While Europe is in Lockdown, The Province of Negros Occidental Opens a Window to the World

 

Neatly tucked in the center of the Philippine archipelago is a sock shaped island known as Negros.  Negros, known for its vast sugarcane plantations set before scenic mountains as its backdrop is also known as the Sugar Bowl of the Philippines.

I personally call it, The SWEET SPOT of the Philippines.  The term SWEET SPOT has so many connotations to it given the different facets of sweetness this island brings to me.  There are so many sweet stories of Negros to tell - there just hasn't been THE perfect medium to tell it through.

That was then.  This Thursday though, everything is bound to change.  The Angelica Berrie Foundation will be launching a website that hopes to become a global messaging platform to promote Negrense heritage and culture.

The launch aptly falls on November 5, 2020 at 8pm Philippine Standard Time and 7am for those in New York ( and 12 noon for those in London).  November 5 is the day the province of Negros Occidental celebrates its annual Cinco de Noviembre feast to commemorate the day Negrenses revolted against Spanish colonizers and won in 1898.

The November 5 revolt in Negros led by Generals Juan Araneta and Aniceto Lacson.

In the same manner, the launch of the Negros Season of Culture website is a revolution of its own.  The Negros Season of Culture was meant to be an extended slew of on-ground events which would highlight the art, food, heritage homes, people, and handicrafts of Negros.

The pandemic changed all of that as everyone around the world got locked-in by way of quarantine.

The silver lining is found in the fact that as everyone spend more time on the internet, the Negros Season of Culture becomes a window for all the world to discover the beauty and uniqueness of Negrense culture through this online channel.

Its underlying purpose : "to promote the cultural assets of our heritage and traditions, the unique identity of this province and the talent of its people," according to Angelica "Angie" Berrie through a Zoom meeting which took place two weeks ago.

Suffice it to say that the Negros Season of Culture is not just an online platform but an online celebration of Negrense uniqueness neatly stated in the tagline, "Rooted. Taking on the World." 

The Gaston Mansion at Hacienda Sta. Rosalia in Manapla

By threading stories of creativity (for which Negrenses are known for) in a platform that dramatizes a regional narrative, global audiences can discover what makes Negros special.

Personally, what I am excited about is being able to showcase the heritage homes of Negros.  While so much has been said about Negros' food, art, handicrafts, and agriculture, the heritage homes are for me, an item where attention must be drawn to. 

The Ruins - remains of the ancestral home mansion of the family of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson and Maria Braga Lacson.

Every other island or province has  their own culinary story, their own art and handicrafts.  But all of these take on a different dimension as the stories are framed within a physical place where the stories are anchored to.  Such is the case with the ancestral homes on Negros Island.  The stories are amplified and emotions are heightened as they are set within an actual place that people can see.

All these stories will be aggregated into that website which will be launched this Thursday with famous Negrense actor, Joel Torre and his daughter Marela.

The Negros Season of Culture, this is Negros Island's Window for the World.

Join the Negros Season of Culture launch this Thursday by tuning in and following the Negros Season of Culture Facebook Page.

byLloyd Tronco

in Art, Culture, Musings, Negros

November 03, 2020

While Europe is in Lockdown, The Province of Negros Occidental Opens a Window to the World

  Neatly tucked in the center of the Philippine archipelago is a sock shaped island known as Negros.  Negros, known for its vast sugarcane p...

Read More

A Prayer for my Ex-McCann Colleagues who moved to ABS-CBN and have now lost their jobs

Today, August 31, 2020, is the day some of my dearest friends from my old place of employment (McCann-Erickson Philippines), will feel the weight of the loss of the network franchise of ABS-CBN.

Sometime between 2005 and 2010, a lot of these friends found a new zest for life in their advertising and communications careers, moving from McCann to ABS-CBN.  There, they shined brightly in their respective duties.  Their diverse talents allowed them to make ABS-CBN spring forth in wonderful and innovative ways.  Blazing trails, creating new departments, innovating business were the order of the day.

As we all know, ABS-CBN lost its bid to have their franchise renewed on July 10, 2020.  As a result, here we are today, seeing the last day of my ex-colleagues with ABS-CBN.

Hold your heads up high.  With "TRUTH WELL TOLD" on your left hand and "IN SERVICE OF THE FILIPINO" on the right, today is really a day for heroes.

