Negros Occidental
Encyclopedia
Negros Occidental is a province
of the Philippines
located in the Western Visayas
region
. Its capital is Bacolod City
and it occupies the northwestern half of Negros Island; Negros Oriental
is at the southeastern half. Across the Panay Gulf
and the Guimaras Strait to the northwest is the island-province of Guimaras
and the province of Iloilo
on Panay
island. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's sugar output.
and Ilog
which later became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were Hinigaran, Negros Occidental
, Bago
, Marayo
(now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan) and Candaguit (a sitio in San Enrique
).
Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later transferred to Himamaylan. Bacolod
became the capital in 1849.
The island was divided into Negros Oriental
and Negros Occidental in 1890.
On November 5, 1898, a rebellion led by Juan Araneta
and Aniceto Lacson
began which ended with the defeat of the Spaniards. Following their victory, the revolutionaries formed a Republic of Negros
which later included Negros Oriental
.
During the succeeding decades between 1901 to the 1930s, Negros Occidental was under American
occupation as with the rest of the country. Nonetheless, the economic growth continued especially with Philippine sugar having a part of the US market despite some accompanying socio-economic problems during this period. When the Japan
ese landed in the province on May 21, 1942, civilian and military leaders in Negros Occidental refused to surrender and instead organized a free government and guerrilla movement under Gov. Alfredo Montelibano Sr
. in Negros Island. They helped bring about the surrender of the Japanese forces in Negros in 1945, continued the liberation in Negros Occidental by joint Filipino and American troops together with Negrosanon guerrillas who fought the Japan
ese forces until the end of World War II
.
The history of the province for the post-World War II period has yet to be formally written. Suffice it to briefly note here that this was mainly a period of rehabilitation from destruction of the war. With the sugar industry, the major pillar of the province's economy, as well as other areas being revived, consequent socio-economic growth in the province followed.
The socio-economic life of Negros Occidental from the 1950s up to the 1980s depended as before mainly on the sugar industry. Producing annually about 60% of the country's sugar output, an expansion in the industry with the establishment of several new mills in the late 1960s spurred increased production. A downturn caused by the low world sugar prices in the mid-1970s was followed by possibly the worst sugar prices hitting rock bottom in 1985. The province was also hit by two destructive typhoons in 1984, Nitang and Undang, after a serious drought in 1983.
Negros del Norte was created from Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986. Its creation was declared unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and was abolished on August 18, 1986.
Towards the end of 1987, the rays of hope started to shine when the over-all economic situation showed a positive upturn. The campaign for agricultural diversification had been gaining momentum, paving the way for more landowners to invest in prawn farming and high-value crops such as fruits, vegetables, livestock and other cash crops.
Investments upswing became apparent by 1988. The participation of the industrial sector accelerated the consumer-led economic growth and development manifested by the increase in sales of consumer goods and by-products.
Today Negros Occidental remains one of the most progressive and largely developed Philippine province, in large due to the profits from the sugar industry but also due to diversification to other fields.
in the north, Panay Gulf
on the west, Tanon Strait
and Negros Oriental
province on the east and Sulu Sea
on the south. Negros is basically volcanic, making its soil ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent of all arable land is cultivated.
The north and western parts of the province are largely composed of plains and gentle slopes. A mountain range lines the eastern part of the province, forming the basis of the border with Negros Oriental. Mount Kanlaon, which is partially located in Negros Oriental
, rises to a height of 2465 m (7987 ft) and is the highest peak in the Visayas
.
heritage. Residents of Negros are called "Negrense". Negros Occidental is predominantly a Hiligaynon
-speaking province, because of ties with Iloilo
. However, the cities and towns facing the Tañon Strait
are Cebuano-speaking
due to their proximity to the island-province of Cebu. Tagalog
/Filipino
and English
are widely spoken on both sides of the island.
Negros Occidental is the second-largest province in terms of population after Cebu, with the second largest number of congressional districts.
industry made sure that the Negrense principalia
enjoyed the very best.
Silay City
to the north of the capital Bacolod City
, nicknamed the "Paris of Negros", is the cultural and artistic center of Western Visayas
. It has 30 heritage houses declared by the national historical institute, most notable of which is Balay Negrense
; it is also the hometown of National Artist of the Philippines
for Architecture Leandro Locsin
and international mezzo-soprano Conchita Gaston.
