Last month, we flew to this part of Visayas for a fashion shoot assignment with the awesome editorial team of People Asia Magazine. More to work, we were treated with extra special care by the hosting City Government of Bacolod headed of course by Mayor Monico Puentevella. His son Rocky and personal assistant Jhordan were there to take us to different locations where we can shoot, as well as to savor the varying local flavors, feel the cultural vibe, see historical sites and experience the best of what Bacolod can offer. But overall, it is the kindness, warmth, superb hospitality and accommodation that they offered that the whole team were immensely grateful for - and hope to come back for more!
Bacolod seems to be thriving and it is perhaps the next best city in the Philippines to live in or open up a business. It is the gateway to Negros Occidental, and is the home to the widely-known Filipino favorites like Chicken Inasal, Piyaya, Napoleones, Kansi, Batchoy, as well as hectares of sugar cane plantations, azucareras and haciendas, and the colorful Masskara Festival.
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| MASSKARA FEVER. Surrounded by Masskara dancers, I can't help but also dance to the beat and get into the festive vibe. |
See what the city has to offer as I unmask the best of Bacolod:
THE BEST CHICKEN INASAL EVER!
The original is always the best. Bacolod's chicken inasal is very juicy and tangy, and the taste still lingers in my mind. Visit the Manokan Country (just across SM Bacolod) where inasal restaurants all line up in a single area. Aida's Chicken, according to our tour guide Jhordan, is the most famous among the roster - and we all agree.
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| If you're in Bacolod, it is worth stopping by the Manokan Country for Chicken Inasal lunch. |
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| The original and the best Chicken Inasal ever - yummy! |
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| Chicken is indeed big in Bacolod! |
A BLAST FROM THE PAST: THE RUINS
A picturesque thing of old history, "The Ruins" stands majestically in a sugarcane farmland in Talisay City as one of Bacolod's top cultural heritage sites and popular tourist attraction. Known as the Taj Mahal of Negros Occidental, the mansion (with Italian architecture) was built in the 1900's by a sugar baron named Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson in memory of his beloved wife, Maria Braga, who died while giving birth to their youngest child. It was also told that the mansion was burned during World War II to prevent the invading Japanese soldiers from using it as their headquarters. To this day, the structure remains, and has become a picture-perfect backdrop for both local and foreign tourists to see.
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| Old Glory: "The Ruins" looks like a grandiose European mansion in the middle of nowhere. |
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| This heritage site is a picture-perfect backdrop for tourists, pre-nups, blog features, fashion shoots, travel reviews, telenovelas, and even selfies. |
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| A romantic setup of lush greens and a fountain. |
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| Into The Ruins. |
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| An indoor garden against an old backdrop of what's left behind - sturdy European-style columns, walls and flooring. |
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| My partner George dons a peace sign while looking green as a farmer. Lol! |
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| Hat Ladies: Monty, Joy, Sari and Kristel are having fun with the awesome hats that were custom-made by George Palmiano (except the green one) specifically for our shoot. |
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| There's a cafe inside, too, that serves pasta, tapas, beef, lamb dishes, coffee, cold drinks and wine. |
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| An old golf car, perhaps? |
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| My partner-stylist George Palmiano acts on a dual role: as a stylist and as an assistant to our photographer, hehe! With our awesome model Vanessa Andres in a red couture by Randy Ortiz. |
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| So this is how it feels like to be rich and powerful - our model Vanessa as a baroness in splendid gown by Frederick Peralta. |
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| Make a grand entrance: Lavish antique architecture vs. modern casual me :-) |
SUGAR RUSH AT CALEA
What's Bacolod for, if not the sugar capital of the Philippines? All town folks were telling us that we must satisfy our sweet cravings by having a slice of cake at Calea, but we ended up eating more! Located along Lacson St. in Metro Bacolod, have a sugar overload with dozens of cakes and desserts to choose from, and finish up with a cup of coffee.
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| Cakes galore! |
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| Choosing the right cake is quite hard pala for this people :-) |
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| Yum! Me want some more... |
A TOUR OF THE OLD & THE RICH AT BALAI NI TANA DICANG
An ancestral house in Talisay that was turned into a museum, Balai ni Tana Dicang is another cultural/historical site in Bacolod. It echoes an epoch that was gone long time ago, and all that was left - and preserved - were things of a colonial past belonging to a once-prominent haciendera named Erica Alunan-Lizares (Tana Dicang, as she was called) who was then a figure of wealth and power in the province.
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| The old, colonial facade of Tana Dicang's house. |
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| An antique wooden door welcomes guests to a visit to a bygone past. |
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| An angel on guard. |
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| A tour guide greets us upon entry to the 1st floor. |
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| An ornamental carosa used for saintly processions. |
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| The old staircase has an "Oro, Plata, Mata" feel. |
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| The Way They Were: I can imagine how lavish parties of herederos & herederas were held in this hall on the second floor. |
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| Geo while channeling old conservative Filipina trait... And oh, Starbucks, anyone? |
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| Dinner table that's only for the rich. |
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| Geo checks out the grand piano. |
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| There's something eerie when I entered this bedroom. |
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| A pile of old luggage bags. |
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| A set of beauteous things of the past. |
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| A wood carving of Tana Dicang with a framed photo of herself beside it. |
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| Talk about political connections: A photo of Tana Dicang rubbing elbows with past Philippine presidents Manuel Quezon & Sergio Osmena. |
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| What's a tour without a stolen group shot! |
A BARON'S MANSION: BALAI NEGRENSE
Yet another haciendero's ancestral house, Balai Negrense is a cultural attraction located in Silay. It was owned by Victor Fernandez Gaston, whose father Yves Leopold Germain Gaston was known as the pioneer of sugarcane cultivation in Negros. According to our tour guide, the museum was established in the early 1990's.
