Video to Promote Bacolod City's Tourism

This video was shared to me at Facebook. It is an AVP made by Negros Island Tourism, Inc. for Bacolod City. This was featured during the 24th Negros Trade Fair at Rockwell Tent, Makati City last September 16, 2009.

NITI - Bacolod City Tourism AVP from Gary Lake Liza/Leo Vision on Vimeo.

Escapades at Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro

When I was given the opportunity to visit my home town, Cagayan de Oro, last June to October last year, my children and I had a great time visiting Gaston Park at night. It was around 8pm that my mom and my big brother accompanied us there. The children played while my mom, my brother and I spent the night talking and coping up with the times. Will upload pictures later, can't seem to find it in my files. :p


Gaston Park is located near San Agustin Metropolitan Cathedral. The place is known for the beautiful fountain in the center surrounded with blooming flowers and a playground at one side. Family and friends spend their time here any day at any time to unwind and relax.

My First Masskara Festival Experience

My first Masskara Festival experience was on October 2005. It was the first time I saw the most glamorous and colorful street dancing parade. Since I grew up in Cagayan de Oro City, I only experienced the ordinary fiesta parade in which I also participated but with the Masskara Festival, everything was brand new to me!

I was so amazed with the dancers and how colorful their costumes are. Aside from the fact that the dancers were not only adults, there were also children who danced and wore costumes.

Most fiestas I have attended in Mindanao is about families preparing food for visitors to eat, but here in Bacolod City, people gather at the public plaza. They eat and drink out. They tend to enjoy the open air while music is being played in every corner and even people dancing at the streets.

Masskara Festival is the most enjoyable time in Bacolod City aside from the many festivals they have. If you want to experience this festivity, check out the Masskara Festival 2009 Schedule of Activities!

Events This Week at SM City Bacolod

Like visiting the mall? Well, aside from doing the usual thing, SM City Bacolod also have events hosted to entertain their mall goers.

For this coming week, here are the schedule of events:

September 1, 2009; 10AM - 4PM
SSS Pensioners Day
@ the Event Centre

September 5, 2009; 10AM
Mother & Child Amazing Race by Lamblight Catholic School
@ the Event Centre

September 4 & 5, 2009; 8AM - 2PM only
Recycling Market Fair
@ the North Transport Terminal

September 6, 2009; 10AM onwards
Audition for SM Little Stars
@ the Event Centre

Viva Señor San Agustin!!

Today is Cagayan de Oro’s City Fiesta. They are celebrating this fiesta in honor of the city’s patron Saint Augustine of Hippo!

It’s been a long time since I have been there to celebrate. I missed the long parade that I usually participated when I was in high school. I love parades!!

Anyway, to all my fellow Cagay-anons:

Viva Señor San Agustin!!

Click on the banner below to view the schedule of events and festivities related to the celebration of the Kagay-an Festival 2009:

MassKara 2009 Schedule of Activities

Bacolod City Guide for the MassKara Festival 2009 Schedule of Events:

Sept 12

- MassKara Makati, Makati, Metro Manila

Oct 1

- Opening Program, Bacolod Public Plaza
- Festival Sites Opening, Bacolod Public Plaza (Until Oct 19)

Oct 10

- Night of the Press Club Star

Oct 15

- Search for Ms. MassKara Queen 2009

Oct 16

- Street Dancing School Category, Araneta St to Plaza
- Opening Electric MassKara, Tourism Trip, Lacson St

Oct 17

- Street Dancing Barangay Category, Araneta St to Plaza
- Electric MassKara, Tourism Trip, Lacson St

Oct 18

- Street Dancing Open Category, Araneta St to Plaza
- Electric MassKara, Tourism Trip, Lacson St

Oct 19

- Countdown to Charter Day, NGC Main Stage, With satellite stages in Lacson St. and Araneta St.

Schedule is subject to change without prior notice. Please subscribe via RSS for more updates.

August 2009 Cagayan de Oro Schedule of Activities

CDO Guide for August 2009 Schedule of Events and Festivities are as follows:

August 1 & 2

* Ploning and “Dead na si Lolo” – Flim Showing, SM Mini Theater

August 1-31

* Great Samsung Sale at Graphic All in One Store

August 4 – 13th

* APHCA Hair Olympics 2009 – Hair and Make-up Competition at City Tourism Hall

August 7 - 9

* Housing Festival 2009 at Limketkai Rotunda

August 14-31

* Samsung Mobile Exhibit at Robinsons

August 16-20

* International Invitational Chess Championship at City Tourism Hall

August 20

* Inter school Dance Competition (a hip hop dance battle) at Corpus Christi gymnasium

August 20 - 30

* SUNDAYAG sa Amihang Mindanao at the Provincial Capitol Grounds, Cagayan de Oro City

August 21-31

* Samsung Mobile Exhibit at SM City

August 21, 2009

* Endurance Race Competition (Horse Racing Competition) that’s being organized by the Cagayan de Oro Horsemen, Inc.

