Pope John Paul II Tower Blessed by the Papal Nuncio

February 18, 2010 is a historic day for the Catholic faithful in Bacolod and Negros Occidental. No less than Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Joseph Edward Adams blessed the Pope John Paul II (PJPII) Tower at the Bacolod Reclamation.

The P17-million eight-storey tower stands on a 700 square-meter lot at the  reclamation area just behind the SM City Bacolod. The site  was where the late Pope John Paul II spoke to thousands of Negrenses during his historic visit to Bacolod City on February 20, 1981. The tower was built to commemorate the event and we have to thank Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (BREDCO) president Simplicio Palanca for his generosity in donating it to the Archdiocese.

Hundreds witnessed the blessing of the tower and the unveiling of the 8-foot sculpture of the Pope by Bro. Jaazeal Jakosalem which stands on top of a 6-foot pedestal fronting the PJPII tower.

The tower offers a breathtaking view of Bacolod City and the Guimaras Strait. As if to guard the shores of Bacolod and to guide the sea travelers to safety, a cross by Architect Chick Garcia was placed on top of the tower which is lighted at night. The tower is also equipped with a glass enclosed elevator, a water system and a generating set.

Every floor on the tower features pictures and items of his historic visit to Bacolod City.  Stanistaw Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow donated the alb of the late pontiff that he used during his visit. Also featured was a photo of the fireworks last December that show a resemblance to the famous gesture of the Pope.

In his message after blessing the tower, His Grace Archbishop Joseph Edward Adams said,

“When you see this tower, remember him (PJPII), and remember also his message. Message about God, message about love, message about the human race. This building will serve to remind us of what the good Pope said to us of God, of our need for God, and he hoped to inspire us to live, as God meant us to live on this Earth.”

Indeed, the late Pope has been a source of inspiration for the millions of Catholics in the world and Bacolod is lucky to have been visited by him at a most challenging time for the Province of Negros Occidental. The Pope Tower will be more than a tourist attraction for the Negrenses but it will also serve as a reminder that God will never forsake His people.

Experience the 1st Bacolod Jazz Fest 2010

Bacolod City is a Jazz haven. No other city outside of Metro Manila has more loyal Jazz followers who kept the music vibrant other than Bacolod. As a testament, Bacolod City will be one of the venues in the annual Philippine International Jazz & Arts Festival (PIJazzFest) which runs from February 12-28 this year.

The 1st Bacolod Jazz Fest 2010, presented in cooperation with the Jazz Society of Negros (JSN), will be held at the L’ Fisher Hotel Roofdeck at 6pm on February 20, 2010. The event will showcase 20-year-old British-Filipino jazz singer Mishka Adams, Sinosikat?,  Jazz Volunteers and Ilonggo artists Gabe Ascalon and Nancy Brew.

The annual PIJazzFest which debuted in 2005 gathers local and international artists in a month long festival which include mall and bar tours and campus workshops. Jazz, despite being confined to a niche audience, is slowly gaining followers from the younger generation through promotions such as the PIJazzFest. The local scene in Bacolod has likewise been very alive with JSN’s hosting of jazz shows since its inception in 2006.

Spend a jazzy evening with friends and loved ones at one of Bacolod City’s scenic spot, L’ Fisher 2 (Chalet) Roofdeck on February 20. You can grab your tickets to the 1st Bacolod Jazz Fest 2010 at the L’ Fisher Hotel for only P500 (P150 consumable).

Got Wowed by Ballet Philippines

I guess most girls thought of ballet dancing once in their life. At least I have. The art requires a lot of practice and those who want to get into it should start early in life. Financial resources are likewise needed to sustain such training. Thus, my dream of ballet dancing never got farther than watching The Nutcracker.

Fortunately, young girls such as the daughter of fellow blogger Ruby of  PinayMommyOnline got a chance to watch a live ballet performance of Ballet Philippines’ Masterworks presentation at SM City Bacolod. Together with May, we got invited by Ms. Lorena of SM City Bacolod to watch the live performance last February 2 at SM City Bacolod Cinema 1.

