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Writer-photographer Kym A. Sanchez toured Bacolod and its neighbor­ing cities in one week, and discovered more to the city than sugar,
smiles, and sulphur springs.
O THIS IS the fabled Sugarlandia. This is where Negrenses had once lived as though in a dream, like Jay Gatsby, the lavish-liv­ing, high-rolling protagonist from The Great Gatsby. I imagined I was back in Bacolod's heyday during the 1950s-1960s, where champagne flowed from fountains, limousines navigated wide roads, and moneyed families quibbled about where in Europe to fly to next. Of course, the Negros Occidental that welcomed me had none of these excesses. Traces of gentility remain, though. The Negrenses/Ilonggos welcome each guest like a friend. A singsong lilt in their voices hinted at their affectionate nature.
There was also much optimism and energy in the air. Where it sprung from I fig­ured out soon enough.
At the capitol lagoon at five o'clock on a weekday morning, I saw people of all ages jogging, strolling, or stretching. More than wanting to be buff, I think most of these quasi-athletes sought the finer traits of discipline, endurance, and cheerfulness that spending time in the sunshine can bring.
Balay Negrense was home to the family of Victor Gaston, son of the Frenchman Yves Leopold, in early 1 9th century Silay. It is one of the city' s 31 ancestral homes still standing.
If this scene were to play out in Manila, it would probably take place around 8 a.m., given the traveling time and pre-booking to get to where you want to exer­cise. But in Bacolod, nearly everyone lives five to ten min­utes away from the nearest running track or swimming pool. Here, everyone has as much time for play as for work.
That Ilonggos can easily mix business with leisure is a direct result of the province's major industry since the 19th century—sugarcane farming. Sugarcane (Saccharum Officinarum) is a cash crop that is easy to plant and over­see. Farmhands work for only six to ten months a year.
They harvest sugarcane stalks, load them onto a truck, and ship them out to mills for processing. They spend the lean months tending to other cottage industries.
SUGAR IN NEGROS
Joey Gaston, great grandson of Frenchman Gaston Yves Leopold Germain, relates how sugarcane became the staple crop in Negros. Germain had moved to Calatagan, Batangas in 1837 to help set up Domingo Roxas' (a prominent entrepreneur) sugar business. It was there that Germain met Prudencia Fernandez, who later became his wife. However, the sugar project did not prosper, so he decided to attempt it on his own. It was in the southern part of the country that he tried his luck. His first stop was Iloilo and from there, he ventured to Negros. He eventu­ally landed in the port city of Silay. To his delight, he found that the soil was conducive to sugarcane farming. He planted sugarcane, bringing in an iron mill or "homo economico." Back then, an iron mill was virtually unheard of.
The mill allowed him to start commercial production of export-quality sugar. In fact, Spaniards endorsed his stay in the Philippines because he was helping with the economy.
He had established sugarcane farming and was exporting alongside Nicolas Loney, the first British vice
From the top, clockwise: Harvesting sugarcane stalks at Hacienda
Bagacay; tons of commercially produced sugar at First Farms Mill; loyal
farmhands at Hacienda Rosalia; a man overlooking the sugar refining
process during a night time shift at First Farms Mil!
consul in the country who, because of his efforts to pro­mote sugar, became known as the "father of the sugar industry." At that point, Germain decided to bring his family to France. But on the way, Germain became ill and died eventually. His wife and children, not knowing a word of French, returned to Silay and settled there. They continued the family business. It was the right decision since the sugar industry soon peaked, and sugarcane became the staple crop throughout Negros Occidental.
Life couldn't have been sweeter for the Ilonggos. With the booming sugar industry, their lifestyles were said to be at par with foreign royalty. Amidst gaiety and the good life, Carlos Locsin, former president of Victoria's Milling (then the biggest sugar mill refinery in the world), wished for the golden period to end.
Millie Kilayko, Locsin's daughter, recounts how her father had said that the best thing that could happen to Negros was for sugar prices to hit rock bottom. Only then will Negrenses discover what else their people and land has to offer.
