Day 2: Being an Ambassador

New City Hall

After a leisurely start to the day, we were taken to the new Bacolod City Hall where I was asked to give brief remarks to the Vice Mayor and City Council members in the council chamber. The proceedings started out with prayer followed up by the singing of the city's anthem. It was quite lively - the staffers all came in to sing the song and there was even a guitar player! I don't know if this would happen at home. It was an honor to be able to speak with the council and represent my company, my team and the team that brought us here.

In the evening our client, BNeFIT hosted a dinner for the entire team. There were representatives from the city and provincial government, the universities, and real estate developers as well as two reporters from local papers who were covering our story. The food was delicious - including Crispy Pata (roast pork with crispy skin), Bangus (milk fish belly), and of course the dish that this city is known for, Chicken Inasal. There is no way I'm not going to gain weight here at this rate. I only hope I can learn some recipes along the way!

Bangus Belly

After dinner, each person got the chance to introduce themselves and how they are involved with either IBM or BNeFIT. We were also taught several illongo phrases during the event - of course I focused on the names of the food!

Dinner with BNeFIT