Major Festivals in Bacolod celebrated Tanduay’s Rum Fest

“Fortunately for us, Tanduay really invested into this. It made the Rum Festival a reality and a big success, judging from its initial staging. It started with a big bang, and this big bang would resonate for sure in the years to come. For our other festivals, it was a case of holding the festival first, testing it, then later on legitimizing it through the legislative process,” Mayor Leonardia said. “This one (Rum Festival) was an ordinance before it became a festival. I consider myself an accidental politician. It all started when I got involved with the Masskara Festival. I was the one who drafted the constitution and by-laws of the Masskara Foundation. When I received invitations to run, I decided to join, run like it was another student council election. Even if you don’t have much money, if the people want you, you could become mayor. When you’re in tourism, you have to be people-oriented. You also go to a lot of places, your horizons get widened, your views become broader, and you get insights. You learn to think of the total development of the community and society. If you think about it and look back, we should be asking ourselves why we haven’t done this earlier. When you talk of rum, you talk about it being a derivative of sugar, and Bacolod is a city that has developed and prospered because of the sugar industry. It made us so rich, and it has also made us poor. It had its ups and downs. The Bacolodnons are the kind of people who are basically happy. We enjoy life. We know how to celebrate. We know how to spend our money. It’s a natural habitat for festivals, and this is the right place to hold the Rum Festival.” ~Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia , Bacolod City Mayor

Bacolod City, The City of Smiles is more than just a welcoming heartwarming smile but a lot more of celebrations. Headed by Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia now has six major festivals in its annual roster with the recent inclusion of the Rum Festival sponsored by Tanduay. This makes Bacolod the city with the most number of major festivals in the Philippines.

Hon. Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Bacolod City Mayor

In staging the first Rum Festival in the country, Mayor Leonardia it’s only fitting that it should be held in Bacolod. Mayor Leonardia likewise pointed out that Bacolod is a good place to hold festivals because of its people.

When he finally threw his hat into the political arena, he emerged as the number one councilor in his first try. He received a record number of votes, even more than those of the mayor or vice mayor during that time.

In the next election, he won again, this time as vice mayor. When he finally decided to run for mayor, he successfully toppled the ruling dynasty in his city. Heading the dynamic city of Bacolod, Mayor Leonardia cited his experience working in the Tour-ism Department as a factor in helping him deal with people and visitors.

Mayor Leonardia was president of the Student Council when he was studying Law at the University of Negros Occidental. he had specifically included a provision that said the chairman of the Masskara Foundation should not hold an elective position. Later on, Mayor Leonardia would come to the realization that the kind of involvement he had with the Masskara Festival was something that he was inclined to do.

Tanduay Rum Festival Court Painting

Held from Aug. 17 to 24, the week-long event is the first of its kind in the country. Known as the Tanduay Rum Festival, the event paid homage to the humble sugarcane as well as celebrated the Filipinos’ skill in the visual arts, culinary arts, mixology, dance, and music. For eight days, Bacolodnons participated in the Barrel Art Painting contest, basketball court painting, Culinaria and Mixology competitions, 5K Rum Run, float parade, street dance contest, and a concert headlined by iconic rock band Sandwich.

The Rum Festival was staged after an ordinance was passed declaring the third week of August as the date for holding the Rum Festival. In the ordinance, its author, former City Councilor Em Legaspi-Ang cited how Bacolod has been dubbed as the “Sugar Capital of the Philippines” and is the “home of the world’s largest selling rum.”

The Rum Festival joins Bacolod’s major festivals that include the Masskara Festival in October, the Bacolaodiat in January, Diwali in November, Chicken Inasal in May, and Halandumon in June.

Hosting festivals is not something new for Mayor Leonardia, who has been involved with the initial staging of the Masskara Festival—Bacolod’s most popular cultural celebration. He used to head the Masskara Foundation, and he has also worked for the Department of Tourism before running for public office after the EDSA Revolution.

Bacolod Trains the Spotlight on Rum-Making in Upcoming Festival

“We are proud to have our city associated with the sugarcane as this humble plant has produced many of the country’s world-class products. Negros is already known for being one of the sugar centers of the Philippines. Now, we also want to promote the city as the place where our proudly Philippine-made rum products are made.” ~Em Ang, Former Bacolod City Councilor

The upcoming Tanduay Rum Festival in Bacolod, a weeklong celebration that seeks to highlight the sugarcane industry and Filipino excellence in different fields - from culinary arts and mixology to visual arts, music, and dance. 

Just as wineries flourished in the Napa Valley, so did sugarcane plantations in Negros. And just as wine-making became a prominent industry in that region of California, so did rum-making in the city of Bacolod. Tanduay, which has been hailed as the world’s number one rum for the second straight year, celebrates the source of its world-class product the sugarcanes of the island. 

“The Tanduay Rum Festival is going to be a big celebration. We want people to join us as we raise a glass to rum-making and the Filipino talent and craftsmanship not just in Bacolod, but in the entire country.” ~Paul Lim, Tanduay Chief Marketing Officer

Prior to the week of the Rum Festival, Tanduay will hold a Barrel Art Painting Competition in Robinsons Place, Bacolod. The barrels will be on display during an exhibit at Robinsons. Join the Barrel Painting competition for the upcoming Rum Festival. Win amazing cash prizes and gifts, but most of all, take this chance to spend a fun time with fellow artists to celebrate creativity.

During the week-long event, an open kitchen and mixology contest will take place on Aug. 17 (Saturday) at the New Government Center (NGC) Grounds. It will also be the start of a weeklong food bazaar at the NGC. On Aug. 23, rapper Mike Swift will be bringing his team of artists to collaborate with local artists of Bacolod in painting a basketball court. 