I cover you with my personal prayers, but above all, at this time, I send you this prayer.  It comes from St. Augustine.  I hope you will find comfort in it.

God of our life,
There are days when the burdens we carry
Chafe our shoulders and weigh us down;
When the road seems dreary and endless,
The skies grey and threatening;
When our lives have no music in them,
And our hearts are lonely,
And our souls have lost their courage.
Flood the path with light,
Run our eyes to where the skies are full of promise;
Tune our hearts to brave music;
Give us the sense of comradeship
With heroes and saints of every age;
And so quicken our spirits
That we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us
On the road of life, to your honor and glory.



Godspeed, my dear friends!

byLloyd Tronco

in Advertising, Family, Miscellaneous, Photos, Reflections, Retirement

August 31, 2020

A Prayer for my Ex-McCann Colleagues who moved to ABS-CBN and have now lost their jobs

Today, August 31, 2020, is the day some of my dearest friends from my old place of employment (McCann-Erickson Philippines), will feel th...

Read More

Thoughts on Time

I just remembered that there are two words for time in Greek. Chronos, from where we get the word chronometer, refers to the measurement of time; seconds, minutes, hours, years. 

Then there is Kairos - the opportune time. That singular moment when everything is in place and everything is ripe for the picking. The appointed time in the purpose of God. Our best response is to move in that window of time as guided by the Holy Spirit and not under compulsion.

I pray that despite the chaos that COVID brings, we will find some Kairos within ourselves. It's not even Carpe Diem, or seize the day. It's more like "the decisive moment" in photography.

Related Post :

How to get QUAN Delicacies during the Quarantine
 
After having a sumptuous Quarantine lunch or dinner, the best thing to have for postre (Hiligaynon for dessert) are authentic Negrense delicacies! Just in case you are scampering for these delicacies, you can now get them from QUAN at Dian St., Makati City....Read More

----------

Reviving The Lost Art Of Riding The Boat To Bacolod

This past Christmas season has been highlighted by so many horror stories of air travellers experiencing flight delays, bump-offs, and other inconveniences brought about by airlines which lacked the foresight to staff up given the hectic holiday season. Much noted was the chaos which took place at NAIA Terminal 3 when ......Read More

byLloyd Tronco

in Musings, Reflections, Retirement

April 30, 2020

Thoughts on Time

I just remembered that there are two words for time in Greek. Chronos, from where we get the word chronometer, refers to the measurement of ...

Read More

The Road to the Fields of Memories.

While most people know me as coming from Negros, I was actually born in Manila. Sometime in the mid-1970s, my late dad gave up his advertising and graphic design business in Makati to move me and my mother to Bacolod City.

This is what brought us here. I have ceased to question whether the move was right or wrong. In the end, the entire sequence of events from 1975 when I moved from La Salle Greenhills to La Salle Bacolod (in the middle of the schoolyear!) to the time my dad passed away in 1985, is what shaped me to become the person I am today.

These are the fields where I meet my 7 year old self. The little boy who would always tag along with his father and try to shoot birds with a slingshot, chew fresh sugarcane every visit, be fascinated with farm machinery which I would endlessly draw sketches of on my Grade 1 pad when I was in school.

These are the fields where to this day, old farm folk could still speak of how kind my father was to them and how efficiently he managed both the people and the farm as a whole. Stories of which I am grateful for, for these are stories which reinforce what have already been passed on directly by my dad as teaching or admonition to a young boy.

These are the fields which have made me remember what the writer of Ecclesiastes has said, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

These are the fields where I meet myself - be it the young boy or who I am today. And the most interesting part, is that this road, the Road to the "Fields of Memories" could also be the same road to the future.

byLloyd Tronco

in Featured, Makati, Musings, Negros, Reflections

June 28, 2019

The Road to the Fields of Memories.

While most people know me as coming from Negros, I was actually born in Manila. Sometime in the mid-1970s, my late dad gave up his adve...

Read More

About Lloyd Tronco

Certified Digital Marketer.  Advertising Executive. Media Strategist.  Ex-McCann-Erickson Philippines.  Main media competencies : Out-Of-Home (billboards, transit, etc.), Digital (social media, websites, interactive place-based channels, etc.). Painting. Photography.

byLloyd Tronco

in Advertising, Digital Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Featured, McCann

January 19, 2015

About Lloyd Tronco

Certified Digital Marketer.  Advertising Executive. Media Strategist.  Ex-McCann-Erickson Philippines.  Main media competencies : Out-Of-H...

