Inset: Glady Tomulto's iconic picture of the authentic inasal.

The Facebook Group “You Know You’re From Bacólod, Philippines If” or simply known as Virtual Bacólod was abuzz in activity when a professional ophthalmologist who owns one of the biggest optical clinics in the country posted his distate against a fastfood chain selling roasted chicken branded as “Inasal”. You know how doctors can be, they are specific with their food but how much more if that doctor is a Negrénse. This doctor provided reasons why this fastfood chain’s version of inasal is not the real inasal. He said that the way the chicken is sliced is entirely wrong, in exact wordings “looks like a chicken that was run over by a grader truck”. The taste according to him is entirely wrong since inasal should not be sweet but have a distinctive taste the Japanese call “umami” which is a result of the marinade’s blend, added with the taste taken from actual char-grilling. The result of this char-grilling is the characteristic crispy skin which is absent in the said fastfood chicken which is actually disturbingly gummy and soggy. I have to agree with him since I have been eating many versions of inasal in Bacólod and this fastfood chain indeed deviated too much.

Inset: I think you already know what he is referring to.

This begs the question, what is the authentic Chicken Inasal? Specifically, what is the authentic Bacólod Chicken Inasal? This brings me back to a poll made a few months ago in the same thread with which Inasal Restaurant in Bacólod has the best-tasting Chicken Inasal? The results brought us to Chicken House which garnered the highest votes together with an equally famous Aida’s and Nena’s, both situated in the city’s Manokan Country. According to The Authentic Inasal which was set up to house the Bacoleño judgement on the matter states that the very first Chicken Inasal meal was served by Elisa Garrucho’s Chicken Queen which was later on passed to the present-day Chicken House. Though that claim in itself is disputed, it is a known fact that Chicken Inasal has been with Bacólod City longe before our parents were even born. A Virtual Bacolod member once reminisced of eating chicken inasal in his childhood in al fresco manner in streets closed in the evening to serve Chicken Inasal in the 1960′s. Indeed, long before anyone thought of setting up a formal restaurant for this iconic dish, Bacoleños have been enjoying Chicken Inasal.

Inset: Backpack Boy's experience with the primordial inasalan of Bacolod.

This is safe to assume that Chicken Inasal was after all an everyday proletarian food item long before it was commercialized. Street Inasal can still be savored in Cuadra Street, though the street looks clear on daytime but at nightime, streetside inasalans set up shop to grill their Chicken Inasal selection. You might question the sanitation since its a street setting but I tell you, I once dared myself eating there and it was really good. This place is what some people call “Kilid State Inasalan” since it is quite near what used to be the State Theater. According to that same gentleman from Virtual Bacólod, this Inasalan was known for its characteristic ginger added to their marinate which gives it a distinctive flavor. Meanwhile, he also mentioned of the Inasalan near the Old City Hall which uses langkawas, a relative of ginger, which has a fragrant scent. Not being familiar with langkawas, I asked Glady Tomulto of ExperienceNegros.com of what it is. Her answer reminded me of my grandmother’s plant which I thought was ginger by which the flower itself alreday gave that ginger-like smell. On the other hand, the inasalans near the public market in the Shopping Center has the spiciest of all Inasal in Bacólod. He even quipped that Inasal before was better since they made use of the best and choicest ingredients like high-quality coconut vinger from the liquor tuba. Indeed, this small commotion made me learn a lot about Bacolod Inasal from those who came into the world before I did.

Inset: These aged coconut vinger reminds me of Tatay Uldring's premium vinegar from Murcia.

As these things conspire, there is now a growing movement calling on the City Council of Bacólod City to pass an ordinance or a resolution declaring Chicken Inasal as the city’s Food Heritage in order to safeguard it against imitations. The movement is picking up force and with the City Councilors being part of the Virtual Bacólod page, this will be very much likely. If the ordinance is passed, this would be a landmark in Philippine culinary scene since there is no other LGU that passed a similar ordinance that protected a local cuisine. Aside from the lobbied ordinance, the group is also seeking for Bacólod to establish a Food Heritage Committee which would screen foods served in Bacólod and certify which local cuisine is a Bacólod original. This concept borrows from European Union’s Appelation Law and its adjunct institution, the Protected Designation of Origin. Once this is passed as well in the City Council, it will be the Philippine’s first as well. Philippines has been loose in trademarking local products but the move by Bacoleños to safeguard the city’s food heritage will influence others to do the same.

