Patag: History and Nature's Bounty

On the foothills of Mt. Silay (also known as Mt. Mandalagan) lies the village of Patag, the site of the Japanese military's last stand in Western Visayas during World War II. In 1945, U.S. military forces landed in Negros Island. The occupying forces of the Nagano Detachment of the Japanese Imperial Army retreated to Silay and proceeded up Mt. Silay to Patag where they were prepared to make a stand.  My father (they had moved from the city to the haciendas to avoid the Japanese) would tell me stories of how they can hear the passing of the trains filled with the fully armed soldiers. To say that it was scary was an understatement. The Japanese were defeated by military forces of the Philippine Commonwealth and soldiers of the U.S. 40th Infantry Division with help from the local guerrilla fighters. To honor all those who died in that battle, the Japanese government built a Friendship Shrine as a memorial. Not to be outdone, there is also a WWII memorial dedicated to the Filipino and American soldiers.

Silay Heritage Mini-tour for Bloggers

Last October 21, 2012,  sixteen food and travel bloggers from all over the country who were here for the Masskara Festival, came on a mini-tour of Silay, organized by the Negrense Blogging Society, Inc.  This side trip was made possible with the free use of the new Merci bus courtesy of it's CEO, Mr. Jonathan Lo.  We were only going to do a half-day tour because the bloggers were scheduled to watch the Masskara street dancing in the afternoon.  The short itinerary included visiting the two lifestyle museums of the city, the Bernardino Jalandoni House (Pink House) and the Yves Gaston House (Balay Negrense).  We stopped for a while for some photo-ops at the Maria Ledesma Golez House, now a bank, the RCBC and the Lope Severino Building, half of which is now a hotel and the other half, commercial stores.

Next stop was the Jose Gamboa Ancestral House which was used in part for the iconic movie, Oro, Plata, Mata.  This house is not open to the public but it's current owner, Mr. Buddy Jison was very kind to allow access to his ancestral home.  In fact, he personally welcomed and showed us around, giving us some history about the house.

photo of Jose Gamboa House courtesy of Maricar Dabao of Viaje Negrense

The next ancestral house we visited was that of Dr. Jose C. Locsin, Silay's most notable son. This house is also a private home but it's occupants, Neil Solomon "Solo" Locsin and Tita Charet Locsin willingly opened it's doors to us. Solo is Dr. Locsin's grandson and also a consultant of the city, responsible for many of it's current historical and cultural projects. The house is beautifully preserved and is one of the biggest in the city.  It is also a house which has witnessed history happen within it's walls.

photo of Dr. Jose C. Locsin Ancestral House courtesy of Neil Solomon Locsin

We were served with homemade tsokolate and biscocho, a traditional Silay merienda, at the Locsin house and from there, we finished our short tour passing by the Lacson house for some food tasting of original Silay recipes and then on to the San Diego Cathedral for a quick view of the church and the ruins of the original church behind it.  

To our blogger friends...hasta la vista! See you next year and we promise to give you a more comprehensive tour of my beloved Silay...where life is indeed sweeter and the past is forever!

Silay Marathon 2012: Mt. Patag Eco-Adventure Trail Endurance Challenge

Silay is not only about arts, culture and heritage but eco-tourism and sports as well. One important sport event that has caught national attention is the Silay City Marathon which first began in the late 90's as a 5K and 15K run and eventually evolving into a half marathon by the year 2000. For the first time this year, it will be full marathon with a distinctive feature: a non-stop ascending route that ends on top of a mountain. To bring attention to the city's forest preservation and eco-tourism efforts, the Silay Marathon 2012 is aptly called the Mt. Patag Eco Adventure Endurance Trail Challenge.  It will be a  34k / 42K (solo) and 42k (relay) marathon to be held on November 3, 2012. 

For inquries please contact Dr. Bob Ledesma 0947-7896317 and Boyet Rentoy 0928-9084888.