BacoLaodiat fest
preparations on

Bacolod City awaits yet another New Year, the Chinese New Year, with the BacoLaodiat Festival on January 20-22, at the Lacson Tourism Strip and the North Capitol Road, and on January 23, the New Year’s Day at SM City Bacolod, and the New Government Center, a press release from organizers said.

The BacoLaodiat Festival 2012 preparations are underway with activities lined up that will bring the Filipinos and Chinese  together.

The tourism strip of Lacson from 6th to 17th streets, including the North Capitol Road, will be painted red on these dates in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Bacolod, the press release said.

A grand parade at 4 p.m. on January 20 will kick off at the SM City Bacolod, while food stalls will once again satisfy Chinese food cravings in the opening of the Chopsticks Alley at North Capitol Road at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Cultural Show at 6 p.m.

On the second day, children will be delighted to see their favorite mascots line up Lacson Street where they can have their souvenir photos taken starting 4 p.m., the press release said.

The evening of January 21 will be a celebration of the Kapuso as GMA will bring artists and talents for the Kapuso Night at 5:30 p.m. with Fireworks Display and live bands. 

On January 22, the BacoLaodiat Festival will showcase the Lantern Dance Contest participated in by the barangays and groups with outfits patterned after the authentic Chinese Minority costumes, colorful lanterns and unique dance steps at 5 p.m. It will be capped by the nightly fireworks and live bands.

On New Year’s Day, there will be two big events – the SM BacoLaodiat Champions’ Showdown where the winners of the Lantern Dance Contest will be announced and awarded at the SM City Bacolod Event Center at 3 p.m.

ABS-CBN will gather all the Kapamilya’s on January 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Government Center for their Kapamilya Day with artists and surprises to entertain the audience. 

The skies of the Government Center will brighten up with the Symphony of Lights and Sparks or fireworks display at 8:30 p.m., followed by a live band, the press release said.

Meanwhile, BacoLaodiat Photos through the years, the Chinese Minority Costumes and the lanterns and costumes of the participating groups of the Lantern Dance Contest will be exhibited from January 7-14, at the bridgeway of SM City Bacolod.

The 7th Bacolaodiat Festival will usher in the year of the Dragon on the theme: A Majestic Spirit in a Challenging Year, the press release added.*

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UK data shows higher risk
of breast cancer ruptures

Britain's biggest cosmetic surgery chain has revealed that rupture rates on allegedly faulty French-made breast implants are seven times higher than previously thought, a report said.

The new data from Transform, reported in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, has prompted Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to order an urgent review into the data used to assess the risks to 42,000 British women given the implants.

The firm's figures suggest one in 14 implants made by French manufacturer Poly Implant Prothese had ruptured since 2006 -- about seven percent.

If replicated across the industry, this would represent a far higher risk than is currently estimated by Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which puts the rupture rate at one percent.

The French regulatory authority, AFSSAPS, meanwhile suggests a failure rate, including rupture, of about five percent in France, MHRA said. Health officials have advised 30,000 French women with PIP implants to have them removed.

"We believe -- and it needs rechecking -- that the rupture rate is actually higher at about seven percent," a source at Transform told the Sunday Telegraph.

The company was unavailable for comment on Sunday, while a spokesman for the Department of Health could not confirm the figures.

However, he told AFP that the review announced by the health secretary on Saturday would look at the issue, saying: "What we really need to understand is what the rupture rate is."

On Saturday, Lansley said he was "concerned" and "unhappy" about inconsistencies in the data surrounding the risks of PIP implants, after a private provider came forward with new information.

However, he stressed that Britain still did not recommend the routine removal of the implants, saying the evidence suggested no safety concerns.

The review, led by the medical director of the National Health Service, Bruce Keogh, will also look at whether improvements are needed in the regulation of cosmetic surgery in Britain. It will report back next week.

The now-bankrupt PIP was shut down and its products banned in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using non-authorized silicone gel that caused abnormally high rupture rates in its implants.*AFP

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