Inset: The European Union seals of PDO certification.

Negros Blogger Lloyd Tronco and yours truly will be starting a project to scour Manila’s Restaurants to search for the authentic or close to authentic Chicken Inasal. We will be drafting a checklist in grading each restaurants “Inasal-branded” chicken which we will be certifying for authenticity. In the upcoming meetings of Bacóleños in Manila, this will be one of the matters that will be discussed. I have started a series in my blog entitled “Search for the Authentic Inasal in Manila” which will continue once we have drafted the checklist. Meanwhile, the best time of the year to savor Chicken Inasal in Bacólod is during the Masskara Festival when local Inasalans set-up booths along the City Plaza. However, looking for Chicken Inasal is not hard since every corner of the street, there are streetside vendors that grill their Inasal. May it be Chicken House, Aida’s, Nena’s or your ordinary streetside stalls, Chicken Inasal has truly been ingrained to Bacólod’s food culture and has since been transported from the streets to your comfortable restaurants where rich can share in this food heritage that is uniquely FB, from Bacólod.

“You Know You’re From Bacolod City, Philippines If…” is a virtual community of Bacoleños and Negrénses in the social networking site, Facebook. The page is a hodgepodge of topics ranging from jokes back home to serious issues like corruption, tourism, heritage and crime. One of the most intriguing If posted is You Know You’re from Bacolod City, Philippines If… “…you are still confused whether to call yourself Negrense/Bacolodnon or Ilonggo?” posted by a resident doctor in a certain  private hospital in Bacolód City. The thread gathered an amount of following since it touches on matters of our identity as a people. I cannot help but post certain reactions to this, some mild, some violent. In order to shed light into this matter, we should study the social profile or some history in both Iloilo Province and Negros. Clarifications must also be placed in order to clear out some fallacies that have been around as to which we already consider a norm.

Just to put things into perspective, both provinces predominantly speak a language called “Hiligaynon”. Hiligaynon is a language that became a dominant in the Province of Iloilo and immigrants to the island we now know as Negros. It is believed that this language developed from Karay-a, the language of the highland natives up to the present time who escaped the coasts as Spanish colonization set in. Although commonly called “Ilonggo” since it is closely linked to the Iloilo Province where it came from, it is anthropologically incorrect since Ilonggo refers to the people who lived in the area called Irong-Irong or Ilong-Ilong which we now know as Iloilo. I have always emphasized that Hiligaynon is the name of the dominant Western Visayan language and not Ilonggo, which refers to the residents of Iloilo.

Though most of the people in Negros Occidental are descendants of Ilonggos, these immigrants, together with the Spaniards, Frenchmen and Chinese who sought  new lands for planting sugarcane in the virgin lands of Negros, created a society distinct from where they came from. Although linguistically related to the people of Iloilo, seclusion and economic circumstances consequentially developed the Negrénse identity. Noted as well that these two related peoples are in constant conflict with each other because they have different social norms. For example, people from Negros as qualified as extravagant and happy-go-lucky while their Iloilo cousins are known to be thrifty and cautious in investing their time or resources. This vast difference in social norms created an irreversible cultural gap which is seen greatly in the present. Random but funny fact it is that people from Iloilo accuse the people of Negros of being boastful or tikalon while the people of Negros answer back that people from Iloilo are overly spendthrifts or kuripot. What does this have to do with the question, am I Ilonggo or Negrénse?