This blossoming in art was due to the economical importance of the area during the Spanish era, Negros became probably the most hispanized area and pro-Spanish area, due to the enormous investments of Spain in the sugar business.
Another famous treasure of Negrense art heritage is to be found in Victorias City
, within the confines of the Victorias Milling Company in its chapel is the world famous mural of the Angry Christ, painted by artist Alfonso Ossorio, a scion of the Ossorio family who owned the mill.
The Negrenses' joie de vivre is manifested in the various festivals all over the province, foremost among which are famous MassKara Festival
of Bacolod, Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota, Bailes de Luces of La Castellana and Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos. These and other local festivals are featured during the Pana-ad sa Negros Festival staged every April at the 25-hectare tree-lined Panaad Stadium
in Bacolod City
. Dubbed as the "Festival of Festivals", Pana-ad brings together the 13 cities and 19 towns in a showcase of history, arts and culture, tourism, trade, commerce and industry, beauty and talent as well as games and sports.
Negros Occidental is rich in structures and buildings that are remnants of a once affluent lifestyle. The Palacio Episcopal (1930), San Sebastian Cathedral (1876), and the Capitol Building (1931) are popular landmarks. In most towns, steam locomotives that used to cart sugarcane from the fields to refineries attract steam-engine enthusiasts from all over the world. There are also impressive churches all over the province, both built recently and during the Spanish era.
and their subsidiaries. For television and radio, the major providers are giant network ABS-CBN
, GMA
, TV5
and RPN. Cable TV provides access to CNN
, BBC
, ESPN
and other international programs. National and international newspapers are available on the same day of issue in Manila
.
Bacolod City
is noted for being the home of the Negros Summer Workshops, founded by multi-award-winning film-maker and Negrense Peque Gallaga
. Founded in 1991, Workshops has long been training students from different parts of the country who wish to learn courses in film-making, acting, writing, and more. Some of its alumni include actors in mainstream Philippine show business.
Negros Occidental has also been used as a setting and location shoot for various films and television shows, most notable of which is the 1981 epic Oro, Plata, Mata
. Recent films that were set and filmed in Negros are Ligaw Liham (2007) and Namets!
(2008).
from 1905 to 1915.
The Panaad Stadium
in Bacolod City
has been a venue for national and international athletic events; such as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games men's football and the 2006 ASEAN football qualifiers. On February 9, 2011, the stadium hosted a match between the Philippines national football team
and Mongolia
in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
with an attendance of 20,000 people.
Bacolod City
has been christened as the Philippine "football city" for its patronage of the sport in the country. A few members of the Philippine football team are from Negros; most notable is goalkeeper Eduard Sacapaño, a native of Bago City
.
Negros Occidental has its own football association: Negros Occidental F.A. It works under the Philippine Football Federation
as provincial football association for the Negros Occidental area. The Negros Occidental FA sends a team to represent the region in the yearly PFF National Men's Open Championship and PFF National Women's Open Championship.
. The likes of World Flyweight boxing champion 1923, Francisco Guilledo
a.k.a Pancho Villa, current WBO minimum weight champion Donnie Nietes
, 1970's WBA
world junior lightweigh champion Ben Villaflor
, to cite a few have all come from this province.
It is also notable for producing Olympiads, Silver Medalist Mansueto Velasco
in the 1996 Summer Olympics
, his brother Roel Velasco
who in turn won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
both for boxing of course.
Champions for 2003.
Inter-club Golf Tournament and the 2008 Philippine Amateur Golf Championship.
National Championship and the 2007 20th PKF National Open. Both tournaments were held at the La Salle Coliseum
of USLS. The tournaments were participated by hundreds of karatekas all over the country.
. The city is also a regular venue for the Philippine Basketball Association
out-of-town games. Another major sports team in the past is the Negros Slashers
arguably the most successful team of the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association
, the Southeast Asian Games
and international billiard 9-ball championships.