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| The Balai Negrense in all its glory. |
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| A panoramic view of the surrounding garden. |
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| Not for child's play: an old doll wearing a Filipiniana costume welcomes visitors by the entrance. |
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| An afternoon siesta would be nice in this lobby area on the 1st Floor. |
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| An outlandish two-way staircase where males at that time could only use the right side, while females on the left side. |
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| The second floor has a magnificent American-colonial architecture. |
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| Important visitors during the past were entertained in this area. |
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| The dining hall is another exemplification of old wealth. |
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| A well-lit, old pantry. |
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| A white-washed kitchen with vintage stove, gas range and refrigerator. |
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| A typical Pinoy-style bedroom with outworn shoes, typewriters, TV, electric fan and radio. |
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| I dare not to play with those antique chaka dolls in one of the female bedrooms. |
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| A display of traditional Filipiniana gowns. |
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| This motorbike is a true rare vintage. |
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| As they say, there's light at the end of the tunnel. |
A WINDY AFTERNOON AT THE LAKE RANCH
I've written about this in my most recent blog entry, but aside from a man-made lake, sprawling green grass and mango trees, horses abound in this nature park owned by the Puentevellas.
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| A breathtaking view of the man-made lake perfect for picnics, fishing, boating, photo-ops and pre-nups. |
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| Our wonderful People Asia team. L-R: Monica Araneta-Tiusejo, Chino Corrales, Mau Aguasin, Joy Avila, Sir Rocky Puentevella, Kristel Dacumos-Lagorza, George Palmiano, Charisma Vicuna and moi :-) |
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| The ranch with some of the grazing horses. |
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| It has always been my dream to spend a day in a ranch and see the magnificent thoroughbreds. |
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| Geo and photographer Mau Aguasin are harutan buddies. |
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| Our model Naigel tries on a horse while looking sexy and tough. |
COURTESY VISIT AT THE CITY HALL OF BACOLOD
Part of out itinerary was to pay a courtesy call to the mayor's office. Sadly, Mayor Monico Puentevella was in an emergency call due to a fire incident in one of the towns there. Anyways, Bacolod's City Hall was relatively new, and the interiors looked amazing.
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| White space: the City Hall of Bacolod |
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| A lagoon just outside the City Hall decked with artistically-crafted horses that signify the Chinese Lunar New Year. |
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| Another whimsical horse figure - proof of the Puentevella's fondness for horses. |
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| The lobby's interior looks equally impressive, too. |
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| My friends checking out the Mayor's office. L-R: People Asia's Monica Araneta-Tiusejo, art director Chino Corrales, photographer Mau Aguasin, George Palmiano and Joy Avila. |
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| The seat of power: Naigel Haran acts up as the city mayor. |
THE MASSKARA FEVER
Bacolod takes pride with its local version of the Mardi Gras celebration - the Masskara Festival. It is celebrated annually with a big street party with loads of chicken inasal offered from street to street to party-goers and a boost galore during October. It wasn't Masskara season yet, but the kind representatives of the city government made sure that we wouldn't leave the province without having a feel of what it's like to party Bacolod-style. True enough, it was an exciting, festive experience as we danced to the beat with the Masskara dancers. Wish we could come back in October!
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| Notice that the designs of each Masskara head gear (or mask) aren't just colorful and artistic - they are always smiling, too. Truly, Bacolod is a City of Smiles! |
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| The Masked Avengers: Kristel Dacumos-Lagorza, George Palmiano & Joy Avila are having fun with those Masskara head gears. |
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| The Masskara dancers line-up for a festive performance. |
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| An all-out production number... Man, those masks are heavy! |
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| Strike a pose! Me versus a Masskara dancer :-) |
All I can say is thank you Bacolod City for this unique, wonderful experience. Thanks Mayor Monico Puentevella and his son Rocky for the utmost hospitality you've given us. To Jhordan Gepaya, who accommodated us all along and showed us the best of what Bacolod can offer, thank you sis, and we miss you already. Too bad, we weren't able to visit Mambukal Hot Springs due to our flight schedule. If you're in Bacolod, also check out 21 Restaurant (which serves Filipino & continental food, and the best batchoy in town), buy pasalubong at Bongbong's (for piyaya and barquillos) and at Roli's Bakeshop (for the tastiest napoleones in town), and the best local flavor ever (with the most reasonable price), Aboy's Restaurant (for grilled sinugba and seafoods like blue marlin, squid and scallops to calamares and tinolang halaan) - really, I can eat there forever!
Anyways, before I end this lengthy blog, here's a teaser from the shoot we did for People Asia which is coming out this April. It's the ultimate travel issue, and be sure to grab a copy. And oh by the way, our sincerest gratitude to the whole People Asia team especially Kristel Dacumos-Lagorza, Chino Corrales, Monica Araneta-Tiusejo and Joy Avila. Till our next out-of-town shoot, hehe! :-)
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| Photography: Mau Aguasin (MA Studio); Art Direction: Chino Corrales; Styling: Mike de Guzman & George Palmiano (MGP); Makeup: Sari Campos; Hair: Charisma Vicuna; Model: Vanessa Andres (Mercator) with the Masskara Dancers. |
