La Vida Oriental Negrense

  He may not be considered to be in the league of the country’s renowned national heroes, such as Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, and Andres Bonifacio, but he is a Visayan hero, who fought for the nation’s independence from Spain with the same vigor and passion. Negrosanon -born Pantaleon Villegas, known as Leon Kilat, led a group of Cebuano Katipuneros in attacking the Spaniards on April 3, 1898, in what is now known as the Battle of Tres de Abril. Photo by Dr. Dr. Gerard Jude Bumanglag Leon Kilat Monument Camp Leon Kilat Tanjay City In commemoration of the 148th birth anniversary of General Pantaleon Villegas this July 27, a mass will be officiated by the parish priest of St. Augustine of Hippo Parish Church at about 7 a.m. and expected to be attended by town officials of Bacong, headed by Mayor Lenin Alviola, DepEd elementary and secondary schools heads, personnel of the Bacong Municipal Police Station, ACOP, Bureau of Fire Protection, and relatives of Leon Kilat. BFP AND PNP Bacong 

  Opeña’s, one of the home-grown and purely local fast-food restaurants in Dumaguete City, is celebrating its centennial this year. Founded in 1921 by Brother Knight Aquilino Opeña Sr. and his wife, Crispina Cequiña, it is considered the city’s first-ever fast-food business. The young couple got married in Bohol and then migrated to Dumaguete City for Aquilino to continue his studies at Silliman University while Crispina, who was raised in a family where cooking and baking were the household norm, decided to open their first business venture. Their specialties were the halo-halo, homemade bread and binangkal, a type of native doughnut that proved so popular that other establishments copied their recipe. When World War II broke out, they evacuated with their children Winefredo, Felicidad, Virginia, and Aquilino Jr. to the mountain area near the lake in Tubigon Sibulan. To survive the hardship, Crispina continued to make all kinds of food from the available crops, and had her children ba

  Philippine American Friendship Day or 4th of July is also known as Republic Day in the Philippines. Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America. In Dumaguete we coincided with the 99 anniversary of the establishment of the  Dumaguete American Cemetery. A simple celebration in Dumaguete City together with the Boy Scouts of the Philippines BSP Negros Oriental -Siquijor Council and Order of the Knights of Rizal Negros Oriental and Dumaguete City Chapter with special Thanks to Knights of Rizal Tanjay City Chapter. The Beautification and Heritage Clean up drive project of the American Cemetery started in 2018 with Prof. Josefino T. Larena Jr. and Prof. Phitz Jaculbe Enojo. The project is now supported by the Order of the Knights of Rizal Negros Oriental and Dumaguete City Chapters and Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Negros Oriental-Siquijor Council. Knights of Rizal and BSP Negros Ori

  PENN T. LARENA The Spanish influence on the Negrosanon culture has been profound, having originated from its pueblo, personaje, and apellido. From the late 1500s until 1898, Spain controlled the archipelago, instituting fierce Catholicism and Hispanic culture in the Southeast Asian nations. This influence can be seen in our way of life, culture, culinary tradition, churches, and in our Cebuano language, that is a combination of Malay and Spanish words. One of the living legacies by the Spaniards is the sugar industry and hacienda system. 95-year-old lola Nelly Belloso-Villanueva, granddaughter of Don Ramon Belloso – a revolutionary hero from southern Negros, with grandson Christopher Nolan (left) and nephew Hector Villanueva 95-year-old lola Nelly Belloso-Villanueva,  with grandson Christopher Nolan (left) and wife Hanna Furusawa Nolan According to Jose Genova (1896), a Spanish writer, the “hacienda” was managed according to the ingenuity of the “hacendero”, “who directed the work hi