“Fortunately for us, Tanduay really invested into this. It made the Rum Festival a reality and a big success, judging from its initial staging. It started with a big bang, and this big bang would resonate for sure in the years to come,” Mayor Leonardia said.

Held from Aug. 17 to 24, the week-long event is the first of its kind in the country. Known as the Tanduay Rum Festival, the event paid homage to the humble sugarcane as well as celebrated the Filipinos’ skill in the visual arts, culinary arts, mixology, dance, and music. For eight days, Bacolodnons participated in the Barrel Art Painting contest, basketball court painting, Culinaria and Mixology competitions, 5K Rum Run, float parade, streetdance contest, and a concert headlined by iconic rock band Sandwich.

The Rum Festival was staged after an ordinance was passed declaring the the third week of August as the date for holding the Rum Festival. In the ordinance, its author, former City Councilor Em Legaspi-Ang cited how Bacolod has been dubbed as the

“Sugar Capital of the Philippines” and is the “home of the world’s largest selling rum.”
“For our other festivals, it was a case of holding the festival first, testing it, then later on legitimizing it through the legislative process,” Mayor Leonardia said. “This one (Rum Festival) was an ordinance before it became a festival,” Mayor Leonardia pointed out.

The Rum Festival joins Bacolod’s major festivals that include the Masskara Festival in October, the Bacolaodiat in January, Diwali in November, Chicken Inasal in May, and Halandumon in June.

Hosting festivals is not something new for Mayor Leonardia, who has been involved with the initial staging of the Masskara Festival—Bacolod’s most popular cultural celebration. He used to head the Masskara Foundation, and he has also worked for the Department of Tourism before running for public office after the EDSA Revolution.

“I consider myself an accidental politician,” said the mayor, who has recently been voted to head the City Mayors League of the Philippines. “It all started when I got involved with the Masskara Festival. I was the one who drafted the constitution and by-laws of the Masskara Foundation,” he shared, adding that he had specifically included a provision that said the chairman of the Masskara Foundation should not
hold an elective position.

Later on, Mayor Leonardia would come to the realization that the kind of involvement he had with the Masskara Festival was something that he was inclined to do.

“When I received invitations to run, I decided to join, run like it was another student council election,” he said. Mayor Leonardia was president of the Student Council when he was studying Law at the University of Negros Occidental.

When he finally threw his hat into the political arena, he emerged as the number one councilor in his first try. He received a record number of votes, even more than those of the mayor or vice mayor during that time.

In the next election, he won again, this time as vice mayor. When he finally decided to run for mayor, he successfully toppled the ruling dynasty in his city.
“Even if you don’t have much money, if the people want you, you could become mayor,” he said.

Heading the dynamic city of Bacolod, Mayor Leonardia cited his experience working in the Tourism Department as a factor in helping him deal with people and visitors.

“When you’re in tourism, you have to be people-oriented. You also go to a lot of places, your horizons get widened, your views become broader, and you get insights. You learn to think of the total development of the community and society,” he said.
In staging the first Rum Festival in the country, Mayor Leonardia it’s only fitting that it should be held in Bacolod.

“If you think about it and look back, we should be asking ourselves why we haven’t done this earlier. When you talk of rum, you talk about it being a derivative of sugar, and Bacolod is a city that has developed and prospered because of the sugar industry. It made us so rich, and it has also made us poor. It had its ups and downs,” he said.
Mayor Leonardia likewise pointed out that Bacolod is a good place to hold festivals because of its people.

“The Bacolodnons are the kind of people who are basically happy. We enjoy life. We know how to celebrate. We know how to spend our money. It’s a natural habitat for festivals, and this is the right place to hold the Rum Festival,” he concluded.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - WWE Universe in the Philippines, the wait is finally over! The Superstars of WWE SmackDown! make their long-awaited return to Manila on Friday, September 20^th, 2019, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair and Kevin Owens are poised to return in a sports entertainment spectacular with two Wrestlemania XXXV rematches! Roman Reigns squares off against Drew McIntyre in a Street Fight and WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston (of The New Day) takes on the challenger, Daniel Bryan!

The Return to the Big DomeNo other venue in the Philippines is as iconic as the Smart Araneta Coliseum. ‘The Big Dome’ first opened its doors in 1960 and would host a number of historical events, including several WWE live shows. Starting with 1994’s Manila Mania, numerous legends have graced its halls including Bret “Hitman” Hart, “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Ric Flair, Triple H, Edge, John Cena, Batista, and Jeff Hardy. This September, WWE SmackDown! makes its return to the Big Dome following a decade-long absence.

Back-to-Back Wrestlemania XXXV Rematches For the last several months, Drew McIntyre has been obsessed with ending Roman Reigns’ career. The Big Dog of the WWE has been the target of McIntyre’s assaults following his return from a four-month battle with leukemia. Despite Reign’s victory at Wrestlemania, the fiery Scot has been relentless to destroy the third-generation Superstar! Does Drew McIntyre have what it takes to stop Roman Reigns once and for all? Or will the Big Dog use Drew McIntyre to make the Big Dome his yard?

Tensions have been high around the WWE Championship since Kofi Kingston’s historic victory against Daniel Bryan in Wrestlemania. Kingston’s rise as WWE Champion came as an unexpected welcome to the WWE Universe, much to the annoyance of Daniel Bryan; a man who turned his back on the very people who propelled him to the top of the WWE. Can Kofi Kingston prevail and keep the most coveted prize in sports entertainment? Or will Daniel Bryan pull the biggest upset this year?

See Your Favorite Superstars Live In Manila!
The Superstars of WWE SmackDown! return to the Philippines on Friday, September 20^th, 2019, at the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum, in Quezon City. Tickets are now available at all Ticketnet outlets nationwide and on https://www.ticketnet.com.ph!

For additional information, please visit: http://www.WWE.com or follow the WWE on its social media pages: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WWE) | Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/WWESEAsia)

Carousell Philippines, the leading classifieds marketplace in the country, announces the appointment of Karl Magsuci as the new head of its Cars business group. 

Karl has more than 17 years of management experience in marketing, brand and product strategy. He is also a notable automotive executive, known as a veteran in the industry. He has worked with top brands, including Honda Cars Philippines, Inc., Ramcar Group (Motolite Battery) and BMW Philippines. His most recent leadership experience was working as president of Autoallee Group, Inc. (a BMW authorized dealership). 

“Karl’s years of experience as an automotive executive will surely be an asset as he steers our Cars business group toward dominating the category in online classifieds. We are really looking forward to what the organization will become through his expertise in his field,” said Carousell Philippines general manager Raffy Montemayor.

As Head of Cars, Karl will manage a team of 25 in the Cars business unit. He will take the lead in strategic planning by identifying new business opportunities, crafting the national commercial strategy, and coordinating with the global vehicles and tech team in developing solutions for all customers of the said business unit.

 “I am very excited to be part of the Carousell Family, the leading online marketplace both in the country and in the region. I look forward to sharing my experience and knowledge as we pursue our mission to provide the market with the best online marketplace experience, especially in the automotive arena,” said Karl.  

Being an outstanding marketing professional with years of experience in the automotive industry, Carousell is confident that Karl is in the best position to assist the company in better establishing its name in the local market.