GenSan News Online Mag

The 2010 Tuna Festival Month of September that is being handled by the Tuna Festival Council headed by Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio and the GenSan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GSCCCII) started on a high note last week.

Guided by the theme “Go Global GenSan: We Are Ready for the World“, the jam packed month-long GTx (GenSan Tunafest eXperience) kicked off on September 2-4, 2010 with the conduct of the 12th National Tuna Congress which broke records in terms of the # of attendees and exhibitors at its Tuna Congress Exhibit held at Family Country Convention Center.

On September 3, 2010, former Senator Mar Roxas came in behalf of Keynote Speaker President Noynoy Aquino to inspire the participants consisting of local and international tuna and fishing industry leaders and stakeholders.

The annual Karagatan Awards that honored the year’s outstanding handline fishmermen were given to the awardees at the Appreciation Dinner that same night at the Isla Parilla Resort in Alabel, Sarangani.

Then on Sunday, the whole city commemorated the 42nd Charter Day Anniversary with a mass at the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish Church and an Ecumenical Prayer and short program at the Gen. Paulino Santos Shrine inside the Plaza Heneral Santos.  This was attended by the city’s business and soci-civic leaders, government workers and officials led by Congressman Jun Acharon, Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, Sarangani Vice-Governor Steve Chiongbian-Solon, the city councilors, among other personages.

Vice Governor Steve Chiongbian-Solon’s presence made the event more meaningful as it was his grandfather, the former Congressman James Chiongbian who authored the bill creating General Santos City 42 years ago.

An “Almusal Alay sa Kapwa” spearheaded by the CSWDO followed afterwards which offered free breakfast to the city’s less fortunate.

For the 2nd weekend of the month, on September 10, 2010,  the much-awaited concert of the ASAP Sessionistas will happen at Mindanao’s largest indoor air-conditioned gymnasium, the GenSan Gym in Barangay Lagao.  This is one of the city’s biggest gathering of famous performers from Manila and tickets are selling briskly especially now that the concert date is getting near.

The major highlights of the GTx will occur during the week of September 18-26, 2010.

Expect these crowd-drawing beauty and talent search events to dazzle the generals and visitors alike:

• Search for Ginang Bariles on Sept 22
• Search for Ms. GenSan 2010 on Sept 25
• Searh for Mr. GenSan 2010 (new event!) on Sept 25
• Gaisano Mall’s Search for Munting Mutya ng GenSan 2010 on Sept 26

Then there are these youth-powered dance and singing competitions:

• Pasiklaban Cheer Dance Competition on Sept 18
• Campus Radio’s Sayaw Sa Baybay-Kids Edition on Sept 21
• Search for GenSan Pop Idol Year 6 on Sept 22
• GenSan Pop Star Kids Competiion on Sept 23
• Fishdance Hip-Hop Dance Competition on Sept 24
• Search for GenSan Band Idol on Sept 24

The GTx Month is also filled with exciting sports competitions:

• Tuna Motorbike Competition
• Beach Volleyball Competition
• Robinsons’ 1st TunaBodis Body-Building Competition
• National Skim Boarding Competition
• HRM Mini-Skills Competition
• Robinsons’ Inter-Tribe Tuna Cookfest
• Bombo Radyo’s Bancarera

On its own, the FishFest sa Fishport will also have its own set of events for the fishermen on September 22nd:

• Langoy-Bugsay Marathon Challenge
• 1st Lawihan Street Dancing Competition

To enliven the GTx more, there are the parties and concerts!