On Aug. 24, the last day of the event, several activities will ensue. They include a street dance parade and contest, a 5k Rum Run, and a concert featuring artists from Bacolod and Raymond Marasigan’s Sandwich band. 

Sponsored by Tanduay, the Rum Festival will run from August 17 to 24. During the event, the organizers aim to highlight the importance of the sugarcane in its history as well as give a toast to the talent and skill of Filipinos.

For inquiries on how you can join the Tanduay Rum Festival activities and contests, send an email to events@eggshell.ph. You can also visit the Tanduay Rum Festival Facebook Page for updates.

Tanduay’s Double Rum Received Top Honors

“We are honored to receive these awards. They are testaments to our commitment to making world-class products and highlighting the craftsmanship of the Filipino. Tanduay Double Rum embodies the value of paying tribute to all the men and women behind Tanduay’s success—one that is distinctly Filipino. It is Filipino rum at its finest, one that is meticulously crafted and will surely satisfy the discerning taste of rum connoisseurs around the world.” ~Lucio “Bong” Tan, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tanduay Distillers, Inc.

Among thousands of spirits across the globe, Tanduay Double Rum was adjudged as one of the best by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America and the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC).

Tanduay Double Rum received the gold medal from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America and the silver medal in the SFWSC. Almost 3,000 spirits joined the latter’s competition this year, the largest in its 19-year history.

Filipino Rum at Its Finest

Tanduay has a full range of rums that are categorized according to their type (dark, gold, white), proof (alcohol strength), age, and character.

Tanduay Double Rum is a blend of 2 aged reserves—16-year-old rum and 5-year-old rum that is aged in the barrel for another 2 years. It is produced in small batches with a minimum run of only 5,000 bottles per production. It is a “sipping rum” that belongs to the cognac level of spirits.

Other Major Awards

Tanduay has likewise received top honors for its other spirits. Tanduay White Rum and Tanduay Dark Rhum also received the gold medal from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America. Its 

Tanduay Asian Rum Gold and Tanduay Boracay Cappuccino Flavored Rum, meanwhile, were awarded silver medals.

The SFWSC likewise honored Tanduay Asian Rum Gold, Tanduay Asian Rum Silver, Tanduay Boracay Cappuccino Flavored Rum, and Tanduay White Rum with silver medals. Both Tanduay Dark Rhum and Tanduay Boracay Coconut Flavored Rum received bronze medals.

Tanduay has a rich tradition of rum-making. As it marks its 165th year in the Philippines, it celebrates its tradition of quality and likewise works towards environmental sustainability to continue making products that Filipinos can be truly proud of.

Mr. Lucio K. Tan, Jr., President, COO of Tanduay Distillers Inc. Charts “Sustainable” Future of LT Group!

“Our thrust is to participate and develop clean and renewable energy projects for our sustainability...reduce our carbon footprint to underscore our commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change. I believe this is incumbent upon us as a responsible corporate entity, where we can invest in technologies that will unravel economic opportunities for the group and our employees. Kapitan (Lucio Tan Sr.) made a strategic move to take one step backward in the hope of moving forward, a strategy that teaches us how to realize our future by our sacrifices of today. Next year, Asian Alcohol will begin its biofuel production. Like Absolut Distillers, it will blaze new paths and return to its old glory. I cannot wait to find out how we will fare against the best of the best. Tanduay will grow its assets to compete and be even more relevant in the liquor industry. Macroasia is going full blast with our thrust to address the future of water…our Chairman (Lucio Tan Sr.) has already been building dams to compliment the farmers with their harvest up north. We are now investing more in this valuable liquid. I believe that the world opens up to those who know where they are going,” he said, adding that, “So, let us, as one company, stay focused, and get this dream going towards our goals.” ~Mr. Lucio K. Tan, Jr., President, and Chief Operating Officer, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Mr. Lucio K. Tan, Jr., President, and Chief Operating Officer, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Mr. Lucio K. Tan Jr. recalled the hardwork and dedication of his father Lucio C. Tan, who is the man behind the success of the companies under the LT Group, but stressed the need to “deliver the future of the Group.” 

Lucio K. Tan Jr. gave a glimpse of the sustainable future that the companies under the Lucio Tan (LT) Group will undertake and emphasized the need to develop clean and renewable energy projects during the company’s recent year-end gathering. 

In his customary year-end message, Tan Jr. encouraged his company executives to develop an ability to “go on offensive business mode” to adapt to a changing world advocating technologies that are environmentally-responsible and help ease the impacts of climate change. 

The younger Tan revealed the revival of Asian Alcohol Corp. next year. It can be recalled that the operation of the Bacolod-based facility was temporarily suspended eight years ago. 

Mr. Lucio K. Tan, Jr., President, and Chief Operating Officer, Tanduay Distillers Inc.

Located in a 10-hectare plant, Asian Alcohol Corp. was the second largest distillery in the Philippines. The plant houses alcohol aging and wastewater treatment facilities, which converts distillery waste into biogas energy for its power requirements. It used to have a daily rated capacity of 210, 000 liters of quality ethyl alcohol.

With this development, Tan Jr. said, Asian Alcohol Corp. is expected to be patterned after the success of Absolut Distillers Inc. in Batangas, which has made more than Php 880M from its bioethanol operations since 2015. 

On the other hand, he also revealed, Absolut Distillers has commissioned a six-effect evaporator as part of its continuous improvement and wastewater treatment upgrade. Next year, a pot still distillery will be added to its operation together with a small mill.

For Tanduay Distillers, according to him, this coming year, the company is expected to sell 20 million cases. Part of the growth plans is Tanduay’s more aggressive operations in pursuing the Luzon market and continued exploration of markets outside the country. 

He also divulged that one of the companies under the group, Macroasia, will be going into "full blast" next year.