In the 1980s, Locsin's insight was proven true. Since laborers had become fully dependent on sugar, they did not have skills that their neighbors in other provinces have. There was no native culture to speak of, no other craft work that was handed down to generations.
Negrense women, who were women of leisure, began to look for jobs. Fifteen women went to Manila to learn useful skills. They returned to Negros and started back­yard industries. The same group formed the Association of Negros Producers and set up a showroom for selling export-quality crafts.
The Ilonggos' latent talents surfaced. They realized they could venture into other industries. They gained a fuller, more appreciative view of dignified labor.
SIGHTS
You can take a day tour of the city's best haunts, most of them along Lacson street. Buy your flowers and bib-ingka at the quaint Garden Cafe. Shop for souvenirs, such as tabletops, floor lamps, and candle holders (from 250 pesos up or $ 4.45 up) at Hacienda Crafts. Bookmarks (30 pesos each; U.S. .53 cents each), ceramic pencil holders, and fiberglass soap dishes (150 pesos up or $2.67 up) are sold at Negros Showroom.
The Negros Museum has a little-known section of international folk art and toys from the collection of Jose Garcia Montelibano. Forty pesos (U.S. .71 cents) is the
general admission fee. For those into antiques, look at mini altar pieces dating as far back as the 17th century at the liturgical museum of the University of St. LaSalle. Be sure to check out the chair that Pope John Paul II used during his visit here.
Visit the 129-year old San Sebastian Cathedral along Rizal Street and the Sta. Clara Chapel at the upscale subdivision that bears the same name. There, you'll find a 6 ft. x 10 ft. mural of the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus watching over Iloilo and Negros Island. It is made entirely of 95,000 polished Philippine shells, designed and execut­ed by local artist Leticia Ledesma.
The enculturation of faith in the language of its peo­ple is a concept made clear not only in Sta. Clara, but in the Chapel of the Cartwheels in Manapla, 45 minutes north of Bacolod. The chapel roof resembles a stylized salakot (farmer's triangular hat), and the walls are made from discarded molave cartwheels that Msgr. Gigi Gaston had found in a warehouse. Even the stained glass windows are a mix of brown beer bottles, green soda and wine bottles, red vigil lamps, and blue milk of magnesia bottles.
The chapel is located on Santa Rosalia farm, at the back of the Gaston ancestral mansion. The first Ilonggo mass was celebrated at the chapel with Bishop Antonio Fortich officiating.
SIDETRIPS
Some 15 to 20 minutes from Bacolod, the "city of smiles," is Silay, "the city with soul." Thirty one of Silay's ancestral homes have been well-preserved and are recognized by the National Historical Institute. Two of them were converted into museums.
Balay Negrense, built in 1898, is the house of Don Victor Gaston, second son of Yves Leopold. Turn-of-the-century furniture and heir­loom pieces dot every corner of the mansion. There are 12 bedrooms, six on each floor. The liv­ing room on the second floor extends to the din­ing area and is about the size of a basketball court. Windows overlook sprawling gardens, which undoubtedly were the setting of festive events.
The Jalandoni-Bernardino Museum, built in 1908, was nearly burned down in World War II when the Japanese occupied the town. Fortunately, it rained hard on the day the Japanese planned to set the town on fire. The morning after, the Japanese monitored the arrival of American forces at Pulupandan, some three to four hours
The afternoon window light limns artefacts from the study at the Jalandoni-Bernardino Museum.
A TASTE OF BACOLOD
The llonggos aren't just prosperous, enterprising, and sports-oriented; they have a healthy appetite as well.
2) Bob's Place (and Brick Pit grillery beside it) - You can't get a bet­ter deal elswhere. You get a full meal and a soda for only 70 pesos and a buffet eat-all-you-can for 99 pesos. Go to Bob's for coffee and cakes (we liked the lemon tart, 45 pesos). Swing by Brick Pit for all things grilled, and bands that play until 2a.m. Phone or fax (+6334) 4354906.
