siquijor island

credits: -videos shot in siquijor island
-software used for video editing was sony vegas 6 movie studio
-music is homebase by dzihan and kamien
-videos were edited, directed, and produced by wencel angeles

bacolod, masskara, inasal, atbp. part 01

the word masskara means two things. “mass,” a collective english word, and “kara” or face in spanish. masskara then became “a mass of faces.” the festival first began in 1980 when the province of negros occidental relied on sugar cane as its primary agricultural crop, and the price of sugar was at an all-time low. in april 1980, the inter-island vessel don juan carrying many negrenses, including those belonging to prominent families in bacolod city, sank. there was a great loss of life.

so the city's artists, local government and civic groups decided to hold a festival of smiles, because the city at that time was also known as the city of smiles. then gave the birth of the masskara festival. now on its 28^th anniversary, the city promises more smiles, and bigger productions, both to the locals and to the tourists.

bacolod executive inn

october 17, 2007. me and james traveled from manila to bacolod city via cebu pacific for only 45 minutes. my friend ricky welcomed us at the bacolod city airport together with his other friends. our hotel host sent out our courtesy service van, driven by mang ricardo. we went straight to the hotel and finalized our itinerary.

best chicken inasal at karen's grill

first stop was the manukan country. my friend ricky, a local guide, introduced us to his mother's childhood best friend, alice. she is the owner and the operation manager of the karen's grill. please don't tell me that i am exaggerating things but her chicken wings, served with atchara, suka and toyo with freshly squeezed calamansi, is the best chicken meal i've had this year. it was so good that we had to order an additional rice for each one of us. best thing about this place is not just the food; it is also the price. we've paid only php233 for everything. when we left, alice greeted us and said "thank you, welcome to bacolod city," and gave us the biggest smile i've seen yet.

i am not really a mall person but their newly built sm mall is truly unique. i'm not sure what inspired the architect and where he got the design from but it was really something. it looks like two big blocks or wood, suspended by numbers of thick sturdy white wires.

october 18, 2007. if you are a morning person, you might be a little disappointed to know that most establishments in bacolod city open late. it was our first morning in the city and we had no place for breakfast. we walked around the city and ended up eating jumbo burger at burger machine along san juan street, infront of the bacolod bay center. there you will find the bacolod city tourism office. we did a little exploring within the city without the help of our tour guide, and we ended up lost in the city. just a little tip, before you start roaming the city, try to visit the tourism office so you can get a map. believe me, one street looks just like the other and before you know it, you are already lost. also you should not use fast foods like mcdonald's, chinky's, merci, and foodman as your landmarks. with what happened, not only i've proven that my friend james has no sense of humor and sense of time, he also has no sense of direction. whenever i feel like we need to make a right turn, he would tell me that we should make a left turn.

we were supposed to visit silay city that morning as scheduled by our guide but i thought watching the elementary and high school students dancing on their masskaras would be far more interesting. so we decided not to leave bacolod that day. we had lunch at the manukan country again, but this time we tried eating at the nena's bet, which is the restaurant sitting right next to alice's. their chicken is bigger but alice's is tastier.

it was our first time to witness a real masskara parade. there were 11 groups (minimum of 40 and maximum number of 80 members per group) that participated in the elementary and high school division. we took many pictures and shot some videos. afterwhich we ended up watching in the plaza for their dance showdown. each group had to perform their routine and show their dancing skills infront of thousands of people. criterias were the following: choreography, mask, originality, audience impact, and costume. it was such a fun, lively and colorful event. i was so fascinated by the things and people that i saw that i've never noticed that i was right in the middle of the street taking pictures and shooting videos. it was unbelievable. but the weather wasn't cooperating. during the announcement of the winners and the special awards, it started to rain. bummer. just when we had the chance to take our pictures with the children. afterwhich, we had our dinner in a videoke place called "erps and erms" right outside the plaza and headed back to the hotel.

locals of silay city

october 19. we decided not to leave the hotel, and just eat our breakfast right in our room. nothing fancy, just bread with strawberry jam, and some chocolate chips. ricky was supposed to pick us up at the hotel around 9am but he never came until 10am. the sun was nice and sunny that day. it wasn't hot at all. we walked just a block from our hotel and rode a jeep with a bata-libertad signage. we off at robinson's place mandalagan and rode another jeep going to silay city. fare from bacolod to silay's php17.

