BACOLOD CITY – From an international research conference to entrepreneurship awards to being included in a Manila film festival, some residents of the city are flying high as this city celebrates its 40th year of becoming an urban center.

The biggest win in the global circuit came via a university dean, Rowena Bañes who won the prestigious award for best paper in the Innovative Trends in Multidisciplinary Academic Research (ITMAR 2019) Conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

In Manila, another Bacoleño, Rolandrie Viktor “Commie” Espina-Varona, son of veteran journalist and international awardee for journalism Ma. Salvacion or “Inday,” and grandson of the late Rolando Espina, also a veteran journalist, was chosen as Best Entrepreneur in the Small Business Category of the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in the Philippines.
In filmmaking, Fredu Bayon-on, a Communication student of the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod was one of those qualified as a finalist in the Metro Manila Film Festival 2019. Bayon-on directed the short film “Tabako.”

He was joined by other Bacoleños, Rodney Jarder Jr. and Talisay resident Alessandra Diaz as production crew members.