When the city revealed the official logo of MassKara Festival 2025, Bacolod saw more than a symbol—it witnessed the unveiling of its own heartbeat. Mass-Kasingkasing pulses with warmth, joy, and resilience, embodying the lifeblood of a city known as the “City of Smiles.”
At the center of this cultural milestone stands Paula Romaine S. Ongsuco (Salmingo), a proud alumna of La Consolacion College Bacolod’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising Arts program. Illustrator, textile designer, and graphic artist, Romaine has long embraced the art of storytelling through color, pattern, and symbol. Now, she gifts Bacolod with a design that is as personal as it is universal—a logo that doesn’t just represent a festival but speaks of life, memory, and belonging.
Roots of Creativity
Romaine traces her artistic voice back to her years at LCC Bacolod’s ARFIEN Department. There, she juggled scholarship, leadership, and artistry, serving as Governor and President of the Artist Forum. Her thesis taught her discipline and patience, while her leadership roles gave her courage to step beyond her comfort zone. “Those moments didn’t just strengthen my skills,” she recalls, “they helped me discover my voice as an artist—one who creates with purpose and hopes to resonate with people through every piece”
Designing the Heartbeat
In creating Mass-Kasingkasing, Romaine turned to memories stitched into her life as a Bacolodnon: sugarcane trucks rumbling down the road, the Plaza and Cathedral, the sound of music, the taste of food shared in community. She distilled these into three elements—Kabuhì (life), Manamit (sweetness), and Hinumdum (memories)—which converge in the design.
The color orange pulses with resilience and hope. The heart shape represents kasingkasing—love at the city’s core—while smiling masks capture the enduring optimism of the MassKara spirit
The result is more than a graphic; it is, as Romaine describes, “the city’s living signature—a smile that endures, a heart that beats with pride.”
A Journey Across Mediums
Romaine’s path to this moment has been anything but linear. She cut her teeth as a brand coordinator and graphic artist, learning how design communicates identity. She later built her own event styling business, crafting everything from stages to party favors. Festival branding gave her a taste of how a single design can capture the spirit of an entire celebration.
Her pivot to textile and surface design expanded her reach globally, bringing her work into wardrobes, prints, and patterns. Each stage left its mark on Mass-Kasingkasing: clarity from branding, atmosphere from event styling, and flow from textile design. “In the end,” she says, “the logo became a reflection of everything I’ve learned—a design that’s festive and striking, but also layered with meaning and heart”.
Giving Back Through Art
For Romaine, the MassKara logo is more than a commission; it is a personal homecoming. “This isn’t just a logo—it’s the heartbeat of the city I grew up in,” she reflects. Each detail carries the sweetness and life of Bacolod, transforming her art into a cultural symbol. To see it embraced as part of the city’s identity, she says, is “the highest purpose of being an artist”.
A Living Invitation
So what does Romaine hope people will see in Mass-Kasingkasing? For Bacolodnons, she hopes it reflects their pride, resilience, and hope. For visitors, she wants it to serve as an invitation: to taste Bacolod’s sweetness, feel its warmth, and take home memories that last long after the festival lights fade.
A Smile, A Heartbeat, A Culture
As the city prepares to celebrate MassKara 2025, Mass-Kasingkasing will serve as its face to the world. But more than that, it will be its pulse—a reminder that at the heart of Bacolod is not just a smile, but a people whose culture beats with endless hope.
And behind that symbol is a daughter of Bacolod, whose artistry has now become part of the city’s story.