E-JEEPNEY (Philippine Transport Modernization)

 

Goodbye JEEPNEYS! Hello e-jeepneys

Jeepneys are rare these days. These transports are truly endangered with the sudden changes in the Philippine transport industry. Considered to be a cultural icon and heritage, jeepneys has been considered as obsolete and are now slowly phased out to pave way for modernization.

Many knew that this transport was a product of Pinoy inguinity - wherein military jeeps used in World War 2. That's why it's hard for its existence to vanish without considering its cultural vale. Jeepneys were actually forgotten. Americans left many jeeps in the country after World War 2. Because pinoys were out job after the war, they saw the opportunity to develop  the parts that were salvaged and dismantled from the Army jeeps into something useful and can be a source of income. The product of that endeavor was a hit - the Jeep became Jeepney.  It is a portmanteu of post-war words "jeep" (brand) and pre-war "jitney" (a bus or other vehicle carrying passengers for a low fare.

The jeepney ruled the Philippines streets for decades. It has become one of the so-called poster boys of the Tourism Industry just like the Chocolate Hills, the Tarsier and the Philippine Eagle.

WATCH THIS VIDEO

Foreign and local tourists are enamored by this road beast. However, time and also new modern innovations endangered this well-loved  mode of transportation.  When the biggest jeepney maker Sarao company closed due to financial difficulties, it was a telltale sign that Modernization of the transport industry is at the horizon.

Indeed, the inevitable happened. Nowadays, modern buses with AC and other amenities, replaced the Sarao-type transport and even the boxed ones. Many were sad that the new buses were too ugly, too modern and are stiff looking. Gone are the colorful motif that truly gave jeepneys its identities. 
However, there were others who are okay with the change but wanted to preserve the traditional image of a Jeepney. Thus, a hybrid was born, the e-jeepneys, an innovative form of Pinoy transportation that looks modern but with the some old-fashion form.

International COFFEESHOP

STARBUCKS opens another Branch in the EAST side of Bacolod, the City of Smiles
Just in time for the Bacolod MassKara Festival

 Bacolod coffee lovers have a new reason to celebrate - STARBUCKS Circumrenal Road has finally opened. And this time, it's in the EAST area where new developments are sprouting like mushrooms. First, there's the city resort Splash Park Bacolod near BCGC (Bacolod Government Center).  There's the Megaworld The Upper East where Herald Parksuites Condominium, new McDonald's, Landers Superstore Bacolod and other buildings. Tthen along the circumferential road are new establishments like the DIY/Home improvement store, Triumph Depot. There's Rockwell to the North too. 

The new standalone branch, compared to its, predecessor, the first ever Starbucks in Lacson St., has 3 distinct new features: a Drive-Thru, a 2nd floor and a balcony area. 

Though the parking area is limited, the Drive-Thru serves as an option for those who have cars yet they wanted to have their morning coffee, a hot Starbucks cup.

WATCH THIS VIDEO

The 2nd floor is idea for those who are looking to CoWork or work away from home. Virtual assistans, those who are coders, social media managers can work on the large large table good provided by the coffee chain. 

The balcony is welcome idea especially those who just wanted to drink coffee or relax. This is a place that you can look at time without worrying or just watch passing cars while thinking of new ideas or a new business. Couples will find the balcony an ideal dating area too. From the balcony, one can see a vantage view of mountains of Negros Occidental.

Well, it's good to have an international chain opening in a once solitary place. It's a sign that Bacolod, indeed, is growing and new opportunities are coming. It's an added tambayan for Bacolod MassKara Festival revelers come October. 

LOCAL FILM FESTIVAL (WITH WINNERS LIST)

 
Ten local shorts filmmakers compete Bacolod Film Festival Boosts Local Creative Economy (BACOLOD FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS NIGHT RESULTS BELOW)

Filmmaking

The Government of Bacolod City finally made history by finally recognizing and celebrating emerging local filmmakers through a short film festival. The success of the Bacolod Film Festival (despite the stormy weather) did prove that Bacolod has rich creative talents that fits the film industry. It's great to note that boosting the creative economy is one of the projects of Mayor Albee Benitez and this endeavor is a big welcome and change for the City of Smiles. The awards ceremony was held on September 15 at SM Cinema 1 in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The jurors were Joey Javier Reyes, Joji Alonso, Philip Cheah, Law Fajardo and Wanggo Gallaga. Winners of the first ever Bacolod Film Festival are:

BEST PICTURE - Sa Pwesto ni Pistong BEST DIRECTOR - Vincent Joseph "VinJo" Entuna (Sa Pwesto ni Pistong)

BEST ACTOR - Dante Macam - Laragway sa Karon

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Rene Hinojales - Puli na, Diche Lesly