• Kapamilya Caravan featuring ABS-CBN stars @ KCC on Sept 18 (new!)
• Kapuso Night featuring GMA stars @ KCC on Sept 24 (new!)
• Robinsons’ Praize Xtreme Concert on Sept 19
• Foam Parties @ East Asia Royale Hotel Arcade Parking Lot on Sept 24-25
• Robinsons’ Al Fresco Sashimi Night featuring the Best of GenSan Bands on Sept 25
• SMART Communications Concert @ Oval Plaza Stage on Sept 25
• Robinsons Mall’s “TunaFest Concert featuring Dennis Trillo” on Sept 26
• GLOBE Telecoms Concert @ Oval Plaza Stage on Sept 26
• San Miguel Beer Concert @ the Junction on Sept 26

And not to forget the must-see Major Highlights on Culmination Day (Sept 26, 2010):

• Tuna Float Parade Competition @ 9am
• GTX Mardi-Gras Competition (Street Dancing) @ 9m
• Splash in the Sky Fireworks Display @ 7pm

And for three weeks, these attractions will be featured at the City Oval Plaza, the main activity center:

• Tinda-Tinda sa GTx (Flea Market)
• Tuna Food Plaza
• Tuna Fiesta Carnival
• Plantuna Garden Show
• San Miguel Beer Barkada Zone
• Coca-Cola’s Everyday Kainan Happines Zone

For this year’s Tuna Festival Month celebration, a new Tuna Festival Theme song will be launched.  Entitled “WHOA GENSAN!“, this catchy and lively festival theme song commissioned by TunaFest Director and GSCCCII VP Orman Manansala, is composed by GenSan’s very own “Centerpoint Band” who will first perform it LIVE to the public during the “ASAP Sessionistas Live in Concert” on September 10, 2001 where they will serve as the front act.

With all these events, activities and new attractions in store for GTX festival revelers, expect the Tuna Festival Celebration to upgrade its reputation as the 2nd Best Festival in the Philippines, an award given to the Tuna Capital by the the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) in 2009.

Because for sure, this will be the best GenSan Tuna Festival Experience for the generals and their visitors ever making the city truly MAGANDANG GENSAN!

Tunafest Schedule as of September 9, 2010

For the upcoming SEX (Soccsksargen EXperience- An Orgy of Food, Fun & Adventure) activity this weekend, one of our partners again is Koronadal City’s most famous bohemian resto, Sa Balai Bistro.

Owned by culturati and chef Carlo Ebeo, this small place below the 2nd floor of an old house has been serving his very own take on various european, pinoy, asian and continental dishes for the past year or so.

The couple or so buffet parties he cooked up this year have been certified hits and Bariles swears that he whips out some of  the best pasta in this side of the universe.  He also has his own refreshing drink concoctions from herbs and plants he buys during South Cotabato’s many tabo’s or market days.

During the Soccksargen Summer Safari, the 20 or so bloggers whom he hosted for snacks were treated to his very own mulberry organic juice, home-brewed coffee and sikwate, the latter which was served in antique kettles and cups.  What made the visit even more special is their chance to check out his collection of artifacts and antiques from his travels all over Asia.  These items are now on display inside Sa Balai Bistro’s dining area. (See photo collage above by Davao Blogger Lyle Santos.)

This weekend, in time for the SEX Tour of the Soccsksargen Bloggers, he has come up with a 3-day buffet promotion for Sa Balai Bistro again.   This time it’s a PIZZA All-You-Can-Eat offering!

Yes, for three days, Carlo will let his clients sample his various crispy and yummy thin pizza varieties and make them eat as much as they want. But don’t worry because he will also be preparing some of his unforgettable pasta dishes for those who have become curious because of this blog.  All, for only a measly P150.oo.  

Be sure to make reservations in advanced for this 3-day feast and call Sa Balai Bistro at telephone #s (083) 2282384.  Sa Balai Bistro is located at Abad Santos Street, Koronadal.  See you there!

With the advent of the Tuna Festival Month of September, the season of concerts in General Santos City is heating up once more!

Last weekend, the generals were treated to a double whammy, that is the Nina and Bamboo concerts, right on the same night.  Next week it will be turn of the six-strong ASAP SESSIONISTAS (check write-up here) and Nyoy Volante in two separate events!!!

For FREE TICKETS to ASAP Sessionistas, we are running the “ASAP Sessionistas Live in GenSan Blog & Facebook Contest“.