silay city is the place where you will find old spaniard houses built during the early 18th century. there are a total on thirty-one old houses but only two of them are allowed for public viewing, others were converted into commercial establishments, and some can be visited by appointment or by invites only. bernardino jalandoni ancestral house and balay negrense are just the only ones that can be visited by tourists.

nardino jalandoni ancestral house was built in 1908, the owners don bernardino and ysabel jalandoni had this two-storey house constructed with strong materials of hardwood from the province of mindoro. it is currently owned by the heirs, mr. and mrs. antonio montinola. declared on november 6, 1993 as the first national historical landmark in the city of silay by the national historical institute. it was eventually converted into a museum and a venue for cultural, educational, and artistic happenings. the bernardino jalandino museum opens from tuesdays to sundays (closed on mondays), 9am - 5pm. for guided tours and further information, you can call 034-4955093.

balay negrense is located along in cinco de noviembre street. it is also a two-storey house, built in early 19th century. victorino gaston, a really wealthly man was the owner of this ancestral house. he also owned a rice field, and also a ranch. the house is a 12-bedroom house, built intendedly for his twelve children, but due to an unfortunate event, he wasn't able to see it because he was already dead after the completion of this house. it has a souvenir shop where you can buy local products like keychains, paintings, literatures, and others. it is now currently being renovated and the fees paid by the tourists are being used for its restoration.

we also took a quick look at the san diego pro-cathedral. the building is really huge and it has an incredible ceiling. great architechtural design and nice warm colors will greet you the moment you come inside the building. its clock was installed 69 years ago (1938), imported from paris, and donated by don vicente montelibano. the clocked stopped working sometime 20 years ago and was fixed only in 2005.

we were so hungry right after the tour. we had no time to visit palamunitan which is a famous seafood place in silay. we cannot afford to waste another hour so we looked for another place where we can really fast food. we found this place along the highway where they serve pancit and batchoy. i thought it was a good time to eat soup for i have been eating meat since i got to bacolod. it was really a big disappointment after tasting them. the pancit was so salty and it barely had meat in it and the batchoy doesn't taste like batchoy at all and it was also salty. it was so bad that i've decided not to finish it. i left silay that day with a big grim on my face.

we had a quick rest at the hotel while i was eating mango which i bought in a nearby fruit store. we had our dinner over ressy's which is located along lacson street. the food wasn't so bad because they're hot and the price was so affordable. if you are in a tight budget, try visiting ressy's.

we attended the first ever electric masskara along lacson street. this was the first time i've visited lacson at this time of the day. the place was so lively, full of nice people, good food and good music. i've also noticed that the not-so-rich crowd prefers to hangout in the city plaza, while the rest can be found in lacson.

there were three masskara groups that showed up and it wasn't really a big parade as expected. it was still fun though because of the nice costumes that the dancers were wearing. the masskara organizers predicted that this could be the future of masskara.

it was my first time to attend a bikini open that day. it was held at the bacolod pavilion, located at the back of the sm mall building. the place was packed and so we had no chance to get in. we tried to find a spot where we can at least get a glimpse at the event. i could have taken better pictures. too bad, we came in late.

bacolod, masskara, inasal, atbp. part 02

october 20. we left the executive almost lunch time. we were so tired from last night's events in lacson. we had a hearty meat at tf, which stand for food trip. ricky ordered beef teriyaki, sizzling squid for james, and pork teriyaki for me. tf is located right next to the bacolod executive inn. their food is satisfactory, but they're surely hot and affordable.

after lunch, we went to lacson to find a laundry place where we can drop off all of our dirty clothes. we had a hard time looking for one since it would be the closing of the masskara festival the following day and most establishments would be closed. we were lucky that we found a laundry place along lacson street corner ramos street. we headed right away to the plaza to witness the masskara competition, barangay category.

there were only few spectators when we arrived in the plaza. ricky saw ann, his inspector friend, who later helped us to get a good spot in a restricted area for a better view of the competition. the view was far better than yesterday, where i could hardly see a thing. i shot some videos and took some pictures. i thought the pictures turned out great. there were 28 barangays lined up to perform that day but we thought that the program was too long, so we left right after the 12th group. we had lunch at karen's grill.

mr. masskara bodybuilding contest, bacolod pavilion

viva la masskara

a big bacolod welcome

thousands of people waiting under the sun

october 21. james left the executive even before me and ricky woke up. james met a friend along lacson street and also picked up the laundry. ricky left at 6am to get things for our dumaguete and siquijor trip while i was left to prepare my own things. we had to check out the hotel at 12nn and come to araneta street for the street parade again. i got hungry and i haven't had my breakfast yet so i thought i should visit mcdonald's. i had a big mac meal and headed back to the hotel. we decided to leave all of our things at the hotel and would just pick them up at night before leaving for dumaguete.