Ballet Philippines was founded in 1969 by Alice Reyes with the support of Eddie Elejar and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.  Ballet Philippines is the country’s premier professional dance company and the resident dance company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Ballet, whatever music accompaniment is still ballet to me. The effort exerted by the dancers in classical music or in OPM music looks the same. Years and years of practice must have made the routine easy for them and they made pirouetting looks effortless! The dancers received applause after each performance as the audience was quite amazed by their gracefulness.

There were a lot of girls at the audience and I’m sure some of them were thinking of one day joining Ballet Philippines. Thanks to SM City for bringing ballet to the masses.

Bacolaodiat 2010: Bigger and Better

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Today, the Filipino-Chinese community is celebrating the New Year and ushered in the Year of the Golden Tiger. The whole Bacolod City joins them in the celebration with the annual Bacolaodiat Festival. Unlike the previous years, Bacolaodiat 2010 was held at the Lacson Tourism Strip. This made the different events more accessible to the public as evidenced by the throngs of people who came to join the festivities.

There was a grand parade which featured illuminated floats, lanterns, lions and dragons and was joined by the 34 Fil-Chinese organizations. There was also the dragon and lion dance which are customary in any Chinese celebrations.  In Chinese culture, the dragon is believed to have control over water, rainfall and flood and the dragon dance will ensure that no drought will be experienced . On the other hand, the lion signifies courage, stability and superiority. The lion dance is performed to chase away ghosts and evil spirits.

A food walk and night market was opened at the Chopsticks Alley located at the North Capitol road where visitors can buy souvenir items and feast on the different Chinese cuisine. A fusion of Filipino and Chinese cultures was showcased during the cultural show also held at the North Capitol Road. Any Chinese celebration would not be complete without the firecrackers and fireworks so a fireworks display capped the nightly celebrations  which is believed to ward off evil spirits.

This year’s Bacolaodiat was bigger and better than the previous year and as it becomes another tourist attraction for Bacolod, we expect it to be even bigger next year.

Tapulanga for Ondoy Photo Exhbit

A photo exhibit for the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy opens today. The photo exhibit was spearheaded by Tapulanga Foundation with the help of the photographers and sponsors.

Featured works are those of Anne Acaso, Dino Cajilli, Ricky Villabona, Timothy Valderrama, Rommel Sancho, Imelda Tinsay, Jomie Garucho, Paolo Lindaya, Lee Meily, Paolo Braza, Val Ramos, Johanna Campos, Jay Abello and many more.

The exhibit will run for two weeks at Korean Grill Restaurant & Bar (KGB) at 23rd-Lacson Sts. (KGB). The photographs are available for sale and proceeds will benefit the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.

Major Sponsors: AHSSI, Lopue’s East Centre, Datalink Technologies and SWIP Travel
Minor Sponsors: Magallanes Shell Station, Cafe 1925, SVG Schuurmans & van Ginneken Philippines, Inc., Marline Commodities Inc., Misyel’s Catering, Jes Photoworks Stills and Motions

For further info, please call 920-9514232 or 917-3065577 or visit www.tapulanga.org

Carlos Hilado Top Performing School, UNO-R Grads Placer in CE 2009 Board

Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC) was the top performing school for the Civil Engineering November 2009 Licensure Examinations with its 16 takers passing the Board or a 100% passing rate.

This is the second batch of graduates for Civil Engineering from CHMSC and it is already making a name as one of the top performing schools. Its first batch of CE graduates placed 2nd and 4th in the November 2008 Board Exams.

