By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY, (PNA) — The 20-day merry-making of the 34th MassKara Festival kicked off Tuesday at the Bacolod plaza as Mayor Monico Puentevella declared this year’s festival open.
In his message, Puentevella thanked the participants for joining him in opening the MassKara Festival.
Despite the ongoing conflict in Zamboanga City and floods in Metro Manila brought by Tropical Storm Quedan, Bacolod still has a reason to smile, he added.
“We have big reasons to celebrate. Let us enjoy 20 days of merrymaking starting today and be glad for the good weather,” Puentevella said.
He also thanked Vice Mayor Greg Gasataya for joining him in the grand opening salvo, and acknowledged the presence of City Administrator Rolando Villamor who walked from the Capitol Lagoon to the city plaza.
Gasataya lauded the efforts of festival organizer Kasadya Bacolod Foundation Inc. for staging a “lively grand opening.”
The opening of the 2013 MassKara Festival was aired live by the ABS-CBN Bacolod’s The Morning Show and was also featured in ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda.
This year’s festival is themed “Rediscover and Celebrate Bacolod.”
Alfred Lucot, festival media affairs and online business head, had earlier said they are tapping the social media to promote the MassKara 2013 across the globe.
Organizers are using various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Google Plus, to enforce the #MassKara2013 (hashtagMassKara2013).
The MassKara Festival 2013 official website is at www.bacolodmasskarafestival.com.
The streetdance competition, one of the main attractions of the MassKara Festival, will be held on Oct. 20 for the barangay and open category and on Oct. 18, for the schools category.
The performing barangays are Cabug, Alijis, 6, 16, 37, 26, 21, 31, 4, 3, 22, 39, 12, 34 and 15
The participating schools for elementary level are Paglaum Village Elementary School, Vista Alegre-Granada Elementary School, Estefania Elementary School, Crispino V. Ramos Elementary School, Education and Training Center School-III, and Abkasa Elementary School while for high school, Villa Esperanza High School, Bata National High School, Bacolod City National High School, and Barangay Singcang-Airport National High School.
Bacolod will also celebrate its 75th Charter Day on Oct. 19, with tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan as the guest of honor and speaker.