we came to araneta street before 1pm and waited for the parade to start. the sun was scorching hot and i was sweating so bad. i was afraid that the sunblock lotion i applied earlier on my face and on my head wouldn't work because i remembered wiping my face off before leaving the hotel. the parade started very late, and a mass of people started to thicken on the street of araneta. i was watching all the police that were assigned for the crowd control and i was losing hope that i will be permitted to be on the streets to take pictures. a lady intern saw me with my camera and thought that i was professional photographer. she asked me if i would be taking pictures, i said yes. so she let me cross the yellow rope and go to street. the yellow rope by the way is their way of controling the crowd from moving to the middle of the street. the parade was long and i took hundreds of pictures. my face was full of sweat and i started to smell bad, and yet i felt this great satisfaction.




we went to the plaza not to watch their perfomance again. we went there to take our pictures with the dancers backstage. yesterday's competition was their preliminary and only 10 among the 28 groups were chosen to perform this afternoon at the plaza for masskara street dance challenge finals. backstage, weary dancers who have already performed were sitting on the plaza ground. we asked some of them if it's okay to have their pictures taken, and they were all nice. some of the dancers were selling their masks thinking that they had no chance of winning.

bacolod cathedral at night

that was the last of the masskara for this year. we had dinner again over alice's place in manukan country and took some pictures at the bacolod cathedral. we also went to robinsons place to check out the masskara exhibit and to use the internet. we took out things from the hotel and took a bus to dumaguete city at the ceres terminal bus liner at 11:30pm. it was one of the wisest decision i've made. we would be sleeping in the bus on our way to dumaguete and we'd we saving a night at the hotel.

dumaguete city

rizal boulevard in dumaguete city is a 780-meter strip of wide beachfront promenade. this was one of the first places i've visited while i was in dumaguete. my friend, dave, used to live here and now he is currently working in cebu island.

october 22. we arrived in dumaguete city at 3:30am. we were so tired that day. good thing that the dumaguete lodging house is only a 5 minute walk from the ceres bus terminal. we were so not in the mood to be nice to the attendants, all of them were males. i’m not sure if we came in such a bad time or if it was just our fate because the building was currently under renovation. our room had no window, it smells like tarnish, it was so hot, and it only has a common bathroom. we had no time to argue so we took the room and slept right away. i woke up at 7am and i was sweating like a pig. i got up right away and went to the bathroom for a quick shower.

we went to the dumaguete public market building 3 and looked for a barbershop to get my head shaved. there i met a very nice and friendly barber. let’s call him john for that’s the name i saw on his seat. too bad i forgot to ask to have our pictures together as a souvenir. afterwhich, we took pictures of the silliman university, founded 1901, is a vast 60 hectare land, which also happens to be the largest university in the entire visayas region. also within its grounds, it has the ethno-anthropology museum which contains a wide array of ancient artifacts, archaelogical findings and ethnographical collections. we also took pictures of other landmarks like saint catherine of alexandria church, quezon park, rizal boulevard, and the city’s only belfry.

silliman university ethno-anthropology museum

st. catherine of alexandria cathedral, 1811

dumaguete belfry

bell tower of st. catherine of alexandria cathedral was constructed in 1811. other than informing townsfolk of daily mass schedules, it also served as a watchtower for forthcoming attacks by aggressors. dumaguete belfry was restored in 1985 and since then has become a very popular landmark. a garden now surrounds the tower and a grotto of the virgin mary stands erect near the base.

tricycle is the cheapest and most accesible way of transportation in dumaguete. one can also rent a motorcycle for only php20 an hour within the city only.

the seven sisters of saint paul of charters landed on the philippine island on october 29, 1904 and were joyously welcomed by the people of dumaguete. they came at the invitation of bishop frederick z. rooker of the diocese of jaro, to which the island of negros belonged. saint paul academy of dumaguete was then established.

rizal boulevard is like dumaguete's version of baywalk, only it is cleaner and the sea breeze is fresher. this is also the best place both for fancy and cheap food. it is a popular spot for family picnics and other outdoor activities. on sundays, you can usually find revelers seated cross legged on the grass around their spread of food. children have their time of day running around or clam digging on the seashore during low tides.


if you feel a little seasick from hanging out to much in rizal boulevard, one can also hang out in quezon park, where you can see locals, especially students resting during late afternoons. it is located right across the saint catherine cathedral.