Rank	School	Total No. of Examinees	Total no. Passed	Percentage Passed
1	Carlos Hilado Memorial State College – Talisay City, Negros Occidental	16	16	100%
2	University of the Philippines – Diliman	45	43	96%
3	University of the Philippines – Los Baños	39	37	95%

On the other hand, two graduates of the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos made it in the Top 10. Romyr Zamora Iwayan placed 3rd with a rating of 96.35% while Francis Jay Nava Bordaje was 7th placer with a rating of 95%.

Negros Occidental schools have consistently produced top graduates as evidenced by the number of passers and even placers in the board exams. In the November 2009 Chemical Engineering Licensure Examination, two graduates from the University of St. La Salle were also in the Top 10. Cathy Tan Ng placed 7th with a rating of 81.10% and Sheldon Lemuel Tan Lim placed 8th with 80.90% rating.

Congratulations to our New Engineers!

Source: http://www.pinoyboardresults.co.cc

Organic Lunch with Margarita Fores

Another cause worthy of our support is the Organic Lunch with Margarita Fores and Chef Richard Ynayan of the Culinary Institute De Lasalle – Bacolod on November 26, 2009. Proceeds from this event will go to the Suntown Camp Cancer Foundation. This event is still a part of the 4th Negros Organic Farmers Festival.

Manila-based Ilongga restaurateur Margarita Fores traces her roots from the Araneta clan of Bago City. Ms. Fores owns Cibo, Pepato, Cafe Bola in Manila. The benefit lunch will be at the Provincial Social Hall where Ms. Fores will be cooking her specially prepared menu using locally  produced certified organic ingredients.

Among the dishes are organic salad of palm heart and guava jelly vinaigrette,pate raviolini with sage butter, roast Bacolod style lechon with duetto sauces of liver and mostarda di frutta, roast goat capretto rosmarino with English mint, lemon and pepper roast chicken, and fried organic boneless bangus with mango wansuy salsa.

Tickets for this activity will be available at Fresh Start Organic Foods Stores in Sweet Greens and Robinsons Place and at NISARD Office. For reservations, call 4332174 and 7071434.

The 4^th Organic Farmers Festival is a project of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental in cooperation with the Organik na Negros! Organic Producers and Retailers Association and Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture Research and Development.

4th Organic Farmers Festival Schedule of Activities

The Organik na Negros! Market will be holding the 4^th Organic Farmers Festival on November 25-27, 2009 at the Organic Market at the back of the Provincial Capitol. The products available at the trade fair are organic certified fruits, vegetables, rice, coffee, herbs, spices, free range native chicken, pork and fish.

Let us support our local organic producers and help promote organic agriculture by joining the activities for this festival.

Schedule of Activities

November 25, 2009
8 am	Opening and Cutting of Ribbon
Whole Day	Ongoing cooking demo and organic food tasting by Chef Guido Nijssen and the students of the International Culinary School of West Negros
1:30 – 4:00 pm	Agriculture at the Crossroads by Dr. Romeo Onijano (Bacolod Pavilion)
6:00 – 9:00 pm	Talk Shop with Folk band serving Natural Wine, Draft Beer and Organic Foods
November 26, 2009
8:00 – 10:00 am	Organic Vegetarian Cooking: Organic Vegan 101 by Dr. Albert Jo
10:00 – 11:30 am	Official Launching of NICERT Organic Certification Services
11:30 – 1:30 pm	Organic Lunch and cooking demo by Margarita Fores with Chef Richard Ynayan & the Institute for Culinary Arts De La Salle – Bacolod. Proceeds is for the benefit of Suntown Camp Cancer Foundation (Social Hall)
1:30 – 2:30 pm	Donors’ Forum
2:30 – 3:30 pm	Marketing Opportunities
3:30 – 5:30 pm	Packaging and Labeling by Lina Gelonga, DOST Region 6
6:00 – 9:00 pm	Talk Shop with Folk band serving Natural Wine, Draft Beer and Organic Foods
November 27, 2009
8:30 – 9:30 am	Organic Free Range Chicken Production by Mr. Philip Reyes, Fresh Start Organic
9:30 – 10:30 am	Organic Bangus Production by Josephine Ledesma
10:30 – 12:00 nn	Practical Organic Approaches on Livestock by Ramon Peñalosa
1:30 – 4:00 pm	Healthy Lifestyle: The Organic Way by Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan
4:00 pm	Closing Program and Talk Shop with Folk band serving Natural Wine, Draft Beer and Organic Foods

The 4^th Organic Farmers Festival is a project of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental in cooperation with ONOPRA and NISARD.