Stating the obvious, the residents of Negros Occidental are not residents of Iloilo. Negros Occidental has a separate provincial government with voters and at one point in history established a fully-functioning democracy independent from the government in Aguinaldo’s Malolos. So are people from Negros Ilonggos or Negrénses? Some who argue point out to the language as a determining factor of our being “Ilonggo” but I have cleared the fact that the Hiligaynon language is divorced from the Ilonggo identity since the earlier is a language, while the latter is a people group. Also, people from Davao never called themselves Cebúano even though they speak the language of Cebú, as with residents of Bohol and Siquijor who speak the same. Likewise, even people from Zamboanga call themselves Zamboangueño regardless of which province of the Peninsula they came from. Even our brothers and sisters in the Oriental side of the Island called themselves as Negrénses and not Cebuano. Why are we in a quandary with the identity of Negros Occidental’s residents if in the Oriental side of the island, it is a non-issue. Worth mentioning is a friend of mine who tells people who ask her where she is from that she is from Negros and she lives in Bacolód City.

As a people advancing culturally and economically, Negrénses need to mould an identity that is our their own. Negrénses live in an irony of having an island separated between two regions when in fact they both share the same beautiful island we call Negros. Having a unique identity will enable Negros Occidental to promote its tourism well  and boast its heritage that is uniquely made in Negros. Occidental Negrénses need to reach out with their Oriental Negrénse brothers and sisters. A famous quotation said that a house divided is a house doomed to fall. Negrénses need to chart their own destinies as a unique people. Both Negrénses are charming people, full of smiles and friendly with only the language as a barrier. When I meet Negrénses from Oriental, I feel a certain affinity to them because we share a common land that nourished us and made us grow. People from Don Salvador Benedicto, through Bacolód, down to Hinobaan and Canlaon City, through Dumaguete, down to Bayawan are Negrénses culturally and by affinity. If you ask me, am I an Ilonggo or a Negrénse? Without hesitation, I would smilingly and proudly say “I AM A NEGRÉNSE!”

The events of yesterday brought me back in time four years ago when I was still living in Bacolod City. I just graduated from high school and it was high time of the Senatorial Election campaigns. There were many candidates slating for the 12 Senatorial slots but only one candidate was closest to me and every Negrénse, that was then Congressman Juan Miguel Zubiri. Even though he was hailing from Bukidnon, no one can deny his Negrénse origins when his family used to have land holdings in the City of Kabankalan which is south of the Capital City, Bacolod. His continued command of the Hiligaynon language which I heard in a sortie at the Bacolod City Plaza made him well-loved by the Negrénses who flocked the event. Come what may May 2007 elections, he was running a catch-up with Koko Pimentel on the last 12th slot for the Senate. The ordeal went on for another month until I heard from the news in the bus on my way to Clark for UA&P’s Environmental Science fieldtrip that Migz Zubiri won the last slot and was proclaimed. I was so happy that my candidate was declared winner, who was one of the few administration bets who made it.

Now, it is 2011 and certainly the Senator’s voluntary resignation was unimaginable  but it did happen. As an ardent supporter of the resigned Senator, it was an emotional moment for me when he announced his resignation in the Senate’s chambers. Indeed, his resignation was a historical one since no other Senator resigned from his post other than being appointed in a Cabinet position. From his words, he chose honor over power. A number did criticize the move but I understand how that must have went through for him to vacate the job which he did not just good but certainly the best way that any Senator or legislator can do. Some speculate guilt in his move but clearly it was not an admission of fault or guilt but an admission of facts or circumstances which now became clearer. The Zubiri family held good name when they were in Kabankalan even up to the time they moved to Bukidnon. His family took care of that name and certainly this honorable gentleman would not let that be tarnished. Migz believed that since circumstances not gives higher probability to a victory by Koko Pimentel, he decided for the best that he step aside to welcome the upcoming new Senator who also hails from the same Region and the same Island of Mindanao.

