Rum's Negros plantation reopens to visitors, launches contest for free tours
MANILA, Philippines — October, in Negros’ calendar, is supposed to be the month for Bacolod’s world-famous MassKara Festival, which was canceled this year due to the pandemic.
Now that the local government has eased travel restrictions, for those making their travel bucket list, Negros, the country’s fourth biggest island, invites visitors to savor its sights and flavors.
“Negros Island is an island worth discovering, escaping to,” attested Monica Llamas-Garcia, Don Papa Rum Head of Brand and Communications.
As such, Filipino liquor brand Don Papa Rum recently launched its online contest that will allow three winners to enjoy a five-day trip for two to Negros Occidental worth P80,000 once travel restrictions lift around June to December of 2021.
“Diving into local food culture and immersing oneself in the flora and fauna, we felt would be a great way to reenergize once this pandemic ends,” Llamas-Garcia explained on why they decided to hold the contest.
To join, contenders are invited to post a creative photo on their Instagram feed with a bottle of the rum and the label’s 10-year line and include the hashtags #ExperienceSugarlandia and #DonPapaRum. The posts that best capture the Sugarlandia feel will win the Experience Sugarlandia package which will be chosen and announced on November 15 and December 21, 2020 and January 8, 2021 respectively.
The winners will be treated to a guided tour of the Hawaiian Mill, ride a train through the sugarcane fields, visit ancestral homes like Hacienda Rosalia, and relax at Punta Bulata and Danjugan Island, to name a few. Along the way, they also get to indulge in delicious dishes that the island has to offer, of course with a glass of rum on the side.
A product of Bleeding Heart Rum Company, the premium rum is made from one of the oldest strains of sugarcane which grows in the rich volcanic soil surrounding majestic Mount Kanlaon, the Philippine’s third most active volcano.
Sugarlandia, the rum’s plantation, has also reopened to tourists following safety protocols.
“Sugarlandia is a real place, but in (our world), it’s also a place of magic and mystery. We want them to experience the real place, the real people of Negros, as well as (our rum’s) version. So when the winners come here to Negros, they’ll also be treated to that otherworldly experience—taste the best food, experience white sand beaches, and get to see a 100-year old train used in the sugar industry here,” Ben Scharlin, the brand’s host of the virtual press event explained.
