I Don't Know What Title Will I Put Here But It's All About My Trip To Manapla and What I Realized There....

Two days ago, I was in Negros. Specifically, in the famous place of those cheesy and ube-wey, yum yum, putos - Manapla. Yes! The real town of Manapla in Negros Occidental. Not the puto store in Javellan St., Jaro.


It was my second time to go back to this land of delicious kakanin and on two very opposite occasions. The first time I went there was four years ago when I was still teaching in Bacolod City and was Manapla's fiesta. One thing that reminds me of that event when I went there last Saturday (June 6, 2009) was the plaza. It was where we spent the last few hours of the fiesta. While dancing and oblivious of things happening around, we never realized, and if we did it was too late, that there was already a rumble just 2 meters away at our back. We were so close to danger but since it never was our business we danced and continued the oblivion.

Back to last Saturday's event.

I would have not been there also if not because of my bestfriend Gil (who is like a brother to me also). My trip there, together with Merrily, was an all-expense paid trip. Guess who paid for my travel? Of course, Gil Salanio Montinola.

The purpose of the trip was to sympathize with our former co-teacher and housemate whose mother - who was also our housemate - died. Actually, there was no total sorrow since Tita Alma's death was expected - many years ago. Promise. Ms. Grace, our co-teacher, admitted that many years ago she would have hoped that her mother would rest already since she could see the difficulties her mother experiences. So, last Wednesday, Tita Alma went back to her Creator.

The trip had also produced better side effects though basically we were there for mourning. First, though I may sound like a typical Pinoy but I must admit, I spent the longest time staying in their young SM city. (SMILE! May SM na kami!) And yes, becoming again a nonsense opinion maker, I, with my companions, started to compare SM Bacolod and SM Iloilo. Sorry, I can't help but say, it was just like entering SM Delgado twice. And sorry again, I even said it there out loud: "Hala! Masulod naman ta sa SM Delgado?". Senseless.

Second, I started to reminisce thoe days when I spent my one whole year minus five days almost four years ago in the city of Bacolod. Everytime I step in Bacolod, year 2005 begins to pop and play on my mind. The Saturday, Sunday and week night trips we did to the city. The strange tricycle rides in the city (Bacolod, being a Metropolitan, it is really strange to have tricycles moving around like taxicabs). And of course the marvelling at some new things we saw in Bacolod. And yes, the local yet sleek Bob's Cafe.

Third, the entertainment a bus ride would provide. Passing by the cities of Talisay, Silay (Paris of Negros and famous of Balay Negrense), the mini-town of E.B. Magalona and the sugar city of Victorias (where the Angry Christ Church is located), the bus ride has offered more than what you wanted to see. Admittedly, Negros Occidental, especially the North side is a nice place to behold. Negrenses are so much involved in taking care of their history and culture even in the middle of the drive to economically push their province forward. I can contrast Iloilo - which is progress-driven that the people seems to forget to preserve much of their culture - from Negros when I talk about history and culture.

Obsessed about making Iloilo prouder than its sister, I noticed that Negros is far much better than Iloilo when it comes to this matter. Honestly. Even the town of Manapla, which is far from its neighboring cities economically, they are working hard to make Manapla a tourist destination. Two churches, the Manapla town church and the Hacienda Gaston's Church of Cartwheels, both too young to compare to other much older churches, are worth the visit. And, yes, they are promoting their puto that Manapla became a household word for Negrenses and to food lovers and enthusiasts. Almost all towns also have festivals that the province promotes and that they're totally proud of it. They even have the Panaad sa Negros in order to collectively showcase each town for a week.

I hope Iloilo would be much more daring to preserve, promote and improve their culture and history like Negros. Iloilo, if I'm correct, is not that too ahead to Bacolod in terms of progress but of course, much better. But if Iloilo would also focus to attract people because of their culture, Iloilo would be far, far ahead of Negros.


Note: The picture you see is the Church of Manapla. Nice, right? (Though it seems like an imitaton of that famous building down under.)