By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod MassKara dancers became the crowd favorite during their performance in Milan, Italy, and are expected to attract more tourists to this year’s MassKara Festival, according to Atty. Caesar Distrito, spokesman for Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez.
Distrito, part of the city government’s delegation to Milan, told the Daily Guardian on Tuesday, “They were truly the crowd favorite. The parade was even disrupted because many people wanted to take pictures with them.”
The Bacolod MassKara dancers performed during the 126th Philippine Independence Day Sandiwa Fiesta Europa 2024 on June 29-30, despite a glitch in their visa documents that almost prevented their participation.
“They were well applauded and the crowd favorite among all the performers,” Distrito added. “Our MassKara dancers have consistently brought Bacolod to the world’s attention. They are our best promoters.”
With the highly praised performance of the Bacolod MassKara dancers in Milan, Distrito expects more tourists, especially Italians, to attend the MassKara Festival this year.
Councilor Jason Villarosa, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on tourism, shared his excitement on social media.
“Everyone took out their cellphones, recorded videos, and applauded our MassKara dancers enthusiastically. Their performance gave us goosebumps and made us very proud.”
Earlier, Distrito mentioned that the Italian Embassy had initially denied visas for the 12 MassKara dancers due to insufficient documentation or unclear personal situations.
However, the embassy later approved the visas following an apology letter from Councilor Villarosa, addressing the misunderstanding and miscommunication.
Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez personally sponsored all the expenses for the dancers and the delegation. Distrito expressed the mayor’s gratitude to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Embassy for their assistance in securing the visas.
The Bacolod MassKara dancers were invited by the Philippine Consulate Office to perform at the Philippine Independence Day celebration, witnessed by both the Filipino community and Italians.
