Testing

A veritable institution, Virgie’s has been the go-to place to buy pasalubong and local delicacies for almost 50 years. Like many of Virgie’s contemporaries that are still in business, the company started small. Virgie’s was founded by Virgie Chua as a hobby. Virgie loved to cook and bake, she started with making cakes and pastries for friends and from there she started taking orders.She remembers what really made her change from enthusiastic hobbyist to an entrepreneur. Virgie’s most popular...

 by Alan GensoliThe Negros Trade Fair might as well be the mother of all trade fairs in Metro Manila. It doesn’t matter that it pops up on weekends or near the holidays, or carries on all year through, if it looks like a tiangge, sells like a tiangge, feels like a tiangge, then it must be a tiangge. Indeed, even the word tiangge, the Ilonggo moniker for small store, seems to have displaced the more traditional Tagalog “sari-sari store”.Held every September, the erstwhile Negros Trade...

Just a few kilometers north of the capital city of Negros Occidental is the historic city of Talisay.  Talisay was originally inhabited by the Negritos, natives who led nomadic lives at the foot of scenic North Negros mountain ranges.  In 1788, families of Malay descent settled in this pristine part of Negros Island and named it Minuluan.It was here in Minuluan that the sugar industry of Negros began when the enterprising priests led by Father Fernando Cuenca of the Order of...

 Among the churches in Negros Occidental, one stands out with a totally different look. This is not to say that this church is the most handsome of all, it is just different.One can say this because while every other church is either made of coral stone or brick, and typically structured with the belltower being the dominant feature, the church of St. John the Baptist in Bago City has a different facade in consonance with the history of this city.  With Bago known for its role...

The roots of Christianity on the island of Negros began in this town we know today as Binalbagan. Unknown to many, Binalbagan is actually the first of two settlements in Negros Occidental.  Based on records, it is the oldest town in the whole of Negros Island.The facade of the San Isidro Labrador Church in Binalbagan is symmetrically designed with twin towers and a broken pediment at the centerThe inception of Christianity in Negros took place when Binalbagan became a town on May...

San Sebastian Cathedral of Bacolod In the heart of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental, is the center of spiritual direction for this province known for its vast amounts of land dedicated to sugar. Strategically located by the sea and centrally positioned where the city is divided into north and south, the San Sebastian Cathedral stands proud with its ornate towers overlooking the plaza of Bacolod City.Being the cathedral in the province's capital, it is only fitting that this...

 Along the coastal road of southern Negros Occidental is a town which is aptly named after a Spanish city. Much like its Spanish namesake which had enjoyed the brief privilege of being the center of government and commerce in Spain, Valladolid in Negros Island, was considered one of the most prosperous towns of Negros Occidental.Proof of this prosperity is the size of the convent and church built by the Recollect Missionaries in 1852, eight years before the town's establishment in...