CNN na,
National Geographic pa

It may be raining elsewhere in the country, but it is pouring in Bacolod City, as far as its MassKara Festival is concerned. Yesterday, both city officials and members of the MassKara committee were rejoicing at the discovery that the city’s favorite festival has been chosen by the popular National Geographic magazine, one of the most widely read international publications, as one of the 12 must-do things in the world for October!

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In its Travel Section, the magazine virtually invited the world to go to Bacolod in the Philippines and enjoy our festival. The magazine mentioned 12 festivals from all over the world, including those in Paris, France, Gettysburg in the U.S. Berlin in Germany, New Mexico in the U.S. and in Mexico itself, and one in Thailand. What will probably touch the hearts of Bacoleños is the notation in the National Geographic article about how the MassKara fest came about, citing the sugar industry’s misfortunes, and the Don Juan sea tragedy.

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The latter notice really pricked us, because that is what this column had always emphasized everytime the origins of the MassKara Festival is mentioned, usually when October comes around. While it was a great delight to learn about the National Geographic notice, it also made us recall that another international media entity had also taken note of our festival recently. The Cable News Network, or CNN, had also called it “One of 12 the best things in the Philippines”. The National Geographic even did that one better, didn’t it?

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Reading about the MassKara’s achievements somehow distracted us from the other items about the Philippines hogging the international media in the past two days, when both popular TV networks, the British Broadcasting Corporation and the CNN had been focusing a lot of footage on the destruction and death caused by Typhoon Pablo – they both referred to it by its international name, Bopha – and on the attempts of our officials to salvage the situation. The attention was directed mostly on Mindanao, particularly the Compostela Valley in Davao where Pablo had wrought its worst damage.

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Because we in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City had been so miraculously spared by the onslaught of Typhoon Pablo, let us remember to pray for our fellow Filipinos in the places where the wind and rain it brought had wrought the most damage. Let us appreciate the fact that, even if the path of Pablo was initially shown to include us, somehow, it veered away at the last minute, saving us from its effects. And let us not forget to give thanks to Our Lord for listening to our collective prayers for help and protection.

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The onset of Typhoon Pablo did not distract us, however, from taking note of the news that had roused the British people, which was the confirmation that they are about to see another addition to the royal family. From the reaction of the Britons, how can we believe talks that they are against the monarchy in their country? Some of those interviewed sound as if they are anticipating another Christmas. There is some element of déjà vu here, by the way. Wasn’t that the way they, and most of the world, also behaved when Prince William’s parents, Charles and the late Diana, announced that he was on the way?

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But poor Duchess Kate, she is said to be undergoing a type of conception that is characterized by a lot of discomfort. The syndrome is identified as “hyperemeses gravidarum,” which could cause dehydration and actual illness. Poor Kate, she has to be hospitalized for it. Meanwhile, some British women, who had experienced a similar affliction during their pregnancy, became media personalities when they narrated what they went through as victims of the “HG”.

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Meanwhile, interest in the coming Pacquiao-Marquez fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, is heating up and in Manila, some of the most uppity restaurants and even the Resorts World Performing Arts Theatre will be showing the live coverage of the fight. I thought the Resorts World Theatre was only for cultural shows like Phantom of the Opera or The Sound of Music. I guess boxing, if it features Manny Pacquiao, is now considered cultural as well.*

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