Pandemic damps trade community

The coronavirus pandemic changed the celebration of Masskara Festival in Bacolod City, with its public plaza, considered as the hub of the much-anticipated street dance competition, only had a few people sitting on benches and roaming around to while away their Sunday afternoon, damping the city’s business community.

Prior to the pandemic, the main streets of Bacolod are usually full of life and energy on the fourth Sunday of October as local residents, along with thousands of visitors from across the world, celebrate the highlights of the annual festival.

“COVID- 19 has changed everything for us. This is the day that MassKara should have been celebrated with the highlights. Can you imagine for 40 straight years we had the MassKara and it is only now that the festival has been suspended,” a wistful Mayor Evelio Leonardia said in a radio interview.

On 21 September, Leonardia issued Executive Order 62 suspending this year’s festival’s public celebration and all related revelries or activities to comply with the health and safety protocols in stemming the local spread of infections.

As the city continues to fight the virus, Bacolodnons have found ways to continue the revelry on MassKara’s 41st year virtually.

On Sunday af ternoon, a celebration dubbed “Bato, Bacolod, bato’!” (Fight on, Bacolod, fight on!), featuring the festival’s champion performances, was aired on local television network.

On social media, some festivalrelated events also went viral in the past weeks.