I always enjoy leaving Manila and experience different parts of the country. I had been to Cebu before, but that was for seminars and conferences with little time for a closer look around. This time, I focused on the historical parts of town, Fort San Pedro and surroundings and, of course, the Basilica of Sto Nino. The “little boy” dressed in lavish garments of velvet is widely regarded as the country’s oldest Christian relic. For me, the most lasting impression of my stay in Cebu was the passionate manner with which the pilgrims in the Basilica worshiped and prayed to the little figurine.

Not far away, is Colon Road, often referred to as the oldest street in the Philippines. This is a busy place at any time of the day. But that’s about it. Colon has seen better days. Like in other Philippine cities, commercial enterprises have moved to modern malls leaving behind a sad image of neglect, even decay.

While in Cebu, I couldn’t avoid discussing politics. GMA doesn’t seem to be particularly popular in the county’s second city either. On the other hand, the political agenda in Cebu is different from that in “imperial Manila.” These days, the political class, a journalist friend told me, is mainly concerned with decentralization. They want more autonomy and are, therefore, disappointed that federalism has not seriously taken off in the various constitutional reform debates.

From Cebu I took a bus (and a ferry) to Bacolod City on the neighboring island of Negros. The ride from Cebu to Toledo City is not worth mentioning. The stretch from San Carlos to Bacolod via Cadiz in the North, however, is beautiful. Passing by endless sugar plantations I instantly understood why this part of the country is also known as Sugerlandia.

After eight hours in a noisy bus, Bacolod City is a positive surprise. Compared with Cebu this is a clean, green and well-organized municipality. I haven’t seen another Philippine city with such a clearly structured urban plan. Half a day may suffice for a visitor to get an impression of Bacolod City, and the historical highlights such as the San Sebastian Cathedral and the famous bells, the Provincial Capitol Building and the Plaza bandstand, which in past times served as an open-air ballroom dance floor for the Bacolod elite.

In Bacolod, you should not miss the Negros Museum, which showcases important historical events that have made the island the sugar bowl of the Philippines. While the exhibit is impressive, it, at the same time, is apologetic and one-sided. Little is said about the downsides of the rapid economic growth, the (semi-)feudal structures, hunger, rebellion and social unrest.

As I got home, I felt an urge to read up on the other side of Negrese history and turned to Violeta Lopez-Gonzaga’s Land of Hope, Land of Want. A Socio-Economic History of Negros.

Before my departure, I picked up the recent issue of the Negros Weekly. The local paper featured the First Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival which was held recently in Bacolod City. According to the paper’s editorial, the aim was “to make Negros Island the organic agriculture capital of Asia.”

In another page, the paper reported about “a series of killings of agrarian reform groups leaders within a period of three months”. WOW Bacolod?