The Bacolod Public Plaza: Where is the Magic Now?

The Bacolod Public Plaza has been the centerpiece of all Bacolodnon activity for ages. Back in the 70's and even in the 80's, the Bacolod Public Plaza is the hub for Family Sundays. After going to church at the huge cathedral, people flock to the black-and-white checkered square to relax, eat some dirty ice cream, fly balloons, and have their pictures taken.


I remember as a child being fascinated by the stoic beauty of the bandstand, just standing on a larger-than-life chessboard sprawled all around it. I used to enjoy frolicking with the seemingly alive stone statues drenched in fountain showers. I could almost feel the very presence of President Manuel L. Quezon the day he planted the half-a-century old tindalo tree.


But these days, as I basked in the morning sunshine in the Bacolod Public Plaza (undeniably the safest time to snap pictures without worrying about a possible snatching), gone is the magic of old when these same statues used to sparkle in a mesmerizing play of water and lights weaving wondrous awe to children from 1 to 101.


The stone statues are now literally stoned dry as their blank eyes gaze out in a feeling of helplessness as they stand eternally trapped in a dry pool of neglect.


It all goes to show that the Bacolod Public Plaza these days is as lifeless as the city itself is artless, having no home for the arts and culture. The wholesomeness of the heart of Bacolod City has long been corrupted with shady deals and characters that abound.


What a sad, sad state indeed, as sad as the stone lady's bowed head forever mourning the death of the unknown soldier, or of the Bacolod Public Plaza.

Central District: A 2009 Christmas Bazaar

I've been meaning to visit Central District: A 2009 Christmas Bazaar right beside Robinsons's Place.


First, because the city-paved but unused street recently sparked a lot of controversy since it was closed to the public.

Second, now that it's opened and christened as Central District: A 2009 Christmas Bazaar, it spurs a lot of curiousity.

So I went in to see what's beyond the big tarpaulin sign board and the al fresco table arrangements waiting for outdoor barbecue diners.

I wanted to see what's inside the giant white tent lined with tall palm trees waving in the air for people to come.


Inside were rows of familiar looking stalls displaying the same old trinkets, foodstuffs, wares, dresses, CDs, etc. that you can easily find at Robinson's, SM, 888, Mayfair, and other big stores.

I posted this article in Interesting Nooks and Corners, but unfortunately, the only interesting thing here is the first reason I've mentioned earlier. I also posted this blog in Happenings, but sadly, nothing's really happening here, not even the sales (the way I saw it). Unless something really interesting is happening here, the al fresco tables will eternally be futilely waiting, and the tall palm trees will forever be frantically waving in the air for people who will never come.

But thanks to this new place, I've added a new label, Reviews. And my rating is a half star out of five for Central District: A 2009 Christmas Bazaar.

Belen: Pinoy Style Nativity Scene

Belen is a Spanish word for the nativity scene commonly reconstructed during Christmas. Over the years, the belen has been presented in many different ways and is the centerpiece of all christmas decorations in Filipino homes.


While the name Jerry Sy sounds Chinese and indeed he is considered Fil-Sino, he is truly Filipino in his celebration of the birth of Christ. For his home at San Agustin Street, Bacolod City (near Colegio San Agustin) becomes a backdrop for a lavishly decorated belen set right outside his gates for everyone to enjoy.


As if heralding the message that his home is always a welcome haven for the weary couple looking for a place to stay for the night in Bethlehem, Jerry Sy does so in his trademark flair.


Everyone who passes by couldn't help but pause and admire with great awe this thoughtfully prepared belen that underwent several revisions until it was just right according to Jerry's specifications.


Being just outside the street, anyone could go near the nativity scene and touch it, just don't break it -- Jerry's angels are in the constant lookout to guard and protect this beautiful belen.

Bacolod Parol and Probation

Parol, not parole.


Parol is the christmas lantern that usually adorn Filipino homes during the yuletide season.


In Bacolod, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology has made it a yearly tradition for prisoners at the Provincial Jail to fashion colorful parol out of flexible bamboo sticks as part of their fund raising drive. Beginning the latter part of November, the jail's sidewalks become colorful as makeshift stalls line along the otherwise foreboding prison walls displaying the parol in solid christmas colors and in various sizes to suit your motif.


The parol is wrapped in sturdy colored plastic to withstand sun and rain when displayed outdoors. Thus it can still be re-used for two to three christmases thereafter. When finally they get worn out or you just want to change color combination, you can always bring your old set for them to re-wrap. But the small bunch of ten parol stars costs only PhP250.00 that it is well worth it to buy brand new.


The inmates supervised by the Bacolod Parole and Probation Office make parol of different styles. The classic 10-star series is always a big hit, it varies only in color and comes in small and medium sizes. The bigger ones are too heavy for hanging in series so they come individually, others propped up in bamboo sticks that can be planted into your garden for a magically starry night outdoors.


These stars on stilts only cost from PhP130 to 180 each. Not bad for a parol on parole.

For more on the history of parol, click here.

888 Chinatown Square: What to Expect and How to Get There

888 Chinatown Square is the Bacolod counterpart for Divisoria's 628. It is the place to go for inexpensive China goods, RTW's, shoes, accessories, cell phones, DVD's and the lot.
888 Chinatown Square is found along Gatuslao Street, Bacolod City, right beside Land Bank of the Philippines and in front of the National Food Authority. It is very accessible by all sorts of transportation from trisikad to jeepneys to taxis to private vehicles.

When taking the jeep or jeepney, take the Bata-Libertad route when coming from the North of the Provincial Capitol Lagoon as your reference point. Take the Mandalagan-Libertad route when coming from the South in order to get to 888 Chinatown Square.

