‘FOR THE 5TH TIME’ | Brgy. Granada is again MassKara Street Dance and Arena champion

Barangay Granada, the last contingent of the 44th MassKara Festival Street Dance and Arena competition on Sunday, October 22, at Pagla-um Sports Complex in Bacolod City, has again bagged the championship title, besting nine other village-participants in a spectacular and amazing performance.

This is the fifth time that Barangay Granada won the street dance and arena competition.

The barangay was already a three-time champion and a Hall of Famer in the past years and returned after six years to win its fourth title and now its fifth.

The championship prize was P1,000,000.

Punong Barangay Alfredo Talimodao and Kagawad Nogi Vito and the MassKara dancers received the symbolic check worth P1 million from Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, his fellow officials and the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation, Inc.

Barangay Granada also garnered special awards such as Best in Headdress and Costume, Best in Music, and Best in Theme receiving P25,000 for each special award, and Pocari Sweat products.

The 1st runner-up was Barangay Tangub, with a P500,000 prize, while Brgy. Sum-ag was the 2nd runner-up with a P300,000 prize.

Sum-ag also received P25,000 for the special award as Best in Intro Video and P20,000 worth of Pocari Sweat products.

Sum-ag Punong Barangay Rodney Carmona and his fellow officials and MassKara dancers received the award.

Barangays  Tangub and Handumanan also received Pocari Sweat products as corporate awardees.

The non-winning barangays will receive P100,000 each subsidy from Mayor Benitez. These are Barangays 34, 21, 40, Cabug, Mansilingan, Vista Alegre and Handumanan.

Meanwhile, in the closing rites on Sunday, October 22, Benitez said that the MassKara Festival is well known not only in the Philippines but, it’s well known in the whole world.

“We can see the interest and excitement of our visitors because of the beautiful MassKara street dance. We will witness the beautiful performances of the 10 participating barangays, which for me it’s a world-class dance festival,” he said.

He added that soon, Bacolod City will be known all over the world because of the city’s MassKara Festival celebration.

The mayor also expressed his gratitude to the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation, an organizer of the MassKara Festival, as well as to the city officials, Bacolodnonons, especially to First Lady Liza Marcos, who showed her support for the city’s MassKara Festival.

He said that Marcos called the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to suspend the signal jamming in Bacolod City. (with reports from Merlinda A. Pedrosa)