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Bacolod City, Philippines Thursday, January 5, 2012
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‘Water Dragon year
will be challenging’

BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO

The Year of the Water Dragon or 2012 is expected to be a challenging year, BacoLaodiat Festival chairman Leonito Lopue said yesterday.

Lopue said the dragon is a majestic animal who loves challenges and is willing to take risks.

They will put up a 30 feet by 60 feet inflatable dragon in front of the Bacolod City Government Center as Bacolod City welcomes the Chinese New Year, with the celebration of the 7th BacoLaodiat Festival from January 20-23 a week before the festival.

This year’s theme is “A Majestic Spirit in a Challenging Year.”

Lopue said that through the efforts of the BacoLaodiat Festival Inc. and Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who started the BacoLaodiat, the public has accepted and embraced the festival.

He said the goal of the mayor is to lure Chinese tourists, who travel out of their country during New Year, to come to Bacolod.

This year, the Chinese New Year falls on January 23 which the President has declared a non-working holiday, he added.

Lopue said the faces of the Zodiac animals they will install along Lacson Street will be smiling since Bacolod is known as the City of Smiles, while the costumes and lanterns of the contestants this year will be better than last year’s.

On January 20, the grand parade will start at 4 p.m. from SM City to the North Capitol Road where the Chopsticks Alley will be put up, and this will be followed by a cultural show and fireworks display every night, he said.

On January 21, there will be a parade of mascots, Kapuso Night, live bands and the St. John Institute Alumni Night.

The lantern dance parade will be on January 22 starting from the multi-purpose gym of the province and will pass by the three stages set up along Lacson Street.

This will be followed by a ceremonial beating of the drums at the Buddhist Temple at midnight, while the top three contingents of the dance parade will perform at SM City on January 23, followed by Kapamilya of ABS-CBN and fireworks display at the government center.

An inflatable arch and pillar will also be put at the Chopsticks Alley and 500 more red lanterns will be hanged along Lacson Street. They will request the mayor to ban trucks at Lacson Street during the festival, Lopue said.

A dragon lantern contest in the barangays will also be launched this year.

Traffic will be closed along Lacson Street from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. from 6th-17th streets, while the North Capitol Road will be closed the whole day from January 20-22.

Eleanor Fukuda, president of the Organization for the Development and Advancement of Negros in Japan who has worked at the consular office of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, said she will promote the BacoLaodiat festival to the Japanese who were not able to make it during the New Year’s Eve Countdown.

Photojournalist Yogi Yokoi of Japan Press, who attended the countdown and was at the press conference yesterday, said he will not be able to attend the BacoLaodiat but he will be back for the MassKara Festival.

Lopue said he is asking the public to inform them about people stealing BacoLaodiat streamers. The 80 BacoLaodiat streamers they put up in Bacolod last December 24 were discovered missing last week.*CGS

 

 

 

 

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