowledge of how alien technology works, possesses or at least found the command module, and interacts with MNU officials more articulately than other aliens. Although initially hostile towards Wikus, Christopher eventually agrees to help him reverse the transformation if Wikus will retrieve the fuel from MNU labs.

Christopher promises to undo the mutation by getting Wikus aboard the mother ship hovering over Johannesburg, and shows Wikus the ship’s command module, which has been hidden under his shack.

Wikus steals some alien weaponry from Mumbo and his gang, with Mumbo vowing to capture Wikus and eat his mutated arm (his witch doctor believes this will give him the power to operate the alien weaponry). With Christopher’s help they launch an assault on MNU and successfully retrieve the fuel sample. While there, Christopher discovers that MNU has been experimenting on his people. Wikus and Christopher fight their way back to District 9 and Christopher begins preparations to leave. He tells Wikus that he must first return to his home world to seek help for his people before he can cure Wikus. Furious, Wikus knocks Christopher unconscious and powers up the ship himself. The MNU mercenaries target Wikus and destroy one of the command module’s engines, causing it to crash land inside District 9.

After Wikus is captured by MNU, a battle between the MNU mercenaries and Mumbo’s gang breaks out. After a protracted firefight, the Nigerians capture Wikus. Just before Wikus’ arm is
chopped off, Christopher’s son activates several systems in the
mothership, including the autopilot routine of a mechanized battle suit; it slaughters Mumbo and his men after they fire on it. Wikus enters the alien walker battle suit, and after initially attempting to
flee, returns and rescues Christopher. Armed with a lightning cannon, tracking missiles, and a high-powered machine gun, Wikus begins to fight the MNU men. After being knocked over by a anti-tank sniper round, he convinces Christopher to return to the shuttle without him, over Christopher’s objections.

Christopher promises Wikus that he will return in three years to repair his body. Christopher then boards the shuttle and activates a tractor beam which returns the command module to the mother ship.
Wikus is shot in the back and the walker suit ejects him. Wikus,
heavily wounded, begins dragging himself away from the leader
(and sole survivor) of an MNU squad, but is quickly caught. As Wikus prepares to die, aliens burst out of the surrounding slums and dismember the mercenary.

The film concludes with another series of interviews and news broadcasts, providing human opinions on the events that unfolded. The aliens are successfully moved to District 10, which now has a population of 2.5 million and is growing. One of Wikus’ coworkers hacks MNU’s database and publicly exposes their illegal genetic experiments. There are many differing theories on Wikus’ fate. Some people believe that he either left on the mother ship, is in hiding, was captured by MNU or a government agency. Some interviewees hypothesize that the aliens are planning to return with a full army and declare war on humanity. An interview with Wikus’ wife reveals a small metal rose was left on her doorstep (Wikus has earlier demonstrated his affection with handmade gifts). Her friends have told her that it could not have possibly been Wikus, but she appears unsure.

In the final scene, an alien with a bandaged left arm is shown in a junk yard fashioning a rose out of scrap metal.

Prior the coming of the Spaniards in Negros in 1565, there existed a small village near the mouth of the Magsungay river. It was a small settlement inhabited by Malayans who belonged to the “Taga-Ilog” group.

The exact date of Spanish contact with this village is not certain: lost in the hazy twilight of history that was pre-Spanish era. Incidentally, historical accounts of the Church provide us with a glimpse of the early years of Bacolod as a small settlement by the river bank.

When the neighboring settlement of Bogo (now Bago City) was elevated into the status of a small town in 1575, it had several religious dependencies, one of which was the village of Magsungay. The early missionaries place the village of Magsungay under the care and protection of St. Sebastian sometime in the middle of the 1700s. A “corrigidor” by the name of Luis Fernando de Luna (1777-1779), donated a relic of St. Sebastian for the growing mission, and since then, the village came to be known as “San Sebastian de Magsungay”.

The inhabitants of Magsungay had a perennial problem. In 1765, pirates from Mindanao attaced the villaged as they did several times in the past, hense rendering slow pace in progress. In 1770, the small village of Magsungay was firmly established under the leadership of the first “governadorcillo” or “Kapitan Municipal” by the name of Bernardo de los Santos.

In 1787, Moro pirates attacked the settlement and that invasion was considered to be the bloodiest in the history of Bacolod as a small community. The moros, in a dozen and half vintas, landed at the mouth of Magsungay and Lupit rivers at about 4:00 in the morning. A few hours later, hundred of people in the village were killed in the raid, the women raped, and all of the houses were either burned down or looted. The historical significance of the event could be guaged from a ballad which was written and sang for the next century and a half, and from thereon picked up by the historians.

