HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
 

Had the chance to join Issa (Litton) as she flew to Bacolod to host the grand opening of the Landers Superstore at Megaworld’s The Upper East township. It was literally an eye-opener for me, to witness the urban growth and dynamic development within the city limits of this illustrious provincial capital.
For Global Alliance/Megaworld, Kevin Tan explained that The Upper East is a 34-hectare township inspired by the Upper East side of Manhattan, and that it’s just one of the major township projects that’s part of the ongoing urban renewal that is Bacolod. Northill Gateway is the other Megaworld Bacolod township. 

At the Landers Bacolod opening at the Upper East Megaworld township, (from left) Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez, Sarah and Matteo Guidicelli, Ruffa Gutierrez, Alliance Global CEO Kevin Tan, and Landers Chairman Lowell Yu. 

Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez is spearheading this Bacolod revival. In fact, some would insist they never went away, and we’ve just ignored the city. But the truth is that along with Iloilo, the Western Visayas region has opened up in a big way; and developers have responded, sensing the potential and opportunity. An offshoot of this is the media attention; and in the case of these two fair cities, it’s good to discover that the attention is well-deserved. 
Talking to Lowell Yu of Landers, he was happy to report that with Bacolod, they’ve now experienced the highest number ever of pre-opening sign-ups for membership - 43,000 and counting. The highest before that was around 32,000. This 11th Landers Superstore is setting new benchmarks, and a big reason for this is that it’s situated in a revived Bacolod, the first membership superstore to open in the city. 

The Landers Bacolod sits on a 2.5-hectare area, and is the biggest Landers in terms of retail floor area. Two Megaworld residential condominiums will rise across the street, and it will be connected via a bridge-way to the Upper East Side Mall. The contract between Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and Landers was just signed in September of 2022; so you can see what kind of investor confidence exists for this Bacolod market, and how excited Mayor Benitez is, over the continuing results of his efforts to turn the spotlight on his city.

Bizarre bazaar behavior; AKA the resurgence of the titas
It’s August, and beyond tripping over your tongue while quickly and repeatedly reciting the title of this column section today, August in Metro Manila means it’s bazaar season! And for those who have been living under a rock for more than a decade; be informed that pre-pandemic, the annual bazaar season heralded, among other things, the resurgence of the titas of Manila. Yup, bazaars were the breeding ground of this ‘social species’, well-versed in the inhalator beso-beso, and ready to turn the bazaars, at the wave of a Monchet ‘paypay’, into mini-grand reunions. 

My Cebu MaArte contingent: Jewel Yeung-Mugglestone and Philip Mugglestone, with Neil Felipp San Pedro in the center.

This 2023, it all began with MaArte at the Peninsula on Aug. 4 to 6, and we have Katutubo X Bench at Bench Tower BGC this weekend, and ArteFino at Fifth at Rockwell on Aug. 24 to 27. It’s about championing “lokal” artisanal wares and helping the communities producing these items to survive. What’s now happened, is it’s expanded to entrepreneurs and start-ups that promote the circular economy and sustainability by adding design elements, scaling up the output of these communities, and bringing to market with savvy marketing and distribution skills. 

Filipiniana made contemporary, a preview of what we’ll see later this week at ArteFino, Aug. 24 to 27. 
 

At MaArte, for example, this was well represented by my friends from Cebu: Shepard life goods are a range of personal care products, promoted as safe for you and the planet, created by Jewel Yeung-Mugglestone and her husband, Philip. Then, there’s Neil Felipp, “notorious” for his fashionable and conversation-piece minaudieres, bags, and accessories. And yes, it’s likely we’ll see them as well in the bazaars to come.

What’s nice to note, is that while there is some vendor overlap, the bazaars each have distinct “personalities.” Cedie Lopez-Vargas of ArteFino was proud to say that a younger set of socially-conscious shoppers have been part of the ArteFino market over the last couple of years - and the Titas are just one very welcome aspect of their “regulars.” 

That’s all well and good - and what’s important to remember is how proud we can be of the well-curated items we find at these bazaars, of how they represent Filipino craftsmanship, imagination, and ingenuity. And these extended, grand pop-up’s all deserve our support.