August 22, 2009

* SKATEBOARDING COMPETITION 2009 at SM CDO Las Ramblas Parking Lot (10 AM to 6 PM)

August 22-23

* The 2nd Cagayan de Oro Invitational Vintage Car Show at A & G Arcade, Lapasan

August 22 - 31

* Samsung Mobile Nation at Limketkai Center

August 23

* International Night at Pryce Plaza

August 24 - 30

* Kahimunan Northern Mindanao: Regional Trade Fair 2009 at Limketkai Rotunda

August 26

* Kapuso Mall Show at Limketkai Atrium

August 26

* Philippine Military Academy Cadets Silent Drill at Pelaez Sports Center

August 27

* “TM Astigfest sa CDO” at Limketkai Parking Lot

AUGUST 28, 2009

* FREE Concert: Parokya ni Edgar with Norman Mitchell at Limketkai Atrium
* Handog ng Bombo Radyo at Star FM sa Kagay-an Festival 2009: Free Concert at Pelaez Sports Center
* ABS-CBN KAPAMILYA CARAVAN - Grand Via Lot (sa may SM CDO) featuring RIVERMAYA, JOHN LLOYD CRUZ (do I hear the screams na? hehehe) and other KAPAMILYA stars local bands that will play NOVELISTA PASTA and the ALYSS band

August 29 – 30

* SABADO BOYS with Norman Mitchell at Limketkai Atrium
* 100 Plus Fiesta Cup Badminton Tournament at Sports Zone, Tomas Saco St., Nazareth
* Breed Championship DOG SHOW at SM City Mall

Source: Travel & Tours

Cagayan de Oro City’s Regular Events

* Kagay-an Festival is held every 26th to the 28th of August in celebration of Cagayan de Oro's patron, Saint Augustine of Hippo (Señor San Agustin). Highlights of the Kagay-an Festival are the Kagay-an Agro-Trade Fair, Miss Kagay-an Tourism, Higaonon Street Dancing, Golden Float Parade and the Lambagohan Fluvial Parade. There are also cultural shows, competitions and concerts. The word "Kagay-an" means "the place of the river" is the root of the name of Cagayan de Oro, derived from the great river that runs through the city.

* Charter Day every 15th of June, the city celebrates the cityhood of Cagayan de Oro. It was on June 15, 1950 that Cagayan de Misamis became a city and its name changed to Cagayan de Oro.

* Kumbira a culinary show and exhibit that started in 1996 by local hoteliers and restaurants, it is now one of the most anticipated culinary show and exhibit in the region. There are food demonstrations, culinary competition and seminars. Hotel and Restaurant Management schools from neighboring provinces participate and showcase their students talent along with local hoteliers. This is usually held in mid of August as part of the Kagay-an Festival.

* Kagay-an Agro-Trade Fair a trade fair showcases the different indigenous and home-made products from various parts of Northern Mindanao including Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental province. Products include woven bags, goat's milk, soap, local wine, processed food and others. It is one of the core activities of the Kagay-an Festival.

* Holy Week Trek March or April (movable) on the eve of Good Friday (Thursday evening), thousands of Cagayanons trek Malasag Hill for the annual "Via Crucis" or "Way of the Cross". The 3 kilometer trek ends at the Corsillo Retreat House.

* Sakay-Sakay sa Lumbago organized way back in the mid 1980's, this fluvial parade, also called Lambagohan Festival, is held along the Cagayan de Oro river. Lambago (scientific name Hibiscus Tiliaceus) is a type of tree that used to be commonly found along the banks of Cagayan de Oro river.

* Miss Kagay-an Tourism Filipina are fond of beauty pagents and Cagayan de Oro is no exception. Local girls compete for the most prestigious beauty pageant in the city. The event, also known as Miss Cagayan de Oro, is held before the city fiesta or Kagay-an Festival.

* Golden Float Parade started in 2007, it includes marching bands from different city schools. It is also participated by local government departments and commercial establishments. It is one of the core events in the Kagay-an Festival.

* Independence Day every June 12, Philippine Independence Day is celebrated also in the city. Government, military parades and exhibits mark on this event.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Bacolod City: An Overview

Bacolod City Guide on the City of Smiles:

Bacolod City is the capital and largest highly urbanized mid-size Philippine city of the province of Negros Occidental. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is notable for its MassKara Festival held during October. Known for being a relatively friendly city, it bears the nickname "City of Smiles" and the "Football City of the Philippines". Bacolod City recently topped a survey by MoneySense Magazine as the "Best Place to Live in the Philippines".

The city's name is derived from the Hiligaynon word bakolod – meaning "stonehill" – since the settlement was founded in 1770 on a stony, hilly area, now the district of Granada.

Due to Muslim raids in 1787, Bacolod was transferred towards the shoreline. The old site was called Da-an Banwa, meaning "old town".