With the cloud of insecurity hanging over them, the people of Magsungay decided to move a few kilometers inland where upon on a hilly terrain which they called “Buklod” the people established a new settlement. There, on this hilly terrain, Magsungay became the settlement of BACOLOD.

In 1806, Fr. Leon Pedro, having appointed as “propitario” of Bacolod, became the first parish priest. It was not until September of 1818 when Fr. Juan Gonzaga, the parish priest of Bacolod at that time, encouraged the people to settle once again near the sea, but a little more inland for security reasons. By this time, the fear of pirate attacks have been reduced to mere memory of the past.

From there, Fr. Gonzaga, a young priest from Barcelona, envisioned the construction of the San Sebastian Cathedral.

From its present site, the church (which was to become the Cathedral as we see today) became the nucleus of the present-day BACOLOD. Gradually, the people left the hilly terrain where they had started to progress, and eventually the place became known as “Kamingawan” which means the “place of loneliness”.

In 1846, upon the request of Msgr. Romualdo Jimeno, Bishop of Cebu and Negros at the time, Governor-General Narciso claveria sent to Negros a team of Recollect missionaries headed by Fr. Fernando Cuenca. The following year, 1849, Gov. Valdevieso y Morquecho declared Bacolod as the capital of the whole island of Negros.

When the island was divided into two provinces, the seat of the government of Occidental Negros was already in Bacolod. during the Revolution of the 5th of November, 1898, Bacolod became the focal point of the conflict between the Spaniards and the Negrenses. The commanding officer of the Spanish forces, Col. Isidro de Castro, surrendered to the Filipino forces, and the signing of the Act of Capitulation was carried out at the house of Don Eusebio Luzuriaga which once stood in front of the City Hall.

At the turn of the century, under American rule, the first Elementary school-the Rizal Institute (which still stands today) as established in 1903. In 1919, La Consolacion College was established to become the first private catholic school in Bacolod.

Bacolod was converted into a city by virtue of Commonwealth Act 328, as amended by C.A. 404, and was inaugurated October 19, 1938, with the late Alfredo Montelibano, Sr., as first City Mayor.

Originally, the inauguration of the City was set on September 30, 1938. Inclement weather, however, postponed the inauguration twice. It was finally on October 19, 1938 when Bacolod was inaugurated after the weather condition had improved.

Sponsors of the bill which created Bacolod City were Senator Pedro C. Hernaez and speaker of the House Gil Montilla. Other co-sponsors were Assemblymen Enrique Magalona and Jose C. Zulueta of Iloilo. The Provincial Governor when Bacolod became a city was Valeriano M. Gatuslao.

During the inaugural rites, national dignitaries led by President Manuel L. Quezon were present. Quezon delivered the charter presentation message after a colorful civic-military parade participated in by Volunteer Guards, Negros Occidental High School cadets, Philippine Army trainees of Fabrica, Mambucal, Binalbagan and Magallon cadets, policemen and Philippine Constabulary in khaki and felt hats.

At the outbreak of the 2nd World War, the Japanese Forces cam to occupy the province in 1942 and Kono, who the then Provincial Commander of the Japanese Imperial Army in Negros, Gen. Tagaishi also supervised the island of Panay, had his wartime residence in Bacolod City, at the house of the late Don Mariano Ramos.

After nearly a couple of centuries from its founding the small settlement of 5,000 residents, is now a bustling modern metropolis with a population of 500,000. It has come to be known as one of R. Leonardia, the Outstanding Cities of the Philippines and, under the administration of former Mayor Evelio was also proclaimed as one of the two Cleanest and Greenest Highly Urbanized Cities in the Philippines .

With a government that is firmly entrenched in a strong leadership that knows what it wants and with an optimistic and resilient populace, Bacolod will certainly be ON THE RIGHT TRACK for the NEXT MILLENIUM.

http://go.to/bacolod

12am, September 3, 2009, the residents heard and witnessed the faulty wiring that was sparking and crackling giving fear to the people of Prk. Riverside, Brgy. Bata.

Thanks to a courageous resident who called the Central Negros Electrive Cooperative company (CENECO) hotline, he informed what happened to their area.

CENECO took action immediately and decided to have a temporary brown out to the whole baranggay and by 3 am the problem was resolved and the residents went back to sleep peacefully.