"Rising city of the South", "Viva El Senior Santo Niño" and "Happy Sinulog Festival" are just some of the famous phrases which will paint a picture of a City in every Negrosanon's mind whenever they hear these chants. It is a City strategically located in the middle of the two Queen Cities of Negos Island, Bacolod and Dumaguete City. Famous for it's renowned festival which brings everyone a festive spirit through upbeat drumbeats and colorful tribe costumes, and later on turns every local and tourists into native aetas due to the tradition of "Lamhitanay" where people stain each other's faces with black paint, or if you're unlucky enough, with used car oil - kinda gross, I know. But hey! the experience is rewarding. Kabankalan City, The home of Sinulog Festival of Negros and the Rising City of the south.
THE HISTORY
Started as a barrio of Ilog, It is said that Kabankalan was first inhabited by the people of it's neighboring towns. Historians say that it's name is derived from a species of trees called "Bangkal" which is abundant in the place many years ago. The present-day city became a town in 1903 headed by its first town president, Capitan Lorenzo Zayco. However, land conquerors were still prominent at that time and tragically in 1907, many houses were burned down by the so called "Pulahan", a rebel group led by Papa Isio. Amidst this dark age that came upon the kabankalanons, their resilience shined through and started rebuilding their houses. Like many other towns in the Philippines, Kabankalan also suffered an ill fate with many Alien Invaders such as the Spaniards, Japanese and the Americans. This led to many language and cultural diversities all through out the town and the province in general. After the World War II, the Town of Kabankalan was finally declared by President Fidel V. Ramos as a chartered City on August 2, 1997.
THE PLACE
With 32 baranggay units and with a total land area of 697.95 square kilometers, Kabankalan is the Second Largest City in the Whole Negros Island Region next to Bayawan City. Being the melting pot of commerce and trade from it's neighboring towns and cities from north to south, it is planted with several establishments such as Banks, Restaurants, Hospitals, Malls, Inns and so on. The city is visually torn between a scene of an old town and a progressive modern landscape.
Tourists usually flood the city during Sinulog Festival on January. But on normal months, it also offers a peaceful retreat whenever you need a touch of nature and water. Balicaocao and Mag-aso falls, both located in mountainous areas, are the usual destinations for those who want a quick relaxation away from the heavily polluted city.
Ask Local and Foreign Tourist about what they could say about the City, and you will definitely hear "It's clean". Well, not necessarily green as it would be a cliche, but the City is evidently clean. For some reasons, the city government are pushing several implementations that would preserve this image of the city. Perhaps, one that amused me a lot is the dedication of the native people to keep their own private lawns clean. Not mentioning the honorable street cleaners hired by the government to sweep and pick up candy wrappers, soda cans, etc. before the sun rises every morning. Also, Discipline is prominent among people as there would be a fine of Php300-1,500 depending on the severity of the act for those are caught throwing random garbages around public places. So before you visit the city, be sure your pockets are readily available for that candy wrapper of the gum you just chewed.
THE FOOD
Unlike other places, Kabankalan doesn't really have a distinct specialty of food such as the Bibingka of Mila's in Hinigaran and the ever mouth watering Silvanas of Dumaguete. Perhaps, I could just probably share some of the best food stations I have tried with in the city. For those who love classic pinoy inasals such as "Tina-e". "Dugo", "Atay", "Tocino", "Petso" and many more, then the best place I could recommend is Serfinos. Everybody knows where it is as it is located at the heart of the city, so just merely mentioning it to the trycicle drivers will bring you right there at it's gate where you could already smell that aromatic essence of original pinoy barbecue. Also, there is this restaurant called "WOW Restaurant" which has two branches in the city. I highly recommend their "Chicken in white sauce". for just php99, you could already savor the goodness of chicken chunks showered with Creamy white sauce, plus it already comes with a cup of rice. Just merely talking about it makes my stomach howl - yum!
To wrap it up, words couldn't entirely bring you to the place and make you experience it, perhaps a quick roadtrip with your friends or family on a weekend would do. Lastly, aren't you puzzled why people always say, "It's more fun in Kabanakalan"?