3) Business Inn - The
cafe is open 24/7, and you can sup all you want on sizzling boneless ban-gus (a whole fish for only 160pesosl). Don't fail to try the mango tart and the sansrival that has a hint of mocha (50pesos) for a sweet finish. Phone (+6334) 4338877 or fax (+6334)4342114.
4) Apollo - Go on an all-out Chinese feast for as little as 500 to 600 pesos, good for three viands, rice and drinks. One Apollo branch is at downtown Bacolod on Cuadra street, right at the back of the market. Phone (+6334)4354889 to 90.
5) Sugarland - Sugarland has played host to many important figures in 32 years. There were chess grandmasters Fischer and Petrossian who played here in 1974, and ex-US president Jimmy Carter who flew in for Habitat for Humanity. Their bestsellers are the smoked bangus (milkfish) pate with garlic crostini (45pesos), catfish teriyaki (150pesos), and aligue (crab fat) pasta (140pesos). Fax (+6334) 4352644 or log on to www.sugarlandhotel.com
1) Italia - You must order their brick oven pizza margherita (175 pesos), which uses tangy San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarel-la, and basil on a thin crust of freshly-made dough. This is pizza at its most basic and divine, perfect with a glass of Gavi white wine (80pesos). Phone (+6334) 4323704.
from Silay. Japanese soldiers went to Patag, where the last stronghold of the Japanese Imperial Army fought their last battle against Filipino-American soldiers in the whole Western Visayas region. The Jalandoni house, along with houses in Silay, was preserved.
If you went further south, you would find the Mambukal moun­tain resort spreading over nearly 24 hectares. Warm sulphur springs is reason enough to make the hour-long drive from Bacolod with friends in tow. It would be a good idea to take them to the springs, a natural, not man-made, wonder.
Guests often come to Bago City to visit General Juan Araneta's house-turned-community museum, the Balay ni Tan Juan. It's an impressive structure that houses the round table where President of the Philippine Commonwealth
6)    Manokan - Dine here kamayan-style (eating with your bare hands) on all the chicken inasal (barbecued chicken marinated in coconut vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and spices) you want. All 22 stalls in Manokan Country have their own version of the inasal, with special marinades to suit your taste. People often visit Aida's stall, the oldest and biggest of the lot.
7)  Saltimbocca- Head here if you're over 30 and want to tango. Saltimbocca's ambience is suited to people who grew up on Bassey, Springfield, and Como. Touted to have the best margarita in town (1 10 pesos), Saltimbocca also has a pension house out back, with rates ranging from 500 to 1,000 pesos a night. Phone (+6334)4323617 or (+6334) 4338310.
10) L'Fisher - Corporate executives who insist on live piano music while having their rib-eye should come to Ripples, the hotel's 24-hour dining area. For a more Mediterranean atmosphere, with Spanish brick walls and dark tile flooring, head on to Don Ricardo. Phone (+6334) 4333731 to 39 or Fax (+6334) 4330951.
11) Kaisei - Must you still have your sushi, sashimi and maki in inasal country? You will do well to head on to Kaisei, the largest and finest Japanese restaurant here. Prices are comparable to those in Manila. Open daily from 1 1 a.m.-2 p.m. and 6 p.m.-9:45 p.m.
1 2) Garden Cafe - Husbands can hang out at the cafe while their wives take their time with the flowers and foliage. Whether dining indoors or out, don't forget to bring home Millie Kilayko's family-handed down recipe of special bibingka (rice cake)and flavored piayas (pastry filled with muscovado or raw brown sugar.) Phone (+6334)4338652 or fax (+6334) 4353072.
8) Casino Filipino - Here is the only Casino Filipino to oper­ate its own hotel, one that is open to the public and has the lowest rates of the three first class hotels in Bacolod. Their monthly indoor cockfights and pancit mob at the Cafe Tertulla are rea­sons why guests keep coming back. Phone (+6334) 4348901 to 10 or Fax (+6334) 4344433.
