In the sprawling city of Bacolod, despite the various establishments that line the busy avenue, life can still be laid-back and slow, a total contrast from the bustling metropolitan life of Manila.
It was November of 2010 when I went to Bacolod City, a place that - at that time - held a special spot in my heart. The familiarity of its language, spoken with tenderness and musicality, was an evocation of the good old days of my childhood when listening to radio dramas was still our favorite pastime. We didn't speak Ilonggo in the province but we grew too familiar with the language since our transistor radios had always been tuned in to Bombo Radyo, a broadcasting company based in Panay whose regular programming featured voice drama of different kinds - love story, magic, comedy and horror.
Coming to the City of Smile, I was quite ready to practice my limited Ilonggo, which wasn't so bad, modesty aside. The moment I heard a local speak in local tongue, I found a way to butt in, in a non-intrusive way. The local whom I first conversed in Ilonggo was the driver of a van from Silay Airport to SM Bacolod. I merely asked him how far we were from the destination. The driver glanced at the mirror, slightly surprised to hear a tourist speak in Ilonggo. I secretly gloated at my own simple accomplishment.
