San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

San Carlos City is a 1st class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 118,259 people in 23,941 households.

Cebuano is the major language of San Carlos City. English, Hiligaynon,and Tagalog are also widely spoken and understood, especially in the urban areas.

Pedicabs are common mode of transport. Buses and jeepneys provide service for intertown travel.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Festival 3 Barangays 4 External links

[edit] Geography

Located along the coast of Tañon Strait, the city is located at the crossroads of your major cities in the Visayas: Cebu City, Bacolod City, Iloilo City and Dumaguete City. It has a long coastline that runs to 40 kilometers which is protected by the city's mangrove reforestation program while its seas are closely guarded from abuse by this active Bantay Dagat force. Nature has also endowed with a deep natural harbor that can take in large shipping vessels. This harbor is also protected from inclement weather by Refugio Island (Sipaway). Due to these special attributes, the Philippine Ports Authority has chosen the San Carlos City port from among other ports in the province for its expansion program in 1998 which include the reclamation of four hectares of sea to accommodate various port buildings, facilities and container vans, an extension on the eastside for two roro vessels and the extension of the length of the port to 242.5 meters.

San Carlos City has two pronounced seasons, wet and dry. The rainy season is from May to January with heavy rains occurring during the months of August and September. Dry season lasts from February to April. December and January are the coldest months while April is the hottest.

[edit] Festival

Pintaflores was born out of the people's search for a cultural identity and tradition.

If Cebu City has its Sinulog, Bacolod City its Masskara, and Aklan its Ati-atihan, San Carlos City also dreamt of having its own unique festival.

In 1992, after successfully holding two activities, the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival and the Dances of Flowers as highlights of the city fiesta, the idea of blending the two concepts to come up with a presentation that could be considered the City's very own started what today is one of the most popular street dancing festivals in the region - the Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos City.

Pintaflores is coined from the words Pintados, the concept behind the Nabingkalan Tattoo Festival, and the "flores", the Spanish word for flowers that dominated the theme of the Dances of Flowers. The Pintaflores street dancing and ritual competition highlights the annual Pintaflores festival every November 3-5.

It features rhythmic dances and dance dramas of life and death and the triumph of good against evil that depict the people's thanksgiving of merriment, abundant blessings and success. As part of the Pintados Tradition, the faces, arms, bodies and legs of the dancers are painted with flowers to express gratitude to man and his environment.

The street dancing is culminated by a dance ritual performed at the City Auditorium. Different dance steps and musical accompaniment add to the thrill of the competition. The Human flower formation is another impressive part of the dance ritual which are products of the ingenuity and skill of the choreographers and dancers.

Building a name on the streets of Cebu, Negros and Panay

It takes time to build. but, with Pintaflores, the time to gather frame is at a very young age. Colegio de Sto. Tomas - Recoletos high school students, bested seasoned contestants to land third place in the free interpretation category in the heavinly-competed Sinulog festival in Cebu City in January 1993. In April of the same year, the group bagged the championship in Panaad Sa Negros '93, to province-wide cultural festival in Negros Occidental.

Represented by Barangays II and Quezon, the Pintaflores street dancing contingent emerged first prize in Panaad Sa Negros in 1996. The same group with the participation of Barangay Ermita bagged again the championship in Panaad Sa Negros 1997 and the fifth prize in Sinulog festival '98.

In Panaad Sa Negros '98, the Pintaflores group composed of dancers from Barangays Punao and Palampas and the City Hospital graced the fiesta presentation as guest performers. In Panaad '99. the Pintaflores represented this time by elementary school children, once again proved its unbeatable streak by emerging champions, consequently reaping the Hall of Fame award for topping the fiesta presentation event in four consecutive years.

Having established a name in street dancing, Pintaflores danced performers in such places as Iloilo City (1996) and the Roxas City (1997) as among the best of the best in the region, and in Canlaon City and Victorias in 1999 as the best in the province.

But the best is yet to come to Pintaflores as a new breed of dancers has emerged with the launching of Pintaflores Bata or Pinta Bata in 1996. A street dancing and ritual competition among elementary school children. Pinta Bata thrills one with the children's pleasing gracefulness and versatility that promises a crop of excellent dancers in the years to come.

San Carlos comes alive and colorful every November 5. Its streets become ablaze and animated by the sprightly dance of flower-painted dancers in colorful ethnic-inspired costumes as the traditional Pintaflores festival hits this its peak in a colorful and lively streetdancing competition.

After five years and many awards, including the Hall of Fame awards in streetdancing in the Panaad Sa Negros, the word Pintaflores, like "Daan Sa Kaunlaran" and Homelot program, now has become another byword of the creativity of San Carloseños.

[edit] Barangays

San Carlos City is politically subdivided into 18 barangays.

Bagonbon Buluangan Codcod Ermita Guadalupe Nataban Palampas Barangay I (Pob.) Barangay II (Pob.)

Barangay III (Pob.) Barangay IV (Pob.) Barangay V (Pob.) Barangay VI (Pob.) Prosperidad Punao Quezon Rizal San Juan

[edit] External links

• San Carlos City
• San Carlos City Interactive Website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• Metro Bacolod Interactive Online