One of the Best Festival of the Philippines is Bacolod’s Masskara Festival. Bacolod is popularly known for the city of Smiles and I never knew why till we attended the almost week long festival. We just learned it from our friends in Bacolod the story of the said city. In 1980, an inter-island vessel Don Juan owned by the Negros Navigation Company collided with an oil tanker and sank on April 22, 1980. The tragedy claimed the lives of an estimated 400 passengers, most of whom were Negrenses, including several from prominent families in Bacolod. Negros sugar industry was shaken by the much...

It’s always nice to visit a historical site in the country. My most recent, a trip Talisay City, Negros Occidental for The Talisay Mansion Ruins. This mansion was owned by Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson. It was built after the death of his wife, Maria Braga, and became Don Mariano’s residence and his unmarried children. His Mansion is the largest residential structure ever built during that time. A-grade mixture of concrete and its strict pouring was precisely followed. Final touches to the walls were made with egg white mixed with cement to give that marble-like finish. The Mansion’s...