MassKara vignettes

Every time MassKara Season comes around, I cannot help being sentimental and reminiscent of all the past celebrations of this unusual festival that had seemed to push itself out of the soil of sadness and tragedy in Bacolod, to become of the country’s top occasions for gathering and merrymaking. It has also become like a clarion call to Bacoleños living in other provinces and abroad, that gives them a reason to come home and celebrate with their loved ones here.

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A few days ago, one of them, a balikbayan from the United States, said upon arriving that he was very elated to see the MassKara and Bacolod City featured in the travel magazines he read while on flight. He said he had not realized how our MassKara, that was just a very simple parade and contest before, has now metamorphosed into this grand celebration of international fame. Indeed, we who had been around since the MassKara started, still recall the sorry-looking costumes crafted from coconut leaves or husks, corn stalks and other indigenous materials, with the dancers gamely traipsing barefoot on the hot mid-afternoon pavement. How would they compare to the fantabulous creations our artists have created for the affair lately?

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For a while, there were people who wondered what the rationale was for holding a festival like the MassKara. To them, I think, festival should only be connected with a religious fiesta. However, MassKara has its own poignant background, that certainly justifies its existence as just a simple occasion for bonding and having fun. Me, I never tire of repeating its history, about how Negros Occidental and Bacolod City had been swamped with grief and tears with the sinking of the vessel, Don Juan, that carried hundreds of local residents as well as those from Iloilo. Hundreds of bodies were recovered, but it is not known, how many more were never accounted for. The sea has kept their secret until now.

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A pall of gloom hang over the city and province then, with few families not having a member, a close relative or friend, even classmates or co-workers, who had died in that sea tragedy. That was also the time when the sugar industry was in terrible straits, with so many out of work, and even families of wealthy landowners trying to flee abroad. To top these all, several bloody road accidents took place in the city, adding further to the gloom.

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The city mayor then was Jose “Digoy” Montalvo, who had also lost his wife, two daughters and his mother-in-law in the Don Juan sinking. It must have been quite a trial for him and his family to keep up a front when they never had closure to their loss – the bodies of their loved ones were among those never found. So that when the holding of a festival was suggested during a gathering of friends, he and his family threw their hearts and efforts into it completely. Montalvo then worked with the Tourism Officer of the Province, Bing Leonardia, who is now mayor of Bacolod, and with the now-deceased councilor Romeo Geocadin, they enlisted the help of local artists, particularly Ely Santiago and his group. The festival was supposed to divert the people from their grief, and make them smiles, so what better trick could do that than to cover their faces with smiling masks?

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In the very first MassKara, I remember how much the Montalvo family had contributed, being themselves very artistic people. At first it was suggested that, to be more fun, people should be ask to wear masks, especially jeepney and taxi drivers. But the Chief of Police protested. How can we recognize robbers and criminals if their faces are covered? He asked. So only the dancers were made to wear the smiling masks designed by the artists led by Santiago. And the first MassKara Festival was born.

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The years that followed were not always easy ones, with some of the mayors who took over not very sympathetic towards it. Also, few were inclined to act as chairman when there were no funds, no sponsors, and, no support from city hall. In fact, Bing L, as Tourism head, and later as a city councilor, had to act as chairman himself several times, to keep it going. That was when he conceived the idea of forming the MassKara Foundation, that would give it a personality of its own.

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And now our little fiesta has grown so much, it has literally gone places. It competed in Shanghai, China, against such entries as the Tournament of Roses of Pasadena, U.S.A. and those from other countries, and won first prize, and did the same in another competition in Japan a year later. Last year, MassKara was also represented in the Independence Day parade and also won in New York City. This, aside from its invitations, and performances in Manila, Makati, and other provinces and cities in the country.

You are now going places, MassKara, Baby!*

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