, Beginning with a small gymnasium in Bacolod
in the 1950s, he attempted to spread the art to the local youth as both a cultural legacy and a form of physical development or sport. He also taught the art at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
and Guimaras
Strait. Among the larger mills are San Carlos, La Carlota, Bago,
Binalbagan, Kabankalan, Sagay, Silay City, Murcia, Victorias. Victorias Mill in Victorias City
is the largest sugar mill in the country, and the world's largest integrated sugar mill and refinery. Sugar is transported from plantations to refineries by large trucks that use the national highway.
Because of the priority given to sugar plantations, much of the province's food has to be imported from neighboring islands.
A fishing industry is found in Cadiz City
, and other fishponds dot the province. One of the country's largest copper mines is located in Sipalay City
. There also exists a cottage industry which produced handicrafts made from indigenous materials.
Bacolod City
is the center of commerce and finance in Negros Occidental. It has oil companies, factories, bottling plants, allied industrial businesses, steel fabrication, power generation, agri-businesses, prawn culture and other aqua-culture ventures.
It is also the Business Process Outsourcing
(BPO) hub of the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines
. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys
, Teleperformance
, TeleTech
, Focus International and Transcom Asia.
, Negros Occidental is only 50 minutes from Manila
and 30 minutes from Cebu by air. By sea, it is an 18-hour cruise from Manila and an hour by fast ferries from Iloilo
. It is also accessible by sea and land trip from Cebu via Escalante City, San Carlos City and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. Travel from Bacolod
to Dumaguete is only 5 to 6 hours by land. Seven airline companies, including Philippine Airlines
, Cebu Pacific
and Air Philippines
, serve the province. Four inter-island shipping lines call on nine seaports of Negros Occidental
On January 18, 2008, the new domestic airport was inaugurated in Silay City
16 kilommeters north of Bacolod
. The new airport replaces the 60-yr-old Bacolod
domestic airport. The new Bacolod-Silay Airport runway is of international standards and was constructed to facilitate future landings of international Flights to serve the growing number of tourists visiting Negros Occidental each year.
, The airport would be the second airport in Negros Occidental, after the New Bacolod-Silay Airport, and the third airport on the island of Negros. It is located four kilometers northeast of Kabankalan City proper on a 100-hectare site in Barangay Hilamonan.
. Within the province, travel is also easy, comfortable and even enjoyable by air-conditioned and non-aircon buses or metered taxis. Car rental services are also available. However, the jeepney is still the most common means of transport among the towns and cities. For accommodations, visitors may choose from a wide range of about 67 hotels, pension and lodging houses and tourist inns. The better known hotels are L’ Fisher, Bacolod Convention Plaza, Pagcor Hotel, and Business Inn, Sugarland Hotel, all in Bacolod City
.
and Palinpinon, and from bagasse co-generation facility of First Farmers Sugar Mill. Ample water supply for household, commercial, industrial and agricultural uses is assured by 73 thousand hectares of proclaimed and protected major watersheds, regular rainfall and six major river systems.
and other areas, including international roaming. The medical and health care needs of the people of Negros Occidental and its guests are presently being met by 20 government hospitals and 10 private hospitals, as well as several city and municipal health centers, barangay health stations and day-care centers. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel serving these facilities are not only competent but also very caring towards their patients.
It has adequate information and communication facilities with excellent connection capabilities necessary for, among others, call center operations for business communication and transmission of data. The province is also blessed with abundant water supply and dependable power supply for almost any type of business endeavor. Modern health care facilities with competent medical s are available, as well as excellent schools to care for the needs of the investor and his family.
is a multi-purpose stadium
in the province. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and was used for the 2005 South East Asian Games. It was the venue of the pre-qualifiers of the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship
or ASEAN Cup, in which the Philippines
, Cambodia
, Timor Leste, Brunei
and Laos
participated. The stadium has a seating capacity
of 15,500, but holds around 20,000 people with standing areas. It is unofficially designated as the home stadium of the Philippines national football team. Aside from the football field, it also has a rubberized track oval, an Olympic-size swimming pool and other sports facilities.
