A typical weekday turned jubilant on corner Lacson Street to B.S. Aquino Drive. Thrilled honks. Excited cheers. Booming beats. Wide smiles under facemasks. For a moment, Bacolodnons forgot about the hurdles brought by the coronavirus health crisis.
Traffic auxiliaries from the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) showcased their grooves accompanied by beats of the world-famous MassKara Festival while easing the semi-gridlocked lanes.
“Daw nahidlaw man ‘ta ba,” said a pedestrian.
The pandemic has shelved the world-famous revelry for the second straight year.
“Bisan papaano nabatyagan ta man ang MassKara,” said a Silay City-bound motorist.
The BTAO “searched” for the best dancing traffic enforcer and held its grand finals on Oct.19. Ten made it, but one stood out and danced his way to the top.
DANCE CHAMP
Managing traffic itself is tough work; how much more when you season it with choreography. Twenty-nine-year-old Gemmar Valencia of Barangay 35 emerged as the champion.
He was a job order personnel of the Bacolod City government – and a dancer for years.
He has been a traffic enforcer for four years.
At first, Valencia said he did not expect that he would win because his contenders also performed well.
Valencia was a dance instructor of several competitions before – mass dance, hiphop and festival competitions.
He has a wife and one daughter. Being a family man, Valencia said the pandemic also affected them.
His wife was among the many Western Visayans who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
Valencia wanted to see his child grow well and healthy and finish college.
He has dealt with road mishaps and even “colorum” vehicles. Despite the challenges, Valencia said it is important to be open-minded. Maximum tolerance is also a must. “Kon haras-haras ang driver, likaw (ako nga traffic enforcer),” Valencia said. “Kon suplado, maximum tolerance. For example, if may violation, (dapat) good approach. Kon gainit ulo, hinay nga storya para indi mag- ilinaway. If indi magpati, tawag ka police.”
Being the champion, Valecia received P10,000 cash prize, a certificate, token, a sack of rice, and grocery items.
Do what you love, and love what you do, they say. This is evident in Valencia’s way of living.
His advice to Bacolodnons? “Tyaga lang. Need mangin mapisan sa matag-adlaw, enjoy kag halong sa ubra. Kabigon ang ubra nga part na sang ila kabuhi,” Valencia stressed.
Meanwhile, Mayor Evelio Leonardia was elated.
“We were able to feel the spirit of MassKara. Hearing this dance music makes me feel homesick. It is like you long for it but you can’t have it,” he said.
“ This event mirrors our MassKara Festival. Even if we are in the midst of the pandemic, we still have that happy disposition. Right now we are in crisis again – a pandemic – but we have proven that Bacolodnons are resilient. We will survive this,” Leonardia aid.
The mayor commended Valencia and the other participants for a job well done. He said competitions like this show the potential of every Bacolodnon.
“To our traffic enforcers, you are an inspiration to all of us. You play a major role in our society,” he added.
“The best job in the world is when you found something you love to do and you get paid for it. It seems our contestants found that. You can see that they are inspired and with that they become productive in their field,” Leonardia added.
Second placer Greg Leonares received P6,000 in cash, a sack of rice, and grocery items, while Araceli Abad (3rd place) received P3,000 in cash, a sack of rice, and grocery items.
The fourth to 10th placers were Jay R Arazo, Hazel Nagar, Richie Navarra, Gary Gonzales, Randy Ecraela, Rocky Leganada, and Joemar Langote.
The seven finalists received P1,000 each. All the 10 finalists received certificates, tokens and gift packs.
The competition began in August with 30 contenders. Sixteen performers advanced to the semi- finals held on Sept. 25. The Top 10 was revealed on Oct. 12.
Judging the competition were councilors Israel Salanga and Renecito Novero; BCPO director, Police Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir; BTAO head, Police Major Ruel Culanag; Luis Gonzales, head of the Philippine Statistics Authority in Negros Occidental; Dr. Ramel Uy, chief executive officer of Radyo Bandera; Dr. Rey Eslabon, principal of Senior High Department of STI West Negros University; businesswoman Agnes Locsin; Floressa May Castro, public relations manager of SM Group of Companies; and Moises Flores, administrative officer of the Vallacar Transit Inc.
“We, at the BTAO, would like to be part of the colorful MassKara Festival by entertaining the motorists, pedestrians, residents, and visitors. We would like to bring out more smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts,” Culanag said. “if we see happy people around us, we, too become infected with happiness. And this process repeats. It’s a chain reaction,” he added./PN
