Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Legaspi: The Diocese and City of Bacolod? By Carlos Legaspi Jr. Questions that matter
OCTOBER 19, 2008 is the 70th Charter Day anniversary of our beloved city of Bacolod. October 24, 2008 is the diamond jubilee of the Diocese of Bacolod. These are two great and significant events in our lives today.
The celebration of the Charter Day was missed in the past for it is not significant until the MassKara festival came into being. January 20 was the real fiesta of the City in honor of the City's Patron Saint - St. Sebastian. It was then that the Church and the state were in critical collaboration and usually city officials honor the day.
Even the significance of the Charter Day is overshadowed by the meaningless and materialistic MassKara festival. Look back at the MassKara history. It all started when Negros was in the verge of economic collapse. The price of sugar was very low, long dry-spell, insurgency and massive poverty abound, hunger and tragedy pulled the spirits of Negrenses and Bacolodnons. The "Don Juan tragedy" added more misery to the lives of the people of Negros and Bacolod. It was the idea of some brilliant minds of people running the city to overshadow the reality with something, so that the people could move on despite the difficulties.
MassKara was conceptualized to really cover-up the misery of the people. Artists coined the idea of masking the reality with a smiling mask. This would depict the attitude of the Negrense on his ability and capacity to smile despite the misery. It really did its purpose; it covered-up everything. The search for the MassKara queen highlighted the affair and the mardi gras (street dancing) made the Bacolodnons forget the misery.
As the years passed, the city plaza evolved into the largest beer garden in the country. It really gave great income to the vendors but it also created headache as to peace and order and sanitation. Every year then, a greater and livelier MassKara was expected. Negrenses and Bacolodnons looked forward to the festival.
It attracted many local and foreign tourists. Bacolod was soon labeled as the 'City of Smiles.' Each year, variations were introduced into the festival. Soon, the real essence of the celebration was lost and only the street dancing and beauty pageant was given attention.
Today's generation does not even really know the reason for the MassKara festival. I hope that this year, emphasis should be given to the Charter Day celebrations and not to the street dancing or search.
The Diocese of Bacolod will be celebrating the culmination of the Jubilee year. In the Judaic tradition, the Jewish authority would declare total forgiveness and pardon during the Jubilee or Holy Year. I was really amazed by the gesture of the provincial government of sending the prisoners free (after thorough investigation of their cases, of course. Not like the Teehankee case). Not only the prisoners were set free in the past but also all debts are paid-off. The hard-hearted GMA did not listen to the sugar coops as they request for the suspension of the advance EVAT. I wish that she joins the celebration of the Jubilee Year and not the useless MassKara.
Several activities are lined up for the Diamond jubilee. There will be a concert of the clergy, a reunion of the lay alumni of the Sacred Heart Seminary, a religious parade and the Jubilee mass. This will highlight the culmination of the yearlong Diamond Jubilee of the Diocese of Bacolod.
We gratefully thank the religious friars of the Order of the Augustinian Recollects, the Redemptorist fathers, members of the Society of St. Columban, the Vencentian fathers and the bishops for their guidance and administration of the Diocese. We grew as a faithful community because of the seed of faith that was propagated upon us.
We also thank the Diocesan priests for their continuous cultivation of our catholic faith in the diocese. May we grow more to be responsible faithful in the vineyard of the Lord.
My sympathies to Rev. Fr. Joel Alve, OAR, for the passing away of his father, Dr. Angel Alve of Leyte. Eternal rest grant unto him, Oh Lord. Let your Perpetual Light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. Pope John Paul II and St. Ezekiel Moreno, pray for us.