The stadium is also the home of Panaad Festival, a week-long celebration participated in by all cities and municipalities in the province held annually every summer. The festival is highlighted by merry-making and field demonstrations at the stadium. The stadium itself features replicas of the landmarks of the 13 cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental.
is a provincial park located right in the heart of Bacolod City
, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines
. One of the landmarks of the park is the carabao
(water buffalo
) being pulled by a woman
. This carabao is located at the northern end of the lagoon. On the other end, there is also another carabao sculpture but the figure is being pulled by a man
.
There are several other attractions in the park. These include activities of the locals -jogging
, aerobics
, school dance rehearsals, promenaders, arnis
adors, martial arts
practitioners and even the relaxing and therapeutic quiet of feeding the tilapia
s of the lagoon. It is well-secured and well-lighted; it is very safe to walk /stroll, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The plaza was constructed in 1927 as a place for recreation, political, spiritual and cultural activities. It is quite a popular site for outdoor picnics and concerts. The gazebo is often used to house a bandstand and inscribed along the sides of the roof are the names of Western classical music composers Beethoven, Wagner, Haydn, and Mozart.
and Prudencia Fernandez. The elder Gaston is credited as one of the pioneers of sugarcane cultivation in this portion of the Philippine archipelago. A native of Normandy in France
, he married a Filipina from Batangas
where he initially began experimenting with sugar production before relocating to Negros.
Built in 1897,[2] the structure housed Victor Gaston and his twelve children from 1901 until his death in 1927. Left unused by the family, the structure was abandoned in the mid-1970s and fell into disrepair until a group of concerned Negrenses formed what would later become the Negros Cultural Foundation and managed to acquire the house from the heirs of Gaston through a donation. With donations from prominent individuals and later the Department of Tourism, the structure was repaired and furnished with period furniture and fixtures. The museum was officially inaugurated on October 6, 1990.
During World War II, Don Generoso Villanueva's house on the same street (Burgos Street) was the most prominent structure with a view over the whole city. The commanding Japanese general was disguised as a family gardener. As the war broke, the Japanese seized the Villanueva family house in order to use it as a watchtower and as a headquarters.
The San Diego Pro-cathedral, formerly known as the San Diego Parish Church or the St. Didacus Parish Church before its declaration as a pro-cathedral
in 1994, is an early 20th century church in Silay City
, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. It is the only pro-cathedral outside of the national capital of Manila, and is unique in Negros Occidental for being the only church in the province featuring a cupola or dome.
to prevent the japanese from using it. It is was opened to the public by descendants of the original owner and is listed as among the World's 12 most fascinating ruins .http://www.oddee.com/item_96671.aspx
There are 1,318 schools in the province, 53 registered technical schools including the Technological University of the Philippines
-Visayas and Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
in Talisay City. Of these, 158 are private schools, including University of Saint La Salle, West Negros University
and University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
(UNO-R).
However, the volatility of the sugar industry forced the province to shift, albeit slowly, to other high-value crops and alternative industries. The diversification has proven to be successful. Production of rice, the basic commodity for food security, has been increasing. By 2003, annual output of 437 thousand metric tons of palay was 33% better than two years ago. This allowed the province to significantly raise its sufficiency level from 65% to more than 84%. The improvement could be attributed to the introduction and promotion of hybrid rice, which increased rice yields to 3.8 metric tons per hectare. Because of the success of the program, area planted to hybrid rice has increased nearly fivefold. The highest hybrid yield was recorded at 10.3 tons per hectare.
Corn
also registered increasing gains. Production for 2003 of 42 thousand metric tons outperformed 2001 output by 18%. Average yield per hectare has also grown by 18%. Other fruit and vegetable crops, except for banana and cassava, likewise improved their harvest. Harvested coconut was placed at 139 million nuts, while production of banana; fruit and vegetable crops totaled 110 million kilograms. Livestock and poultry are industries where Negros Occidental has strongly diversified.
With the province successfully quarantined from the dreaded foot and mouth disease and the Bird Flu, and with other endemic diseases under control, total production of livestock and poultry in 2003 of 49 thousand metric tons exceeded estimated local demand by 18%. Fishing is likewise an industry where the province has remained focused. After all, 9 of its cities and 16 of its municipalities are located along the coast and a great portion of the population depends on fishing for their livelihood.