BEST SCREENPLAY- Vincent Joseph "VinJo" Entuna (Sa Pwesto ni Pistong)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Rosco Cofreros - Aninaw

BEST EDITING - Xavier Nojas and Fahleen Fang - Laragway sa Karon

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - Margaret Kathryn-Baynosa Entuna - Chicken Inasal (Those Little Things)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - Poli Gonzales - Chicken Inasal (Those Little Things)

BEST MUSICAL SCORE - Khyle Zedrick Anasta - A Flower in a Day

BEST SOUND - Rolf Baynosa - Chicken Inasal (Those Little Things)

BEST MAKE- UP - Alvin Belesario - Glub

JURY'S PRIZE WINNER - Milton Dionzon, Reynaldo Amagun and Louis Dormido - Aninaw

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD - Laragway sa Karon

GET TO KNOW THE 10 Entries:

1. A FLOWER A DAY

Directed by Chelsea Tasic

Produced by Dulaab Productions

🏆Award (1): BEST MUSICAL SCORE - Khyle Zedrick Anasta

A young woman finds solace amid the faded charm of a quiet, rundown café. She returns to the café routinely, drawing the attention of an intrigued barista.

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2. ANINAW

Directed by Charlene Mead Tupas

Produced by Zone Studios

🏆Awards (2): BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Rosco Cofreros JURY'S PRIZE WINNER - Milton Dionzon, Reynaldo Amagun and Louis Dormido - Aninaw

In pursuit of finding the place where their deepest desires will come true, three friends embark on a journey against the backdrop of an evolving city and their failing memory.

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3. BLIND DATE

Directed by Victor Villanueva

Produced by Juan Carlo Miguel for JCM Films

Two savvy social media stars get set up, and they struggle to meet up at all.

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As home to the authentic Bacolod Chicken Inasal cuisine and its annual festival (video above), one of the entries is a story based on this tasty dish but with a futuristic twist.

4. CHICKEN INASAL (Those Little Things )

Directed by Poli Gonzales and Massah Gonzales-Gamboa

Produced by Massah Gonzales-Gamboa and Georgia Elardo for Kwentista Produksyon

🏆Awards (3):

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - Margaret Kathryn-Baynosa Entuna

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - Poli Gonzales BEST SOUND - Rolf Baynosa

Set in 2222 in the cyberpunk city of Bacolod, a teenager goes through her usual day with her father with no idea that the best surprise of her life was going to happen.

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5. GLUB

Directed by Zack Verzosa

Produced by Champorado Productions, Zol Films, Kantiaha Prod., Anggulo Community, and Playback Productions 🏆Award (1): BEST MAKE- UP - Alvin Belesario - Glub

An outcast who wants to have someone who understands him, meets a person who he thinks would be the one.

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6. LARAGWAY SA KARON

Directed by Pau Ortaliz Santos and Nina Aira Villanueva

Produced by Three Wheels Production in collaboration with Xouvenir Studios. 🏆Award (1):

BEST ACTOR - Dante Macam BEST EDITING -Xavier Nojas and Fahleen Fang

An old man aims to win a photography contest to solve his financial challenges. There, he meets a young and spirited photographer – unveiling an unexpected friendship full of colors.

The true story of the old Manokan Country (video above) inspired one of the entries in the Bacolod FIlm Festival

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7. MANOKAN COUNTRY

Directed by Banjo Hinolan

Produced by Banjo Hinolan Films

A determined restaurant owner in Bacolod City faces off against a ruthless real estate developer in a high-stakes Chicken Inasal cooking competition to save his family's eatery and preserve the heart of his community.

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8. PULI NA, DICHE LESLY

Directed by Willbryan Garcia

Produced by Salekula Dahlia Studios

🏆Award (1):

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Rene Hinojales

A bittersweet story of family ties and the things we do for love. A successful Filipino-Chinese artist drives home to her hometown of Bacolod for her father's heart surgery.

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9. SA PWESTO NI PISTONG (The Barber's Chair)

Directed by VinJo Entuna

Produced by Maragtas Film Productions 🏆Awards (3): BEST PICTURE BEST DIRECTOR - Vincent Joseph "VinJo" Entuna

BEST SCREENPLAY- Vincent Joseph "VinJo" Entuna

A humble barber navigates a tumultuous era while serving a diverse array of customers including a prominent haciendero and an idealistic nephew.

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10. THE MANSION

Directed by Alvin "Swoop" Diaz and Oscar Villanueva

Produced by T3 Studios

A videographer accidentally meets someone while doing his job, leading him to a rude awakening.

