Bacolod forges ties with cities in Indonesia and South Korea

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Bacolod Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia has forged a tripartite sister-city relationship with Singaraja City, Indonesia and Andong City, South Korea. Mr. Leonardia, who was in Andong to attend the 12th Andong International Mask Dance Festival, said the three cities have vowed to cooperate with each other to collect, share, research on and creatively utilize cultural materials related to masks. "We are looking forward that with this sister city agreement, we will be able to further promote the MassKara festival as an international tourist attraction," he said. The annual MassKara Festival started on October 1. Bacolod was recently invited by the International Mask Arts and Culture Inc., which has a membership of 16 countries. — Chrysee G. Samillano, BusinessWorld