The area for exploitation by this industry is huge, covering most of the coastal areas and the rich fishing grounds of the Visayan Sea on the north, Sulu Sea
on the south, Tañon Strait on the east, Guimaras
Strait and Panay
Gulf at the southern portion of the province. These rich coastal areas and fishing grounds continue to be generous to the people of Negros Occidental. In 2003, products from deep-sea fishing, municipal marine and inland waters, and aquaculture reached 87 thousand metric tons, 30% better than 2001 production.
The province is rich in mineral deposits. Minerals that abound in the province are primary copper with estimated reserve of 591 million metric tons and gold ore with estimated reserve of 25 million tons. Silver and molybdenum deposits are also abundant, as well as non-metallic minerals suitable for agricultural and industrial uses. Notwithstanding its great potential, the mining industry in Negros Occidental has remained virtually dormant since the biggest copper mine in Sipalay suspended its operation.
. It has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines, . Although Bacolod City
serves as the capital, it is governed independently from the province as a highly-urbanized city.
There are several charitable organizations who work with the Negros Occidental communities to help them alleviate the problem of child poverty, including Kalipay Negrense Foundation. These organizations help to provide food and shelter, as well as access to education and medical care. They also aim to aid in the physical, mental and emotional development of Negros' impoverished children.
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
located in the Western Visayas
Western Visayas
Western Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces; Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo and 16 cities making it the region with the highest number of cities. Iloilo City is the regional center...
region
Regions of the Philippines
In the Philippines, regions are administrative divisions that serve primarily to organize the provinces of the country for administrative convenience. Currently, the archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into 17 regions...
. Its capital is Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
and it occupies the northwestern half of Negros Island; Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
is at the southeastern half. Across the Panay Gulf
Panay Gulf
Panay Gulf is an extension of the Sulu Sea, reaching between the islands of Panay and Negros in the Philippines. The gulf contains the island-province of Guimaras and extends into the Santa Anna Bay between Panay and Guimaras and into Guimaras Strait, between Guimaras and Negros...
and the Guimaras Strait to the northwest is the island-province of Guimaras
Guimaras
Guimaras is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Among the smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The island is located in the Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros...
and the province of Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
on Panay
Panay Island
Panay is an island in the Philippines located in the western part of the Visayas. Politically, it is divided into five provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo, all in the Western Visayas Region. It is located southeast of the island of Mindoro and northwest of Negros, separated by the...
island. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's sugar output.
History
Negros Island was originally known to the natives as "Buglas". When the Spaniards arrived in April 1565, they named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found. Two of the earliest native settlements were BinalbaganBinalbagan, Negros Occidental
Binalbagan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 58,280 people in 11,092 households....
and Ilog
Ilog, Negros Occidental
Ilog is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines.Founded by the Augustinian fathers in May 1584. It was the first capital of Negros Occidental and Siquijor Provinces in the late 19th century...
which later became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were Hinigaran, Negros Occidental
Hinigaran, Negros Occidental
Hinigaran is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 74,997 people in 14,342 households.-History:...
, Bago
Bago City
Bago City is a second class city in the province of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 159,933 people. The city is located 21 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Bacolod City....
, Marayo
Pontevedra, Negros Occidental
Pontevedra is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 42,089 people in 8,554 households.-History:...
(now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan) and Candaguit (a sitio in San Enrique
San Enrique, Negros Occidental
San Enrique is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 22,091 people in 4,419 households.-Barangays:San Enrique is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.* Bagonawa...
).
Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later transferred to Himamaylan. Bacolod
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
became the capital in 1849.
The island was divided into Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
and Negros Occidental in 1890.
On November 5, 1898, a rebellion led by Juan Araneta
Juan Araneta
Juan Anacleto Araneta , was a pioneer sugar farmer and revolutionary leader during the Negros Revolution.-Early life:Juan was born to Romualdo Araneta and Agüeda Torres in Molo, Iloilo, Philippines...
and Aniceto Lacson
Aniceto Lacson
Aniceto Lacson y Ledesma was a sugar farmer, revolutionary general and businessman in the Philippines. He was the fifth son of seven children of Lucio Lacson y Petronila and Clara Ledesma of Iloilo, Philippines who migrated to Negros when Aniceto was still young...
began which ended with the defeat of the Spaniards. Following their victory, the revolutionaries formed a Republic of Negros
Republic of Negros
The Republic of Negros was a short-lived revolutionary republic, and later, administrative division, which existed while the Philippines was under Spanish and American sovereignty. It took its name from Negros Island.-History:...
which later included Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
.