9) Imelda's Cuisine - Imelda's beef steak and taco salad are all well and good, but it is their desserts that clinch the meal and have guests trooping back for more. Try their chocolate mousse, Swiss chocolate cake and cheesecake. Phone (+6334) 434-6667.
DELICACIES
Negros Occidental's most famous dish is chicken inasal-bar-becued chicken marinated in coconut vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and spices and then basted with achuete oil to give it a reddish color.
Manuel L. Quezon had dined with his peers. My com­panions and I unwittingly traced the table edges with our fingers, as if we could channel him or anyone else who had dined on that table.
Bago City seems to be the hideaway of talented craftsmen, whose products are sold in the malls where it costs thrice as much. I bought some pure silk scarves at the Japanese-owned OISCA silk farm; watched how coconut twigs and shells were manually glued and how fiberglass was molded into fashionable trays and vases at Tumandok crafts; and observed how Muscovado sugar (raw brown sugar) was produced and packed at Altertrade.
Buenos Aires resort, so named because of the good breeze wafting in that part of the city, has a 50-meter Olympic-sized pool available for rent for only 50 pesos. Don Jorge Araneta, son of the city's revolutionary hero, General Juan A. Araneta, developed the resort in the 1930s. President Manuel L. Quezon sought refuge here after escaping the tunnels of Corregidor during WWII.
Outside the resort and just slightly past the bridge is a small shack where you can have a good cup of native brewed coffee for only six pesos-and it tastes better than commercial brands that you get at the supermarkets. You can have several cups, besides, if you really want to get toxic.
Bong Bong's pasalubong
Alijis, Bacolod City; Telefax: (+6334) 7083051 and (+6334) 4342626; Specialties: piaya and barquillos
Virgie's homemade products
#59 San Sebastian Street, Bacolod City; Phone: (+6334) 4341788 or (+6334) 4341588; Fax: (+6334) 4346188; E-
mail: virgieshomemade@hotmail.com
PARIS OF NEGROS
We passed by several sugarcane fields to the left and right of the road on our way back to Bacolod. We tried to avoid trailing behind huge sugarcane trucks fearing the flimsy twine will break and let loose piles and piles of these stalks upon us.
But we didn't think that odd or as hilarious as this tale of a gamefowl handler and his Class A bird. A sabungero had ordered this gamefowl transported from La Carlota to Bacolod to prepare it for an upcoming grand derby. He had the bird flown in by private jet. Things were cool for the bird, and it would have been so also for the handler, except that the sabungero decided he didn't want the bird to get all stressed out and so ordered the handler to take the bus instead. Negrenses today no longer seem as eccen­tric as that. They have freed up their excesses but have held on to their enterprising spirit, optimism, and drive for life­long learning.
For the sugar barons and their families, the turn of the 19th century up until the 1 960s was a glitzy, gilded age. The sugar industry boom
was in full swing, and their "white gold" afforded them lifestyles at par with foreign royalty. Indeed, Silay, then the capital of Negros Occidental, was called the "Paris of the Negros." Lala Rimando, writing for Newsbreak tells us that the sugar baron's mansions were bedecked with "life-sized paintings, ceramic pitchers and basins from Europe, Luis Quince Style table lamp of baccarat crystal, and embossed steel-tray ceilings molded in Germany." Visiting European nobility were entertained in their opulent U-shaped dining rooms, with a fountain adorning the center. Negros' aristo­crats demanded nothing less than the best. And they had it delivered right at their doorstep: European performing artists docked right into the Silay pier, and the newest car models to come out were delivered straight to Negros.
HOW TO GET THERE »
PAL flies to Bacolod from Manila three times daily. PAL Palakbayan Tour Packages to Bacolod are available. For more information, please call PAL Reservations Office or log on to www.philippineairlines.com
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