Handumanan National High School bested seven other participants in the first BacoLaodiat Lantern and Streetdance Competition in Bacolod City Saturday and received P70,000 in cash as prize.

The Dunang Manggad Dancers landed second place and was also adjudged Best in Lantern. The group received P50,000 in cash plus an additional P5,000 as consolation prize. While the Ws W6 Dancers landed third place and received P30,000 in cash.

Brgy. Robles of La Castellana won as the Best in Performance and received P5,000 in cash.

All the participants received trophies designed by Bacolod artist Charlie Co and executed by Rex Cuenca.

The participants paraded from the 21st Street down to Lacson Street where they performed on a stage in front of the Philippine National Bank.

The judges were freelance executive producer Madie Gallaga, international consultant Gurch Raineir, Silay Cultural Officer Taffy Acot, Bago Tourism Officer Clem Del Castillo, Marius Centino and National Commission on Culture and Arts awardee, Dwight Rodrigazo as chairman.

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia lauded last night the people behind the 3 rd Bacolaodiat Festival for the distinction of organizing the longest and biggest Chinese New Year celebration in the country.

During the event's closing rites at 6 th Street -Lacson, Leonardia said Bacolod is the only local government in the Philippines to pass an ordinance creating an entity like the BacoLaodiat and institutionalizing the celebration every year.

No other city in the country, except Bacolod , marks the Chinese New Year Festival with such gaiety, color, and merrymaking for four straight nights, Leonardia said.

He also congratulated all performers who made the affair colorful, and the public who joined in the various activities since BacoLaodiat opened in Feb. 7.

Echoing the message of thanks from the city government was BacoLaodiat chairman and president William Ong who enjoined the Filipino and Chinese communities in Negros Occidental to set aside their cultural differences and instead complement each other and explore all possible avenues to bring out the best from both cultures.

He said cultural diversity should not cause divisiveness among the Filipinos and Chinese in Negros Occidental.

In partnership with the city government, Ong said the Chinese community aspires to uplift the welfare of the Bacolodnons, in particular, and the Negrenses in general.

Together, he said the Filipino and Chinese communities can spell the difference, make things happen and bring change in the community.

Also present during the closing rites were Bacolod City Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, SP Committee on Tourism chairman Homer Bais, and Bacolaodiat 2007 chairman Luis Chan.

The celebration was capped by a colorful fireworks display at the Capitol Lagoon.*CGS/NAB

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