In 1894, by order of Governor General Claveria, through Negros Island Governor Manuel Valdevieso Morquecho, Bacolod was made the capital of the Province of Negros. Bernardino de los Santos became the first gobernadorcillo and Fray Julian Gonzaga the first parish priest.

The success of the revolution in Bacolod was attributed to the low morale of the local Spanish detachment, due to its defeat in Panay and Luzon and to the psychological warfare waged by Generals Aniceto Lacson and Juan Araneta. In 1897, a battle in Bacolod was fought at Matab-ang River. A year later, on November 5, 1898, the Negrense "Revolucionarios," armed with knives, bolos, spears, and rifle-like nipa stems, and pieces of sawali or amakan mounted on carts, captured the convento where Coronel Isidro de Castro y Cisneros, well-armed cazadores and platoons of civil guards, surrendered. Two days later, on the 7th, most of the revolutionary army gathered together to establish a Provisional Junta and to confirm the elections of Aniceto Lacson as president, Juan Araneta as war-delegate, as well as the other officials.

On March 1899, the American forces led by Colonel James G. Smith occupied Bacolod, the revolutionary capital of the Provisional Republic of Negros.

By virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 326, enacted by the National Assembly, Bacolod was made a chartered city on October 19, 1938.

In World War II, Bacolod City was occupied by Japanese forces on May 21, 1942. The Japanese commanding general seized the Mariano Ramos Ancestral House, home of the first appointed Presidente Municipal of Bacolod, which served as the seat of power and a watchtower over city. The city was liberated by joint Filipino and American forces on May 29, 1945. It took time to rebuild Bacolod after liberation. The city's public markets and slaughterhouses were rebuilt during the administration of former mayor Vicente Remitio from 1947 to 1949.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Cagayan de Oro City: An Overview

CDO Guide on the City of Golden Friendship:

The City of Cagayan de Oro (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Cagayan de Oro; Filipino: Lungsod ng Cagayan de Oro) is the trade and services center of Northern Mindanao, classified as a first class city. Abbreviated CDO, CDOC, CdeO or Cag. de Oro, lies along the northern coastline on the island of Mindanao. It is the provincial capital of the province of Misamis Oriental. One of the Philippines' most progressive cities and one of its most picturesque. The city serves as the regional center being the most populous highly-urbanized city in Northern Mindanao (Region X). According to the 2007 Philippine census, the city has an estimated population of 553,996 people. It is the urban center of Metropolitan Cagayan de Oro.

Cagayan de Oro is a coastal city facing the Macajalar Bay. Several creeks and rivers run through the city. The southern portion of the city is dominated by hills, gorges, plateaus and mountain ranges of Bukidnon province. The city is known by many nicknames such as "Gateway to Northern Mindanao" because of its location and good transportation facilities, "City of Whitewater Rafting and River Trekking" it is a primary whitewater rafting destination in the country that has a whole year round of maneuverable rafting courses and is located within the city limit, "ICT Goldmine of the Philippines" and "A City in Bloom, in Blossom and in BOOM!" because of the great strides it has made by way of progress, notably in the last few years. Officially, Cagayan de Oro is known as the "City of Golden Friendship" (Dakbayan sa Bulawanong Panaghigalaay) for the naturally warm people and old-fashioned hospitality. The official city seal bears this phrase.

In its history, Cagayan de Oro was devastated by fierce battles in the 20th century. The American invasion in 1900s Philippine-American War and the second world war changed Cagayan de Oro landscape. Heavy bombardment in World War II leveled the town to the ground. It destroyed the old St. Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral built in 1845, robbing Cagayan de Oro of its last Spanish heritage. There are also other places in the Philippines with a "Cagayan" name. One must distinguish Cagayan de Oro from Cagayan province in Northern Luzon and the Cagayan Islands in the Sulu Sea.

Source: Wikipedia.org

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Welcome!!

Thank you very much for stopping by my latest blog. Some of you might think that I am crazy for maintaining too many blog but to be honest, I am having fun doing it and besides I am earning.

Cagayan de Oro at Night
from wikipedia.org

Bacolod's Masskara Festival
from www.photo.net.ph

This blog of mine is a personal blog slash travel guide blog. Why? Because I am going to talk about my life and my experiences with the two cities in my life, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod in which these two cities have been my home in so many ways. This can also be called a travel blog in a sense that I will talk about these two cities in an informative way too, somewhat a CDO Guide and Bacolod Guide. I will try to give information to which tourists and travelers will find useful if they decide to visit this places someday. For short, this blog will serve as a CDO Guide and Bacolod Guide for all.

Anyway, thanks again for visiting and I hope you will enjoy reading my posts here. I hope you will also find this blog informative when it comes to one of the best places in the Philippines, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod Cities.

So stay tuned, I will be your personal CDO Guide and Bacolod Guide!