Everyone was busy – children in their band uniforms, some residents looking like revolutionaries in their native hats, with fake bolos and bayonets, and some preparing rolled amakan mats painted black or gold, and arranged on carts. There was also a civic parade, followed by about 12 cannons parading along the main streets of Bago City, with emitting the loudest booms.

The annual celebration honors the heroes from Bago, who bravely marched to Bacolod for freedom on November 5, 1898.

To commemorate the “Historic Bluff”, Bago holds an annual competition of cannons booming while parading along the main streets. The parade, called “Sigabong sang mga Kanyon” has been awarded recently by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines as one of the top three Best Tourism Events, festival category.

We visited the house of General Juan Araneta, that is now a museum that tells of the story of Bago and its tales, the chimneys, farming and a portion on the Babaylan, and a photo exhibit on the events that transpired before and after the 5 th of November 1898. The house is located at the corner of Rizal and Matti streets.

We met photographer Michael Ocampo from Negros Oriental, who documented the street parade, and a family from Luzon on tour at the museum. Cleme del Castillo is taking charge of the place.

It was interesting, indeed, to see the community exhibit and life in Bago City, the rice and sugar exhibit, some personalities of Bago, and get to know General Juan Araneta better. What caught my attention was the display of a bolo owned by the general, and it took me back to memories of my grandpa, who also had a bolo kept in his closet, which perhaps all men had before as a form of protection.

The coliseum was filled with residents and visitors, who watched the school bands performed their fancy drills.

City Tourism officer Rose Mina and staff were busy entertaining visitors that day together with councilors, Vice Mayor Nicholas Yulo and Mayor Ramon Torres.*

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