we got so hungry right after the photo shoot so we stopped by foodnet, a famous food place located along santa catalina street. their food is satisfactory and they also affordable. they have a wide array of food selection, and they even have desserts. foodnet is right infront of the boston market. at 11am, we went back to the lodging house, got our things, and went to the pier and rode a boat to the beautiful and enchanted island of siquijor, our next and also our final destination.

isla del fuego

siquijor was christened by the early spanish settlers christened, as the "island of fire," referring to the eerie luminescence generated by swarms of fireflies nestled among the foliage of the molave trees that crowd the island. laid-back, serene, and mystical, the island of siquijor is a haven for the weary soul.

october 22. we rode a slow boat, hoping that we would see some whales on our way to siquijor. we were unlucky. hopefully, on wednesday, when we leave siquijor for dumaguete, we will see some whales. the ride was almost an hour and 10 minutes. it was a lot slower compared to a fast raft which could take only 45 minutes, but it was so much fun. the ride was kind of smooth and it wasn’t bumpy at all. it was my first time to ride a boat, and i can proudly say that i never threw up, hahaha.

seeing siguijor island for the first time was such a thrill. i’ve never seen anything like it before. first stop was the tourist assistance center where we were warmly greeted by its wonderful receptionist, jessie mary buctolan. she was very knowledgeable about the island of siquijor and she was able to answer all of our inquiry. we had a tough time deciding where to stay. based on my research, coral cay beach resort is the nicer and also the more affordable resort. ricky’s doctor friend told him that the dondeezco beach resort would be the better choice. although i’ve never heared of that place, we all took the risk and rode a tricycle all the way to dondeezco.

jessie mary buctolan; tourist assistance center

walking along the beach is good for the soul

dondeezco beach resort, brgy. dumanhog, siquijor

over dondeezco, we checked their facilities, rooms, menu, beach, pools, everything. we thought that the place was nice so decided to check in. we all unpack our things and put them in the drawers, turned on the tv, and planned our itinerary. at 4pm, i went out to the beach and started taking pictures. it was fun, although my friends decided to stay in our room. later that afternoon, they swam in the pool while i was filming by the beach. it was a great time for me to explore the beach and look for unknown creatures because there was a low tide and there’d be more things to take pictures of.

dondeezco's facade, the boulevard, and pool area

we had dinner around 7pm. we ordered pancit canton, sizzling squid with vegetables, and tinolang manok. each order is good for 3-4 persons and they are all served hot and fresh. it was a little pricey but reasonable enough. honestly, my friends were having a tight budget and they would never approve eating at dondeezco. i thought it would be nice to stay for dinner, and so i convinced them to stay for dinner. after our wonderful meal, we stayed at the boulevard. it is like a big platform facing the beach, with coconut trees, and some relaxing lights. james took out his laptop to the boulevard so i can work with my blog. after two hours, it became a little cold, so we decided to head back to our room and have a nice rest.

october 23. i looked at the beach first thing in the morning and hoped that i would see the sunrise. i woke up late so i’ve missed it. it was almost 8:30am and my friends haven’t decided what to do yet. i became impatient so i thought i should explore the island with a local guide. zaldi, the resort’s gym instructor offered to look for a guide to tour me around the island on a motorbike. after 10 minutes, he introduced me to jerome baguio, my guide. he is a 23-year old kid, a native siquijodnon.

jerome, a local guide from brgy. dumanhog

this was featured in a local film

jerome took me to siquijor’s famous landmarks like the century old enchanted balete tree, san juan de capilay spring park, saint isidore labradore church and convent, cambugahay falls, our lady of divine providence church, saint francis de assisi church and bell tower, and many others.

saint isidore labradore church, 1884

lazi convent, 1884

saint isidore labradore church and convent was built by the spaniards in 1884. it is reputed to be the biggest and one of the oldest convents in the philippines. it is believed to have been the vacation house for the diocese’s priests at that time.

james and manilyn; my new friends

cambugahay falls; tigbawan, lazi

cambugahay falls is the only enchanted falls in the island of siquijor. you can see its several levels of waterfalls and enjoy its cool and refreshing waters. upon visiting this falls, i met some unexpected guests, manilyn and james, who are visitors of this falls. we made friends with them and james was so nice to show us some of his diving moves.

