Celebrating festivals and feasts is a way of life for us, Filipinos. Every province, city, town, down to the barangay celebrates a feast of a saint or its foundation day or the time its mayor smiled on that day (kidding here!).
The Panaad sa Negros Festival is touted as the Mother of all Festivals by its organizers. It’s participated by the 13 cities and 19 towns of Negros Occidental held annually every April. It highlights the history, culture, products, agriculture, and tourist spots of each city and town by showcasing these all in their respective booths. Pabonggahan!!!I’m a selective agoraphobic. I hate going to crowded places and all. Sometimes I feel that I have this Festival Fatigue Syndrome (okay, I made that one up!), where I shrivel up in my own cocoon to hide from all these merrymaking. Talk about a major anti-social disease. But after years of not checking out the Panaad Festival, and with Kit Monfort and Imee Santiaguel leading the way, I decided to go this time.
Fueling up for the long trek with (what else?) chicken inasal!
Bacolod City is the capital of the Province of Negros Occidental and is known as the City of Smiles. It banners itself as the 'Cleanest and Greenest and the Most Livable City in the Philippines'. (Please don't force me to comment on this!)
Some of the booths are miniatures of their city halls. Can you spot the difference?
Booth
Real The origin of Binalbagan. A long time ago, during stormy nights, cargoes of shrimps would get wet and would partially be spoiled. To remove the slimy odor and preserve the shrimps, the traders would beat the barks of mangroves to extract juice believed to contain preservatives for the shrimps. The action of beating the bark was termed as balbag in the native dialect. Hence, the place where the beating was done was called Binalbagan.
Calatrava town today is a known source of limestone and coal as well as of woven products. It is also a sanctuary for a tribe of monkeys who are people-friendly, especially to those with food to share. (Spot the monkeys and win a prize!)
The Municipality of Cauayan got its name from the abundant bamboo thicket in the area...but did they have to be so literal in their booth? (Hehe, hindi tuloy kami nagposing dyan!)
Don Salvador Benedicto was declared as the Summer Capital of Negros Occidental because of its good climate, fertile soil and beautiful landscape. According to T. Imee, the pineapples here are sweet.
One of Himamaylan City's main sources of livelihood is fishery. Thus, they feature a lot of bottled fish products like sardines and bagoong.
Kabankalan City serves as the center of economic activities in southern Negros, and is also the take-off point for various destinations down south.
La Carlota City is a noted eco-tourism area and breeding ground for champion gamefowls. La Carlota’s Guintubdan Nature Camp is the favorite jump-off point for a trek to Mount Kanlaon Natural Park.
Manapla's famous landmark is the Chapel of Cartwheels (left pic) made from farm implements such as cartwheels, plows, mortar and pestle, margaha sand and broken pieces of glass of different colors. It was patterned like a “salakot” and it can be found inside the farm owned by the Gaston family.
Once you hear the word Manapla, the delectable white puto comes to mind.
It is said that Pontevedra's people are one of the most cheerful living in the area. We tested this by asking their vice mayor to have a picture with us. He gave us the favor with a smile. The story must be true then. (Thanks, Vice!)
Sagay City boasts of it natural pristine beauty and rich marine resources. Sagay Marine Reserve, a 32,000-hectare marine reserve composed of Carbin Reef, Maca Reef, the Molocaboc Islands, Panal Reef and other fringing reefs is an ideal place to experience nature in its natural beauty.
Silay City has been referred to as the Paris of Negros because of the numerous old houses that have been preserved from the Spanish era. Thus, it has been declared as a museum city, second to Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
(I know, we overposed in Silay...teehee!!!)
Has this man been preserved too? We took a picture with him and he didn't move an inch!
Originally called Minuluan by the Malay settlers, Talisay City planted the seeds of the sugar industry in the province. The enterprising Recollect priests led by Fray Fernando Cuenca, spurred the economic development of this once sleepy Sitio through the planting of sugarcane in vast tracts of land we now call ‘haciendas’.
Toboso traces its roots many years before the Spanish regime. The original settlement of the place was near Sag-ahan River and the community was popularly known by the same name. Sag-ahan means in the local dialect “to take out or catch fish with the use of hands” because fish abound in the area. When the Spaniards came, the community was named Toboso in honor of a similar community in Spain, La Villa del Toboso.
Victorias City is home to the Victorias Milling Company, the Philippines largest sugar refinery. It is also where you can find the Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, and the Iron Dinosaur.
Was it worth it? You be the judge. After all, how else can you tour the whole of Negros Occidental in barely an hour and a half of walking? Kaya, kari na kamo! Tara na!
Now if I could only find the darn Pau D'Arco in my bag...
P.S. Special thanks to T. Imee,
a.k.a Ms. Panaad and Mrs. Younghusband,
for the wonderful pictures;-)
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