Bacolod City Goes Orgasmic Over Organic

The Organic Market, situated in Bacolod City, is a brainchild of the Negros Occidental Provincial Government under the leadership of the late Governor Joseph Maranon.

The Organic Market started out as a small market and diner featuring organically produced fruits, vegetables, rice, herbal oils, and even fertilizers.

Now, the Organic Market has become the mecca of health buffs from all walks of life, be it local or foreign. For as low as P50, one can have an orgasmic, er, organic gastric delight of a complete meal including a healthy fruit shake combo.

The Organic Market is easily located at the big vacant lot right behind the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol building. It is very accessible by both private and public transportation. When taking the jeep (a jeepney, Bacolod style), take the Bata-Libertad route when coming from the north of the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol, or the Mandalagan-Libertad route when coming from the south.

The Organic Market is truly an organic treat you shouldn't miss when in Bacolod City.

The Ruins in Talisay City, Negros Occidental

The Ruins of Talisay is now what remains of the magnificent 903 square meter Italianate architecture with neo-Romanesque columns. The Ruins (before it was ruined) closely resemble New York's Carnegie Hall.

The mansion, built in the middle of a sprawling sugarcane plantation, was the largest residential structure built during its time. It is home to sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and his Portuguese wife, Maria Braga in the early 1900's.

Maria's father, a ship captain, brought with him the finest furniture, chinawares, and other decorative pieces from all over Europe and Asia. An imported, four-tiered fountain still adorns the Ruins' grounds to this day.

During the World War II, the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) burned the mansion to ruins to thwart Japanese invasion of the mansion with a view to making it as their headquarters. The fire lasted for two days until it finally brought down the roof and the two-inch thick wooden floors.

The main structure still stands to this day, thanks to one of Mariano's son's close supervision of strictly following the grade A mixture of the cement.

With the roof and wooden flooring all gone, it looks up into the open heaven, its grand staircase that was long stripped of its wooden covering seemingly leading to an imaginary second floor where you can almost hear soft elegant music reminiscent of the grand parties the mansion used to hold. And the ghosts of the past seem to be almost visible as they gracefully float in the silver screen of reconstructed memories (never mind that ghostly image in the digitally altered photograph, it's just me terribly frightened not by the thought of seeing the ghosts of christmas past but by the sheer height and nothingness beyond those stairs -- it's supposed to be off limits!).

Having an excellent view of the Talisay sunset, the Ruins is a picture-perfect backdrop for wedding pictorials and other theme pictorials. The historic mansion has a picnic grove a few meters away.

The Ruins is just some 15 minutes' drive from Bacolod City and by private transport. Public transport is a bumpy tricycle ride from Talisay highway and amid vast acres of sugarcane fields.

Another less turbulent (and perhaps safer) route is via Barangay Bata through Bangga Rose Lawns (memorial park), passing through Goldcrest Subdivision.

Conspicuous signs and festive flags have been posted at both routes that lead the way to the Ruins of Talisay City, Negros Occidental.

Forest Park: A Quick Getaway within Bacolod City

There's a forest right within Bacolod City, at Barangay Taculing. Aptly called Forest Park, it is a quick getaway for short retreats, kiddie field trips, family picnics, group parties, and lovers' rendezvous.



I love the green scenery of Forest Park and the peaceful quiet of the place. It has been an inspiration of several of my paintings.



It also has a man-made boating lagoon where children and lovers can enjoy.

A mere 15-minute drive or less from the heart of the city just a stone's throw away from the former Bacolod Sanitarium and Hospital, now the Bacolod Adventist Hospital, one can easily enjoy a laid back affair at Forest Park.

San Carlos City's Signs of Humor

Arriving dazedly in San Carlos City after a three-hour drive from Bacolod City through Don Salvador Benedicto, I stepped out of the car to stretch my legs. It was December 2007.





I was still in a hazy trance when I saw the first sign posted on the bamboo fence which announced that the owners within are are selling ice, a normal business every three or four houses wherever in Negros Occidental and in the Philippines.





The bamboo fence stretched along a 10 meter frontage and on it were posted several more signs which, although painted using different material, moods and colors, apparently coming from the same author. Only then that I realized that I was into a visual, comic treat.





Judging from the weatherbeaten look of these signs, I wonder if they are still around after two years? I just discovered these photos that I discovered in my old files and decided to post them together with another sign of humor, a picture taken by Judge Jose Paolo Ariola, which is actually a warning sign for unauthorized persons not to enter the premises without permission.



Ah, well, there are lots of funny signs such as these, but around these parts, these are truly local flavor courtesy of San Carlos City's Signs of Humor.

Negros Occidental's Provincial Capitol Lagoon Skating Rink

Negros Occidental's Provincial Capitol Lagoon skating rink is still very much in use today.



I remember skating on it years ago when skates had four wheels each -- two in front and two at the back, and was adjustable that it could accommodate any kind of shoe (wow, I miss that pair now, it's made of steel it can be a valuable antique now).

There was a time when the Provincial Capitol Lagoon skating rink went into dormancy. It had major cracks and the surface wasn't as skate-friendly as before.



Later skateboarders and BMX bike enthusiasts rediscovered the place and the Provincial Capitol Lagoon skating rink became populated again.

The advent of the roller blade in the late 80's -- with four wheels aligned on a straight line like that of an ice skate -- and the "skate shoes" in the 90's -- shoes that looked like bulky rubber shoes with wheels that pop out at the flick of a button -- made the Provincial Capitol Lagoon skating rink a skating haven again.



Waveboards, a two-wheel innovation of the classic skateboard, is another sight to see at Negros Occidental's Provincial Capitol Lagoon skating rink.