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From out of 33 entries screened for the Bacolod Film Festival, ten finalist made it. These entries are visions of Bacolod residents Chelsea Taisc, Charlene Mae Tupas, Juan Carlo Miguel Araullo, Georgia Mari Elardo, reginald Amador Zack Versoza, Mary Pauline Santos, Rodolfo "Banjo" Hinolan Jr. Willbryan Garcia, Vicent Hoset Entuna, and Oscar Villanueva. Filmmaking is a dynamic and intricate art form that demands creativity, resilience, and collaboration at every stage.

The grantees received 300,000 pesos each to fund and finish their films.

Trailers of their films were launched via the Bacolod Film Festival Facebook page on September 1. All 10 short films were screened on September 12-15, 2024 at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central and SM City Bacolod Cinemas.

Meanwhile, the official poster for the Bacolod Film Festival captured the essence of the festival's spirit. The iconic smiling eyes from the logo seamlessly morph into ten dynamic waves, each symbolizing the fresh and powerful visions of Bacolodnon filmmakers. These waves serve as a striking metaphor for the boundless creativity and visionary storytelling that these filmmakers will bring to Philippine cinema. Their collective energy, symbolized by these fluid forms, reflects an unstoppable force of artistic expression.

Tambayan in Bacolod's Buri Road

Buri Road (GM Cordova Avenue): 
From a Lonely Path to a site of Vibrant Progress

  LIFESTYLE  

To many Bacolodnons, Brgy, Mandalagan's famous Buri Road in the 90s was a dark, secluded and lonely road. The only thing that comes to mind about this less known path is that it's a shortcut point to the Lady of Mercy Hospital and Eroreco subd or to the Circumferential Road that also connects to Brgy. Bata. Buri Road was known also for being the road to one of Bacolod's elite subdivisions, the Mountain View Subdivision.
At night, nobody seemed to dare to pass by this area unless it's an emergency situation or if you live within the area. 

  WATCH THIS VIDEO  

However, with the transfer of the Vallacar's Ceres Bus Terminal and other small transportation players to the North Terminal at Bata area plus the opening of the Bacolod-SIlay Airport access road, Buri Road eventually became, not only a shortcut, but one of major arteries for transport traffic in the north of city which helped spawn the rise of business establishments like SME (Small to Medium Enterprises). Nowadays, there are clear signs of massive development in the area - a far cry back decades ago.  

CitiMall Mandalagan is the first major landmark that signals you're already at this road. Driving along, you can find some car wash, resto bars, cafes, subdivisions, grocery stores, water refilling stations, a FastWest gasoline station, laundry hubs, pet shop and more like Tawhai Spa. If you are entering from the circumferential road, the landmark you'll see first is Home Improvement Mandaue Foam and Furniture's showroom.

But what makes Buri Road, a modern stopover and destination are the presence of major property developers and popular local cafes and restaurants. 

First, there's the flagship of Vistaland - Camella Homes Subdivision which dominates other small subdivisions like Estancia Subd. Then beside is the high-rise condo apartment the Camella Manors Olivera and Vistaland's affiliate AllValue establishment which has AllHome (homebuilder depot), All Value Supermarket, Coffee Project, All American (Pizza),  Chicken Deli in its vicinity. 

  WATCH THIS VIDEO  

At the adjacent side, you can find Rockwell's Nara Residences. Just in front of the entrance of this condominium development is The Pavilions at Nara. This lifestyle hub has stores like UCC Cafe Terrace (coffeeshop), Mitsuyado Sei-Men (Japanese Ramen - Tsukemen noodles resto), Coco Ichibanya (Japanese Curry Rice Toppings) diner, Firehook Boulangerie Et Patisserie (Artesan bakery restaurant) and soon Buri Road Coffee.

  WATCH THIS VIDEO  

Meanwhile, local coffee and cake shop Quino's, restaurant Masskara Chicken Inasal, At Ani Building, you can find Steamin' Cup, Romantic Baboy, a Baan Thai Homm (a Resto that offers authentic Thai cuisine), Edibowl, Sizzling Station Mandalagan, Kapehan ni Roney, and Keeka. 

In front of All Value is a marketplace with establishments like Cafe Milan, Taste Station pop up cart, Community Clinic, Two Spot restobar, Carbin Seafood, Wash Buddies laundry station, Aqua Touch Water Refilling Station, Kakao Chicken Korean Grill Restaurant, and Ninik's Kandingan.
 
If you and your friends are in this area of Bacolod and hunters of great tasting food and tambayan, Buri Road  is more than a path but a prime destination that has lots to offer. 

COWORKING SPACE: WFH/VA's POWER OUTAGE SOLUTION

Working in Bacolod BUT there are POWER OUTAGES! INTERNET PROBLEMS! 
Well, a trip to a CoWorking Space is the Answer

 LIFE HACKS | COWORKING LIFESTYLE 

When the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) took over CENECO, Bacolod's long-time electric company, many feared that the joint venture would cause more problems just like what happened with the consolidation of Primewater with BACIWA, the water provider of the city. NEPC, on the other hand, promised fewer brownouts or unannounced power outages when they took over until... 

