There was hardly a resistance as the Creamline Cool Smashers made fast work of the Galeries Highrisers, 25-9, 25-11, 25-15, to make it two wins in a row in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on Saturday, October 18, at the Capital Arena in Ilagan, Isabela. After losing their opener, the defending champions …
Monthly Archives: October 2025
Meralco erases 16-point deficit to overcome Ginebra
The Meralco Bolts climbed back from 16 points down to overcome the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings, 89-75, in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Everything went right for the Bolts in the latter part of the second half, tearing down that huge lead from the 56-40 count, …
MassKara Festival: From tragedy to triumph
By CESAR JOLITO III What started as a response to a crisis 46 years ago has now grown into one of the country’s grandest and most colorful festivals. The MassKara Festival, often dubbed the Festival of Smiles, has become the pride of Bacolod City, showcasing resilience, creativity and unyielding optimism. The first MassKara Festival was …
Jojo Vito Gallery shines as a hub of creativity and culture
By CESAR JOLITO III As Bacolod City celebrates MassKara Festival 2025, one of the cultural highlights drawing both local and international attention is the Jojo Vito Gallery, home of the world-renowned masks of smiles. Known as the “Mask Capital of the Philippines,” Bacolod takes pride in its iconic festival masks, and for nearly two decades, …
Sophia Kaye Zaragoza: The power of a second chance
By CESAR JOLITO III For 19-year-old tourism management student Sophia Kaye Zaragoza, it was more than just a crown — it was a dream fulfilled, a comeback story and a testament to the resilience of a Bacoleña heart. Sophia from the University of St. La Salle (USLS) was crowned Miss Bacolod MassKara 2025, besting 14 …
The queen who heard with her heart
Every October, Bacolod City comes alive with music, colors and endless smiles. Yet beyond the parades and the drumbeats lies a quieter story — one that continues to outshine even the brightest lights of the MassKara Festival. It is the story of a young girl who dared to dream beyond silence. Her name is Ma. …
Ely Santiago: The artist who gave Bacolod its smile
By CESAR JOLITO III Forty-six years ago, as Bacolod City faced one of its darkest chapters, a group of artists and cultural workers came together to imagine a festival of hope. Among them was Ely Santiago — painter, caricaturist and satirist — who not only coined the word MassKara but also designed its first logo, …
Let the great times roll! Bacolod set for dazzling, safe MassKara weekend
By CESAR JOLITO III The City of Smiles is set to light up with color, music and excitement as the MassKara Festival highlights weekend officially kicks off, promising a full lineup of events that will energize the city, ignite your senses and bring even more smiles to Bacolod. This year’s grand weekend is expected to …
The art of resilience: A founding visionary of MassKara Festival
By RODNEY MARTINEZ Founding Member, Former President, Art Association of Bacolod-Negros; MassKara Visionary Long before MassKara became the vibrant spectacle it is today, Bacolod City observed its Charter Day in October with modest celebrations — mostly barangay-level competitions in costumes and dancing. These events were cheerful, yet relatively simple. But everything changed in 1980, a …
Venn of us: Ilonggo x Negrense
By Herman M. Lagon You hear it on a jeep from Lacson to Libertad or in a faculty room from Bacolod to Barotac: someone says she’s Negrense, slips into a Hiligaynon story, and a friend calls her Ilonggo. No one corrects anyone. The labels only get tricky when we stop them from moving. In real …