A PIONEERING coffee table book titled “Sugar & Smiles: The Negrense Legacy Beyond 2020” will have its West Coast launch on June 11, 2023 at the MassKara Festival in Long Beach, California. The book recently won the 2023 Gold Quill Award bestowed by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) based in Chicago.
During the festival, copies of the award-winning book will be made available at the Long Beach Recreation Park – specifically the booth of multi-awarded Fil-Am cultural icon Linda Nietes-Little, founder and CEO of the Philippine Expressions Bookshop in San Pedro, California.
In collaboration with Impress Quality Printing Philippines Inc. and Media Wise Communications Inc., the book was produced by the all-Negrense project team of Conrado Gen Tomas, Jose Kilayko Montalvo III, Benjamin de Leon Torre, Ma. Teresa Quebrar Manalili, and J. Albert Araneta Gamboa.
This 320-page heirloom collectible is the first coffee table book about the province of Negros Occidental, known as the “Sugar Bowl of the Philippines.” Its main chapters were written by historians Modesto Sa-onoy and Roque Hofileña; lawyers Rayboy Pandan and Eli Gatanela; culturati Cecilia Locsin-Nava and Lloyd Tronco; chefs Richard Ynayan and Mia Lizares-Gonzaga; veteran journalists Carla Gomez and Cedelf Tupas; tourism official Cristine Mansinares and advertising executive Nikki Golez.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson supported the book project along with local government units and congressional districts as well as major corporations and private enterprises in the Philippines. The cover was designed by graphic artist Nikki Solinap and the inside pages contain original artworks from watercolor painter Edbon Sevilleno. The project’s main beneficiary is the Kalipay Negrense Foundation headed by Anna Claparols Balcells.
IABC is the foremost global community of communications professionals representing diverse industries and disciplines. For more than 40 years, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards program has recognized excellence in strategic communication worldwide and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry. The Gold Quill awarding ceremony is the highlight of the 2023 World Conference of IABC being held from June 4 to 7 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, Canada.
Bacolod City, the progressive capital of Negros Occidental, hosts the annual MassKara Festival every October. The Long Beach-Bacolod Association (LBBA) brought the festival to Southern California in July 2018 and August 2019. Due to the pandemic, there was no MassKara at Long Beach from 2020 to 2022. According to LBBA President Peter Ramirez, the festival is being revived this year with the world-famous MassKara dancers as featured performers. “We bring the fun of the Philippines to Long Beach,” he said, adding that this will coincide with the 125th Philippine Independence Day celebration.