Uratex Bacolod Showroom Now Open

Bacolod has more reasons to have a good sleep as Uratex, the country’s best-selling foam producer opened its showroom to the public last November 9, 2009. A wide range of highly durable foam products such as mattresses, sofabeds, pillows, and Uratex monoblocks such as chairs, tables, and cabinets are available in the showroom located at 60^th Lacson St., San Sebastian, Bacolod City.

“We offer to the Bacoleños more selections of our best-selling foam products that complement their discriminating taste in comfort, quality, and price. We want to give Bacoleños the best quality and comfort they deserve,” Mr. Ryan Magalona, Operations Manager of Uratex Foam Bacolod said.

An interview with Mr. Stephen Brian Lee, Industrial Marketing Manager, revealed that Bacolod City is the 3rd branch outside of Metro Manila after Naga and Cebu. The company plans to expand and open more branches in the Vis-Min area. With the opening of the showroom, customers are assured they will be buying original and high quality products.

Uratex also produces high quality foams for automobiles and in fact one of its big  clients is Vallacar Transit, owner of Ceres Line of buses operating nationwide with corporate office in Bacolod City. There has been a clamor for Uratex to open a branch in Bacolod for a long time but now seems an opportune time with the current developments in Bacolod City.

Congratulations Uratex and welcome to Bacolod!

Cozy Dining at Puffs N’ Tarts Restaurant

My friends and I had a very scrumptious dinner at Puffs N’ Tarts Cake Factory and Restaurant last Thursday.  My friend Weng has been asking me for ages to try Puffs N’ Tarts but we only found time to go there the other night. Besides, what are we to do? It’s Negros Day and blackout in most areas in Bacolod. Having dinner at Puffs N’ Tarts was perhaps the saving grace of a rather boring day spent at home.

At first I thought they were only serving cakes and pastries because of the name but they actually have pizza and pasta. The food was really good and we have to thank Chef Ryan Sy and staff for that. We had Caesar salad, Pizza Hungarian, Pasta Arabiatta and Pavlova and Banana Cream Crepe for dessert. Their pizza is unique because they are rectangles instead of the usual circular shape.

I was told their best seller was Pizza Roma which unfortunately we were not able to try. Blame my companion who’s not into veggies. Anyway, if their not-so-best-seller was already good then you might say their best-seller would be better.

Don’t be fooled by the facade of the building. It may not look like a fancy restaurant outside but inside it’s very cozy and suitable for a quiet dinner for two or even a big family dinner. Perhaps due to its location, where it’s not along a busy street, the place is not crowded and you have a little privacy from the prying eyes of bystanders.

I was surprised by the price since I did not expect it to be very affordable. Bacolod City is not short of restaurants with really good food but it’s still nice finding a place where you feel you paid for the food and not for the over-rated ambiance.

Puffs N’ Tarts Cake Factory and Restaurant
#77 San Sebastian St., Bacolod City
Tel. 7088719
Business Hours:  Mon-Sat /10am-10pm

Range:

Pizza: P195
Pasta and Salad: P120-P150
Steak: P250
Cakes: P360-P800/P36-P70 per slice
Desserts: less than P100

How to Get There

When going there for the first time, your landmark would be Virgie’s Pasalubong Center. Puffs N’ Tarts is just a few meters away. Taculing-Central Market jeepneys also pass by the restaurant.

View Bacolod City Dining Places in a larger map

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