Damaged Feeder Transformer in Bacolod (left photo: Negros Power)

August became a fateful month for many consumers when, according to NEPC-CENECO, the 13-year-old transformer of the Alijis substation caused 7 Feeders to fail. It was beyond repair and needed a new one. This event took NEPC's engineers by surprise. It caused a massive blackout in many areas of Bacolod especially down South, affecting a lot of consumers whose businesses and lifestyles rely on electricity.
One of the consumer sectors affected a lot is the WFH or Virtual Assistant (VA) workers who relied heavily on steady power at home. Also, without power, internet connection is cut off. Trouble is no longer a friend to these people who have overseas bosses to report to.

Arendo Coworking Space has Globe and PLDT internet providers 

for WiFi connectivity redundancy

So, these remote workers have been in panic mode. Some were looking for temporary ways to do their jobs by buying expensive generators that only last four hours. Gas prices, as we all know, are not that cheap these days. When NEPC told consumers through press releases that this could take two weeks to be solved, the affected Work at Home individuals had a big question in mind - What to do next?

Watch video Short

If you are one of these VAs or someone who do Work from Home jobs, one great solution to this uncontrollable event is to look for a place that has a steady generator, two fast internet providers (Globe and PLDT Fiber connection), private rooms, clean toilet, electric sockets and most of all a relaxing atmosphere with a pantry for unlimited coffee. This way you can reach productivity without worrying that anytime another major outage could happen. In Bacolod, there is one place that offers all of these mentioned. Arendo CoWorking Space, now in its 7th year, is a tried and tested place for students and freelancers to study and work with high productivity in mind. Arendo, as a business, has even survived the trials of Covid lockdowns in 2020. 

Pantry at Arendo Coworking Space

This secure CoWorking space is also very accessible as it is located at Roli's Arcade building along Lasalle Avenue and it is near to many establishments like McDonald's, Jollibee, 711, Watson's, and iMart.

ARENDO CoWorking's Website: https://arendo.com.ph/ 

FOLLOW ARENDO CoWorking's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArendoCoworking 

TANDUAY RUM FESTIVAL (FOOD PARK WALKING TOUR and MORE)

TANDUAY RUM FESTIVAL
FOOD TRIP AT THE PARK

   EVENT | 9 DAY CITY FESTIVAL 

Go eat! Go drink! Go Drunk! Go Enjoy! But don't sin! 
The Tanduay Bacolod Rum Festival is a merriment that targets not only rum aficionados but also the entire family who want to take a respite and break from life's monotony away from home. Despite the event's title, the Rum Festival actually is a merriment that also targets everyone. The food park Bacolod City Government Center is the hub of the festivity.
During this time, different street food kiosks are lined up to tame everyone's gastronomic demands. 

Name it and you have the famous Bacolod Chicken Inasal leading the array of grilled cuisines. With hotdogs to isaw to pork bbq and more, unli rice is up for grabs as well as free soup to complement them. While  those who love
talaba (oysters) so much , won't be disappointed as kiosks have those fresh ones, too. Right there and then, after you choose what you desire, it's up for waiting and grilling time before the eating begiins. Well, as the song goes, smoke gets in your eyes, literally.

 

Two giant balloon replicas of Tanduay bottles were installed and  lighted up at the BCGC park grounds while barrels of the famous rum maker adorned the Bacolod letters icon. At the entrance of the food park, there's an Instagrammable wall that greets everyone. The wall is painted with a visual story about Filipino and Bacolod culture, focusing on bayanihan, blue collar job employees seemingly preparing and sharing food and, well, drinking a beverage (which we assume is Tanduay).

Meanwhile, walking around the food park, you get to meet some pretty Tanduay promo models in their red and white dress, duo musicians who plays pop and classic music, friendly security people, and ukay ukay sellers. Of course, as the name suggests, you get to see bartenders inviting you to taste their mixes of alcohol drinks (not for free).

The Bacolod Rum Festival started in 2019 and returned after the pandemic in 2022. Usual activities include, Rum Barrel Painting contest, Flairtending & Mixology Competition, Rum Education Day (Field Trips to Tanduay plant in bacolod), Culinaria Competition, Parade and Street Dance Competition, Motorcade of Tanduay's Ambassadors and Special Guests, Food Park, Music Festival and it usually culminates with a free concert at the BCGC grounds like Ely Buendia of Eraserheads who performed on August 19, 2023. For year 2023, Juan Karlos and Allmost Music will sing their hearts out LIVE at the BCGC where the Rum Festival food park is located.