BACOLOD City – This city is gearing up to mark its world-renowned MassKara Festival next month.
Though Mayor Evelio Leonardia is yet to divulge what’s in store for this year’s celebration, the “City of Smiles” has given one hint: a dance contest for traffic auxiliaries.
Ten traffic enforcers of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) will participate in the grand finals of the dance competition.
“The competition is for the upcoming MassKara Festival in October,” said Police Major Ruel Culanag, head of BTAO and the Transportation Management Unit (TMU).
According to Culanag, the first ever dance contest will showcase the talent of the enforcers who are managing traffic while performing dance moves at the same time.
Culanag said the competition actually started in August with 30 contenders, of which 16 advanced to the semifinals on Sept. 25.
The contenders were given five minutes each for their respective routines in presentations held in four different venues – Bangga Metal in Barangay Alijis, Bangga Homesite, BS Aquino Drive-Lacson streets, and Magsaysay-Lacson streets.
“We highly appreciate their cooperation, discipline, courtesy, and knowledge of the traffic laws that they implement,” Culanag said.
JR Arazo, one of the semifinalists, said they were not thinking about the competition.
“We are just enjoying the moment as we show the judges our talent in hand signaling while dancing,” Arazo said. “For me, everyone really did great. This is a tough competition, so may the best traffic enforcer win.”
Last year, for the first time in four decades, Bacolod shelved Masskara’s celebration amid the threat of coronavirus disease 2019.
The MassKara Festival is held every October, with an ordinance setting the fourth Sunday of the month as the permanent date of the highlights./PN