Read More

Stray Bullets and God's Protection

Earlier this week a friend had plurked of Conti's being open at Greenbelt.  That plurk prodded me to take the family to Conti's for lunch earlier today.

I dropped them off at the Greenbelt 2 Streetside where Conti's was and proceeded to go around the block to park in GB1.  After parking, I took the walk from GB1 to GB2 cutting through GB5 where Omega and Rolex was.  It was just a few minutes after I passed that 7 armed men in Bomb Squad uniform entered GB5 under the pretense that they were investigating a bomb threat.  Reports said that as soon as they reached the Rolex shop, they smashed the glass casings and began to loot the shop of the watches on display.  It was learned that this plan had been foiled unexpectedly when a Metro Manila mayor's bodyguard was within the vicinity and shot back killing one of the robbers.

Two hours after the incident, my family and I were ready to leave the area.  Problem was, the car was still at GB1 parking which was still closed at the time.  I texted a guard who used to work for our ad agency and was now posted in GB, inquiring if I could get the vehicle.  He replied to say that he'd accompany me to the carpark so I could take the car out.
At the ticket gate, a different guard was taking down every detail such as my driver's license number and vehicle registration to make sure I wasn't one of them culprits trying to slip out.  The procedure was understandable because at this time, the 6 other culprits were still being hunted in the basement of GB5.  And since GB is just one big maze of entrances and exits, I still had my eyes peeled lest the hoods spring out of nowhere and hijack the vehicle.  Crazy thoughts one may say.  But these are the crazy thoughts which fortify stuff such as Murphy's Law.

Overall, it was good to get out safely.  We live in precarious times.  Thank God for His promise of Divine Protection.

byLloyd Tronco

in Family, Musings, Reflections

October 18, 2009

Stray Bullets and God's Protection

Earlier this week a friend had plurked of Conti's being open at Greenbelt.  That plurk prodded me to take the family to Conti's ...

Read More

My favorite business story : AY in the 1970s

Among the many business stories and anecdotes to quote, my favorite would be this one.  It becomes my favorite because it takes place in a setting which is very much a part of me...Makati in the 1970s.

It is also my favorite because it reflects the savvy of a seasoned business tactician.

The person involved is Alfonso Yuchengco. In the early 1970s, hotshot investment bank Bancom Development Corp. wanted to merge Yuchengco's Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) with Far East Bank to create the Philippines' largest domestic lender. Bancom's Sixto Roxas teamed up with Augusto Barcelon in a buyout bid. "Yuchengco made it appear that he did not have the money [to purchase the two men's RCBC shares]," recalls lawyer Leonardo Siguion Reyna, an RCBC Director. "So Roxas and Barcelon quoted their price - $7 million. They never knew what hit them when Yuchengco called their bluff." The tycoon had secretly lined up funding from long-standing banking associates in the U.S.

A tactician's mind and openness to foreign ties are hallmarks of Yuchengco's style. Add prudence. His caution may have held back RCBC's growth, but the conservatism of the nation's sixth-largest bank was highly rewarded as the Asian economic crisis of 1997 reeled on. At that time, RCBC says it has only $165 million in foreign borrowings - 1% of the banking system's foreign loans of $16 billion. The money was lent to clients with a natural hedge, such as exporters. "We were able to lessen our exposure to loan defaults," says RCBC vice chairman Alfonso "Tito" Yuchengco III, the youngest of the founder's eight children.

Whenever I am faced with a situation in business wherein a gun seems to be aimed at me, I have learned from the story above to simply keep quiet and gather the resources needed to meet the threat head-on and strike at the moment when the opposition least expects it.  I guess it's quite like the ending of Die Hard where a shirtless Bruce Willis taped his pistol behind his back so as to create the impression that he was unarmed and vulnerable.  Nice.



-taken from my old blog on Multiply.com

byLloyd Tronco

in Business, Entrepreneurship, Icons

September 08, 2009

My favorite business story : AY in the 1970s

Among the many business stories and anecdotes to quote, my favorite would be this one.  It becomes my favorite because it takes plac...

Read More