the enchanted balete tree

century old balete tree is in the campalanas area. many believe that it is enchanted because of its eerie outline created by its roots and vines hanging down. you will also notice that there is water flowing underneath it running straight to the man-made stream which also adds to its mystery. no one can tell me where the water was coming from.

salagdoong beach resort, brgy. maria

salagdoong beach resort is probably the best spot in the island. aside from its vast forest, it also has beautiful beach with pristine cystal-clear waters, powdery white sands, big rock formations and also favorable diving spots which results to frequent visitors. molave trees ushers the visitors to the intramural breadth of the beach. its beachfronts are covered with fine white sands which resulted to hundreds of huts and cottages from different resorts. they all provide a homely ambiance for visitors and swimmers.

church and bell tower of saint francis of assisi, 1870

church and bell tower of saint francis of assisi was built in 1870. it was made mostly of corals and it is located right in the town of siquijor. this might be the first thing you will see once you arrive the island and it would welcome all of the guests and travelers a grand siquijor welcome with blessings and goodwill. the bell tower was built to protect and forewarn the locals of approaching pirates and other adversaries

after touring siquijor with jerome, i realized that the people of siquijor are actually shy, very warm, friendly, and loving people. the tour was long and it was very eventful. my body was aching after carrying all of my heavy equipment. i enjoyed every single minute of it and it was so unforgettable. as the tour ends, jerome gave me a firm handshake, a warm smile, and said “it’s been a pleasure, sir. i will never forget you.”

my friends ate dinner at a restaurant near the port, while uploaded all my pictures to james’ computer. inspired with all i’ve seen, as i close my eyes and think about the entire day, words started to flow, and then i started to write, with a smile on my face. i didn’t want to eat out, so i decided to stay in dondeezco for dinner. while i am sitting on the boulevard and facing the beach, i’ve had sizzling boneless chicken with fries on the side, two bottles of coke, and a glass of ice-cold water. it was the best meal in my entire trip and i felt great satisfaction.

october 24. the sound of the alarm woke us at 4am. we had to prepare our things and take a shower really quick so we can catch the first boat going to dumaguete. it breaks my heart leaving that day for i haven’t taken a picture yet of siquijor’s sunrise. it was still dark outside when we got in the resort’s shuttle service which would take us to the port. at exactly 5:50am, we left siquijor. the view from the boat was so spectacular yet i never photographed it. so again, i closed my eyes and photographed it, in my mind. i just wanted something that i can save in my memory, and not just in a computer’s hard drive. we had to be back to bacolod for our afternoon flight to manila at 5:35pm via cebu pacific. i bought some pasalubong and had burgers for lunch.

it brought tears to my eyes as the plane left bacolod city. i was looking down and i could see the beautiful city of bacolod waving at me, asking me to come back. it was an emotional time for me and my heart was beating so fast, telling me to reconsider. my answer is YES, i would definitely come back.

see you soon, negros

this is the official logo of the masskara festival. click here to get the complete schedule of the activities.

i will be leaving manila via cebu pacific on october 17th to visit bacolod city to attend their annual masskara festival celebration. i've been planning to attend masskara for about 3 years and now, i just had the chance to do it. i will be touring bacolod city and its nearby cities from october 17th to the 21st. i will also be visiting dumaguete city for a day, and then ride a fast raft to the beautiful island of siquijor.

tour me

this blog is about my philippine travel. i love to eat filipino food. i love swimming in philippine beaches. i love meeting my fellow filipinos. i love my country very much, and it shows. every now and then, i make sure that i request for a leave from work for at least 7 days, and try to get away from it, to be free, to relax, and to enjoy life. i love traveling to different places in the islands which i've never been to or even heard of. so some of you might ask, how do i do that?

first, i search the internet or sometimes i read travel books and magazines. other times, i'd ask a close friend where his province is, and how is it like being in that place. it would normally take me a month or two just to do a full research about a specific place. i usually ask the same questions during research; how to get there, what to expect, what to bring, what to eat, where to stay, what to see, what my itinerary would be, and how much.

second, i usually ask a friend's friend to tour me or hire a professional tour guide to show me around the place. if my friend is currenty living in my destination, i would ask him if he can personally tour me instead of just giving out directions.

third, i pack my bags, prepare my equipment (camera, camcorder, batteries, recording medias, etc.), leave, and enjoy.

so, if you are living somewhere in the philippines, and you feel like being "charitable" to me, and would like to tour me in your area, brag about your province and email me at ask.wencelangeles@gmail.com. it would be nice to have a local with me to show me your beautiful place. please tell me things about yourself, the city you live in, and why it should be featured.