Gasataya Appoints New MassKara 2025 Organizer

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Greg Gasataya announced Monday that the city government has tapped a new group to organize this year’s MassKara Festival.

“We will make the announcement, hopefully within the week,” Gasataya said during a press briefing at the Bacolod City Government Center.

He said the new team, composed entirely of Bacolod residents, has been tasked with preparing and managing the MassKara Festival 2025.

“There is a new group that will handle the festival, all of them are from Bacolod,” he added.

Gasataya assured that the new organizers will have a deeper understanding of the city’s culture.

He said the team began discussions about the festival in the last week of May.

For the past three years, Bacolod Yuhum Foundation Inc. served as the festival organizer under former Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez.

The newly elected mayor said he looks forward to greater community participation and more activities showcasing local talent and skills during this year’s celebration.

Despite the City Council’s earlier decision to move the festival highlights from the fourth to the third Sunday of October due to weather concerns, Gasataya said the highlights will remain on the fourth Sunday.

He said the city will revive activities at the public plaza, the traditional venue for the MassKara street dance and arena competition.

For the past three years, the dance competition was held at the Paglaum Sports Complex.

Gasataya said the festival will begin on Oct. 1 to set the mood for the celebration.

Meanwhile, he said the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum in Barangay Tangub is expected to be completed by December and is now 72 percent finished.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, accompanied by Gasataya, inspected the site during his visit last week.

In 2019, the previous administration allocated PHP800 million for the project, which will accommodate at least 12,000 people.

The funds were sourced from a PHP1.7-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines.