THE 'PINOY PRIDE IX' EXPERIENCE - PART 2
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 08 Oct 2011
Bacolod City: I woke up too early this Friday morning, something like 6 AM. Darn jet- lag and fight excitement got the better in me, I guess.
After a nice sumptuous breakfast at my hotel, (hey the danggit, garlic rice and broiled tanguigie were great!) I took a walk down the street to check ou the distance between the SM Mall and my hotel. The weigh-in for Pinoy Pride IX was set to happen there.
On the way, I found a street artist making ?maskaras? to sell for the two week long Mass Kara Festival, the signature traditional festival/celebrations that helped made Bacolod City a tourist destination.
The old man was using different colored water-paint to make his wares and it was intriguing to watch how he made them. What an artist. It was a pleasure watching as he guided his paint brush to create beautiful designs.
I asked the guy if I can try my hand on one of the masks. I bought one of the ?blank? masks for fifty pesos and proceeded to do my thing on the mask. I did not have the skills that he had but my mask did not turn out too shabby. However, if I hang it up with the rest of those that he sells, I myself would not buy it for ten pesos.
Returning to my hotel after my walking adventure down the street, I decided to hang out at the lobby to do my computer work and check out those that come and go into the place.
A few moments later a van pulled in and out came the scribes from Manila I knew then that the fight would be well covered.
At 12:30 Dennis Canete the VP for ALA Promotions picked us up and took us to SM Mall, the site for the weigh-in. The weigh in came was easy for all the Pinoys, Nietes and Banal particularly but Hirales Garcia was a bit off and was given an hour by GAB to shake of the excess. He made it on his second try.
It was also nice to meet again the people (scribes and sportsmen) that make boxing so hot in this region. They were all there doing their thing.
After the weigh-in a little past 2PM we all returned to the hotel so the Manila scribes can file their reports. They had to meet deadline, you know.
At half past 6 PM I heard noises coming from the room next to me where the Manila scribes were staying. I went out to check it out and it turned out that they were preparing to go out for dinner with the Mayor of Bacolod City, Bing Leonardia. As fate has it, they invited me to join them.
The Mayor?s van came in on time and we were driven to the new City Hall to check out the place. Of course the Mayor was there to greet us and he personally gave us a tour of the sparkling new and very impressive building. We even got to seat on his personal chair.
Needless to say we were all impressed by what we saw. Bacolod is so lucky to have a leader like Mayor Bing He was the person that gave them the new city hall. Now all government services are centralized in a modern edifice. Sweet!
From the City Hall, the Mayor?s Press Secretary Leo Bentingana took us to a nice restaurant (Amboy?s) for dinner. Boy, the tuna belly was exquisite. It practically melts in your mouth. The squid and the oysters were simply delicious and the shrimps and scallops, outstanding, There was also blue marlin steak cooked with coconut juice and spices. Delicious to say the least.
From the restaurant, we were taken to a trendy bar for a few drinks. We heard that most Bacolod bigwigs hang out there. The Mayor later joined us and we had s blast.
At half past 2 a.m. we finally called it a day and the Mayor himself and a few of his staff took us back to the hotel. We got a job to do tomorrow, you know.
It was a time to remember and I will never forget how the Mayor hosted us. The guy is exceptional.. There was no trace of arrogance in his persona despite his position. He is simply a very nice man who happened to be a politician. From my point of view he deserved everything he now has and I was fortunate to be part of a group that had time with him. What a man!
The big fight is just hours away. A Nietes victory should cap my wonderful trip to this lovely City of Smiles!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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