Naga City to Celebrate Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day

Naga City's history during the Spanish era is but a very significant part in Philippine history. Naga City was established in 1575 on order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande, the city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Caceres earned its status as the third Spanish royal city, after Cebu and Manila.

Last February 20 of this year, Genaro Carlo B. Buenaflor, a young Naga businessman and GM Bicol's largest food chain, was installed as Spain's first honorary consul in the Bicol region. A Spanish consulate office was also established in Legazpi City to respond to the needs of Spanish communities and tourists in the region.The said office is the fifth in the country after Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Zamboanga. Bicol and Spain's friendship will continue to flourish now that Bicol has it's very own honorary consul.

From June 30 to July 6, various activities are lined up to celebrate the 400 years of cultural diversity and exchange between Spain and the Philippines. The events are brought to us by the Honorary Consulate of Spain for Bicol, the City Government of Naga, the Nueva Caceres Heritage Movement, Inc., Universidad de Sta. Isabel, and Ateneo de Naga University. 

Events are the following: Special free screenings of Spanish Films at Emily Theatre and Ateneo de Naga University, Spanish Food Fest at participating restaurants, Historical Lectures by Historian Danilo Gerona and Dr. Felipe de Leon Jr., Chariman of NCCA to be held at the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary (also houses the Museo del Seminario Conciliar de Nueva Caceres), and a Historical Exhibit at Universidad de Sta. Isabel Colonnade from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and  last the Recuerdas, a free cultural concert featuring BAYANIHAN, the National Folkdance Company of the Philippines at the USI Auditorium.

Drop by at the Emily Theatre from 1:00 to 8:00 pm on Saturday, June 28 for the free screening of the three Spanish movies. Complimentary tickets will be given before Saturday and at the theatre. Admission to the Recuerdas is also free. There will be 800 tickets that will be distributed to public and private schools, colleges and universities.

For more details you can call the Naga City Arts, Culture and Tourism office at 4734432.

Artworks by Pen Pestrado

Source: Bigg's Diner FB

This is a special screening of films in the Spanish language. Lectures on cinema and culture will be delivered after each screening.

Faith, passion and superstition mixed together in this Costa Rican drama film adaptation of the novel by Gabriel García Márquez.

 All descriptions are lifted from Pen Pestrado's FB Profile

The genius of Luis Buñuel is in his ability to both offend and delight at the same time. That's according to Derek Malcolm, film critic of The Guardian. 

Viridiana was made in Sapin in 1960 after the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco had told his minister of culture to invite the country's leading filmmaker back from exile in Mexico to make films. Buñuel did the film but as soon as he completed it; he left secretly, leaving some materials to be automatically burned by the authorities.

The film was automatically banned in Spain. But the good news was it won at the Palme D'Or at Cannes despite protests.

El Laberinto del Fauno is a Mexican-Spanish dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro in 2006. Set in Spain years after the Spanish Civil War, the film's narrative traverse both this real world and the mythical world of an overgrown labyrinth.