Bacolod mayor extends MassKara Festival
BACOLOD CITY—The famous MassKara Festival here will continue until the end of October to allow small businesses to recover losses due to heavy rains brought by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami).
The extension of the festival, which was supposed to run from Oct. 11 to Oct. 27, would not only give more time for traders to sell their products but also give revelers more time to enjoy the festivities, said Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
The mayor also announced he was donating P2.5 million in food vouchers to be distributed to residents and redeemed at kiosks, especially at the Bacolod Public Plaza, where Bacolod’s famous chicken inasal (barbeque) are sold, to help sellers who have struggled to break even due to heavy rains.
“This extension allows us to continue enjoying the festivities that were dampened by the unexpected impact of the typhoon. We’ve done this in the past. Heavy rains in October are common, so we’ve occasionally postponed the festival’s conclusion,” the mayor said in a speech during the staging of the Elektroika Diva and Float Parade competition program at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) on Saturday night.
Despite the heavy rains, the festival drew thousands of people to its numerous outdoor concerts and considered a success.
“It was truly one for the books. Even with uncooperative weather, we had record-breaking crowds during the opening weekend and no major crimes were reported,” he said.
On Saturday, the MassKara Festival spirit came alive with dazzling lights, glittering costumes, colorful floats and pulsating beats at the Elektroika Diva and Float Parade that drew a crowd of 35,000 to the BCGC grounds.
On Sunday, seven barangays vied for this year’s street and arena dance title with a grand prize of P1 million.
The name MassKara, which means a multitude of faces, started in the 1980s to lift the spirit of Negrenses reeling from a sugar crisis and the sinking of Bacolod-bound MV Don Juan on April 22, 1980, that left over a hundred dead and missing.