The mechanics are easy and they are two-pronged:

FOR BLOGGERS:

• The ASAP Sessionistas Live in GenSan Blog Contest is open to all Filipino Bloggers.
• The Blog Post entry should be your thoughts on the topic:  Six Reasons to Watch ASAP Sessionistas Live in GenSan.
• The contest starts right after this post is published and ends on September 8, 2010 at 6:00pm.
• The blogger must be a subscriber of GenSan News Online Mag.  To subscribe, JUST SIMPLY CLICK HERE.
• The blogger must LIKE the GenSan News Online Mag FanPage on Facebook.  To access the page, JUST SIMPLY CLICK HERE.
• Submit your Blog Post Entry URL by leaving a message below.
• Share the link of your Blog Post Entry URL on our Facebook FanPage.
• Here are the Prizes:
  • TWO Grand Prizes to the Top 2 Best Written entries - One Silver Ticket (Lower Box) each worth P900
  • TEN Consolation Prizes to the next 10 Best Written entriles – One Patron Ticket (Upper Box) each worth P600
• Winning entries will be announced in a blog post on September 9, 2010.
• Prizes are transferrable.
  
• Decision of the judges on the winning entries is binding and final.
  

And to appease our readers who do not have a blog, here is something for them…

FOR NON-BLOGGERS:

• You have to be subscriber of GenSan News Online Mag to be able to join.  To subscribe, JUST SIMPLY CLICK HERE.
• You must LIKE the Facebook Fan Page of GenSan News Online Mag.
• On the Fanpage, look for  our update, “My 6 Reasons for watching the ASAP Sessionistas Live in GenSan“.
• Write down your answers in the comment box below it.
• You can only post your answers ONCE.
• All entries will be selected via electronic raffle courtesy of Random.Org.
• 20 GEN. ADMISSION TICKETS (worth P350 each) will be raffled off on September 8, 2010.
• Prizes are transferrable.

Good luck to all our entries!

His Excellency President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino is the Keynote Speaker during this weekend’s 12th National Tuna Congress unfolding here in General Santos City, the Tuna Capital of the Philippines!

This we got from a draft of the program of the 12th National Tuna Congress from the Congress Secretariat.

"PRES. NOYNOY AQUINO DURING THE QUEEN OF MINDANAO PAGEANT AT ROBINSONS PLACE-GENSAN DURING THE KALILANGAN FESTIVAL IN FEB 2010."

President Noynoy will speak before the biggest annual gathering of the tuna industry leaders and stakeholders during a time when the industry faces one of the most difficult chapters in its history with the imposition of a two-year ban on fishing for tuna on a large portion of the Pacific by regulatory bodies.

For sure, everyone will be very eager  to hear his take on the congress theme, “Be Counted… Face the Challenges And make a Difference”.  A test case for the President, his response would better be good and beneficial for everyone involved in this sector.

As a follow to P-Noy’s speech,  Undersecretary Segfredo R. Serrano, of Policy Planning & Research, will discuss the topic “Plans of  the New Administration for the Fishing Industry”.  Nice!

After the formal Opening of the Congress by 12th NTC Chair Marfenio Tan, GenSan City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio will be welcoming the delegates.  She will be followed shorty by a brief introduction of the President of the Republic by Representative Jun Acharon of the First District of South Cotabato.

For the rest of the topics and personages assigned to them, check out the draft of the program to the 12th National Tuna Congress below.  Our thanks to SFFAII Executive Director Aian Fredeluces for making this available to us.

12th NTC Draft Program_14

That same evening, all roads lead to Isla Parilla Resort in Alabel, Sarangani Province where the annual KARAGATAN AWARDS and Farewell Dinner will be held.

A Tuna Congress Exhibit will also be conducted at the congress venue, the Family Country Hotel and Convention Center beginning on September 2, 2010 and until the 3rd.. Watch out for it and check out the latest equipment and most modern trends in fishing, shipping, canning and processing tuna and other marine products.