There are a lot of lessons learned from this experience but certainly there are two clear facts that became of obvious: we badly need to reform the faulty electoral process which victimized these two gentlemen and that new generation of politicians like Sen. Zubiri are changing the landscape of Philippine Politics. Our elections since the time of Aguinaldo up to the present time has always been laden with controversies and rumors of fraud. The election exercise last 2010 with automated modes of voting has paved a way for polling to be faster and more manageable. I am not saying that the 2010 Presidential Elections was not laced but somehow we should agree that faster poll results contribute to a more transparent elections. It is my wish though that these reforms are not merely paperweight but has some meat to them. Apart from electoral reforms, people like my candidates Sen. Zubiri and former Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro are one of the few younger generation politicians that has shown political will to be different from the older predecessors. They are few but certainly they are part of the growing new generation of politicians that will pave the way for my generation to see better governance. Transformation is not done overnight but I hope as the recent events unfold, this may herald better days ahead even as we cope up with economic deficiencies for good governances solves the woes of our country.

I have been a blogger for half a decade now. What started as an easier way of writing non-personal journals ignited my passion to write many issue-related, often inspirational blogs. Just a couple of months ago, a fellow Negros Blogger Glady Tomulto inducted me although informally to the world of Negrénse blogging culture. While blogging is the consequence of the internet age, the roots have been deeply rooted in the Negrénse love for the latest news and reminiscing recently concluded trips to some parts of the country and the globe. Negrénses are always keen for the latest and adventures, surely a natural-born talented Negrénse would never run out of stories to tell. This is a trait I have found in quite an interesting way. Simple overhears at Starbucks Podium, board room meetings in the middle of Ortigas Center, friendly chats over mounds of sweet treats at Calea in Lacson St. and breathtaking moments around serenely beautiful sugarcane fields of Negros develops quite a story. Some consider the blogosphere as abounding in hearsays and simple thoughts but how does it really contribute to the sweet, rock-solid society in which Negros is built?

While news on paper, online and on air are a daily staple, blogs thread in areas these traditional means of information communication deem unreachable. Prime example would be war developments in Libya to the countless anonymous blogs in restricted China. Blogs relay infos when official means are cut. In a few minutes, you can register an e-mail, sign-up for a blog service account and voila, you are now part of the unlimited information source of the World Wide Web. For an island society that is built in peacetime like Negros, blogging offers another perspective of Negrénse life that is often of limited availability in major media outlets. Even given the lack of publicity about Negros tourism for example, tourist especially foreign tourists flock the shores of Negros to discover attractions North to South. The diving attractions of Southern Negros thrive with foreign tourist even when there is lack of ads from the government. At closer look and interview with these foreign tourists, one can discover that they came to the knowledge of Negrénse treasure throves not from the Department of Tourism but from reading reviews and blogs of native-born Negrénses.

Late May 2011, I finally decided to join the acclaimed Skyscrapercity.com (SSC) forum as I have learned that it is an online forum teeming with information about Bacolod City and Negros Occidental at large. The information posted are by no means meager for many have inside informations about the latest projects rising around the Metropolis of Bacolod City. While information circulate in a small circle inside forum threads, these provide important pieces of information that is helpful for bloggers like me in drafting articles that point to the profitability of business in Negros Island. I have known of some companies whose employees, particularly some General Managers, use forums like SSC to gather starter data for the improvement of a number of facilities notably that of Mactan-Cebu International Airport for example. A number of real estate companies have also been in touch with these forums to have a general idea of where to or not to invest in a city concerned. Like blogging, “foruming”, a consequentially formed new verb, has also been of little note to some expert research until as of late.

As people and a number of institutions have seen the information drive of blogs and online forums, many have taken steps for its development. It is a sure that blogging and foruming have helped developed a completely new society where people are being liberated from traditional media that has since hostaged informations at director’s whim. My hope is that communications experts can at least produce a paper on these two new phenomena. I have since proposed in a group of forumers that they develop a simple pamphlet on the avantages of forums and why people should grab the opportunity to access unlimited amount of information. Gladly, Negros Bloggers are making a headway in promoting blogging among the crème de la crème of the Negrénse intelligentsia with the upcoming Visayas Blog Awards at the beautiful heritage City of Silay. While blogs and online forums are not celebrities like Facebook or Twitter, I am hopeful in its development as a highly-effective communication tool but until so bloggers and forumers will continue to be a small circle within the Negrénse intellectual clout. Certainly, the promotion, life and preservation of the Negrénse patrimonio viejo rest in this small group of people.