Fil-Ams explore Philippine tribal groups’ rich cultural traditions

As part of the Very Important Pinoy (VIP) tour, five festivals were highlighted in one night at the Tourism Center of Bacolod City. Photo by Carol Tanjutco

Touted as the Mardi Gras of the Philippines, Bacolod’s Masskara Festival showcases the “City of Smiles” as hundreds of smiling masks greet visitors while dancing to pulsating drum beats. Dancers parade on the streets adorned with lavish headdresses and cabaret costumes, typically in October each year.

The festival was launched in the 1980s as a way to uplift the spirit of the locals at a time when the sugar plantation industry suffered a market decline.

The festival is testament to the community’s spiritual resilience as they turned to mask-making, merriment and tourism as an alternate source of livelihood.

The Very Important Pinoy (VIP) tour delegates were welcomed with colorful leis, masked dancers and pulsating drum beats as they arrive at the Bacolod airport. Photo by Carol Tanjutco

On July 23, 2024, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio José “Bong” Lacson  stood in front of the Provincial Capitol to personally greet seven busloads of visiting Filipino Americans and their friends upon their arrival.

Bacolod  City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez hosted a heartwarming welcome dinner and staged a remake of the MassKara Festival at the City Tourism Center to the delight of the 250 delegates who joined the Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour.

The tour, formerly known as the Ambassadors, Consul Generals, Tourism Directors tour, is now on its 15th year. It is coordinated by Rajah Tours in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board and the heads of the consular posts under the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Leading the delegates this year were Consul General Senen Mangalile, Philippine Department of Tourism New York (PDOTNY) Director Francisco “Kiko” Lardizabal, Consul General of San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer and retired Ambassador Mario De Leon Jr.

The cultural event showcased five festivals in one night, starting with the February Chinese-inspired Bacolaudiat highlighting a Filipino Chinese celebration. It was followed by the May festival,  August Don Papa Rhum festival, Bacolod’s Chicken Inasal dance and the MassKara parade that earned Bacolod the accolade as the City of Smiles.

A sampling of this festival was brought to New York City during the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence celebration last year.

The Very Important Pinoy (VIP) tour delegates, with gifts of farewell from Bacolod officials, include (from left) NY Vice Consul Cathe Aguilar, PDOTNY Director Kiko Lardizabal, Councilor Em Legaspi-Ang, Celia Flor, SF Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer, NY Consul General Senen Mangalile, Simplicia Distrito, Ambassador Mario de Leon Jr. and (back row, from left) DOT Regional Director Crisanta Rodriguez, Bacolod City Tourism Officer Teresa Manalili and Jason Villarosa. Photo by Carol Tanjutco

Gov. Eugenio Lacson greeted the 250 delegates upon their arrival in front of the Provincial Capitol of Negros Occidental. Photo by Carol Tanjutco.

After a night of nonstop dancing, the tour group was treated to a beach day at the Lakawon Island Resort, a huge sandbar formed over time, accessible by a 30-minute boat ride from Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.

Tourists were cheerfully greeted by local residents as they passed through the small town leading to their outrigger boat transfer.

Throughout the nine-day tour, armed police and military guards were provided by each local government unit involved in the tribal immersion journey. Meticulously organized by Rajah Tours Philippines, the tour allowed the convoy of seven buses to cut through traffic lines while ensuring the safety of the balikbayan participants and their foreign guests during every stop.

The Lakawon Island resort board walk leads to a floating bar, a venue for summer events.  Photo by Carol Tanjutco.

The Very Important Pinoy (VIP) tour delegates sampled the island’s concoction using ube cream liqueur. Photo by Carol Tanjutco

The tour started at the Manila Bay Seda Hotel. The delegates came from various states, including New York, California, Hawaii, Guam, Florida and Washington DC.

The itinerary, planned by Rajah Tours President Jojo Clemente and his mom, CEO Alejandra “Dading” Clemente, highlighted the first-ever Luzon-Visayas-Mindanao whirlwind tour. The focus was on IP cultural immersion and included a rare staging of cultural festivals, normally taking place separately throughout the year, that were all held within seven days of the visit to provinces.

The official “Ambassadors Tour,” where every Filipino American is an ambassador of their homeland, has marked its 15th year. For the first time in 15 years, a tour of Northern Mindanao was included in the synchronized festival-after-festival carnival treat for the Filipino American balikbayan families and their foreign guests.

The Luzon leg of the tour kicked off with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument, formerly known as Bagumbayan, where our national hero Dr. Josè P. Rizal was executed.

Consul General Mangalile marched with the guards, joined by Manila City Vice Mayor John Marvin Nieto and Capt. Bong Manzano of the Philippine Navy. A ceremonial 21-gun salute highlighted the solemn event.

An insight tour of Old Manila, the walled city of Intramuros, was made available for those who wanted to step back in time and explore Philippine history.

This year, a special invitation was extended by the Knights of Rizal national headquarters in Manila to members of Knights of Rizal New York Chapter and the Ladies For Rizal New York.

The much-anticipated audience with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos did not materialize as he delivered his State of the Nation address on the day of the tour. The delegates, instead, savored a 12-course Chinese “lauriat” at Gloria Maris restaurant. They then proceeded to Chinatown for a shopping spree on a rainy afternoon, while the rest of the group visited Ayala Museum and the National Museum of the Philippines.

The succeeding days of the tour highlighted the seven tribes of the Lumad as the Very Important Pinoy (VIP) Tour Group visited Cagayan de Oro, the IP Eco park of Malaybalay City in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental. The delegates took a quick dip under majestic waterfalls and enjoyed wild white-water rafting in Iligan City.

Part 2 of this article will include a life-changing immersion in the customs, cultural traditions and tribal way of life of both Christian and Muslim indigenous communities in Northern Mindanao.