During the succeeding decades between 1901 to the 1930s, Negros Occidental was under American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
occupation as with the rest of the country. Nonetheless, the economic growth continued especially with Philippine sugar having a part of the US market despite some accompanying socio-economic problems during this period. When the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese landed in the province on May 21, 1942, civilian and military leaders in Negros Occidental refused to surrender and instead organized a free government and guerrilla movement under Gov. Alfredo Montelibano Sr
Alfredo Montelibano Sr
Alfredo Montelíbano, Sr. was a Filipino politician and industrialist. He served as the first mayor of Bacolod City in 1938, as military governor of Negros Occidental from 1942 to 1945, and as Secretary of National Defense and Interior under President Sergio Osmeña from 1945 to 1946.He was an...
. in Negros Island. They helped bring about the surrender of the Japanese forces in Negros in 1945, continued the liberation in Negros Occidental by joint Filipino and American troops together with Negrosanon guerrillas who fought the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese forces until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The history of the province for the post-World War II period has yet to be formally written. Suffice it to briefly note here that this was mainly a period of rehabilitation from destruction of the war. With the sugar industry, the major pillar of the province's economy, as well as other areas being revived, consequent socio-economic growth in the province followed.
The socio-economic life of Negros Occidental from the 1950s up to the 1980s depended as before mainly on the sugar industry. Producing annually about 60% of the country's sugar output, an expansion in the industry with the establishment of several new mills in the late 1960s spurred increased production. A downturn caused by the low world sugar prices in the mid-1970s was followed by possibly the worst sugar prices hitting rock bottom in 1985. The province was also hit by two destructive typhoons in 1984, Nitang and Undang, after a serious drought in 1983.
Negros del Norte was created from Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986. Its creation was declared unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and was abolished on August 18, 1986.
Towards the end of 1987, the rays of hope started to shine when the over-all economic situation showed a positive upturn. The campaign for agricultural diversification had been gaining momentum, paving the way for more landowners to invest in prawn farming and high-value crops such as fruits, vegetables, livestock and other cash crops.
Investments upswing became apparent by 1988. The participation of the industrial sector accelerated the consumer-led economic growth and development manifested by the increase in sales of consumer goods and by-products.
Today Negros Occidental remains one of the most progressive and largely developed Philippine province, in large due to the profits from the sugar industry but also due to diversification to other fields.
Geography
Negros Occidental is located in the western side of Negros Island, the fourth largest island in the Philippines with a total land area of 972,607 hectares or 9,726.06 km2. The province is approximately 375 kilometers long from north to south. It is bounded by the Visayan SeaVisayan Sea
The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines, surrounded by the islands of the Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas located to the east and west, while the Central Visayas is located to the south...
in the north, Panay Gulf
Panay Gulf
Panay Gulf is an extension of the Sulu Sea, reaching between the islands of Panay and Negros in the Philippines. The gulf contains the island-province of Guimaras and extends into the Santa Anna Bay between Panay and Guimaras and into Guimaras Strait, between Guimaras and Negros...
on the west, Tanon Strait
Tañon Strait
Tañon Strait lies between the islands of Negros and Cebu in the Philippines. The strait connects the Visayan Sea to the Bohol Sea.The Tañon Strait is known for whale and dolphin watching, with tour boats operating from a wharf in Bais City.- Controversy :...
and Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
province on the east and Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
on the south. Negros is basically volcanic, making its soil ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent of all arable land is cultivated.
The north and western parts of the province are largely composed of plains and gentle slopes. A mountain range lines the eastern part of the province, forming the basis of the border with Negros Oriental. Mount Kanlaon, which is partially located in Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
, rises to a height of 2465 m (7987 ft) and is the highest peak in the Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
.
Demographics
Most residents are of AustronesianAustronesian people
The Austronesian-speaking peoples are various populations in Oceania and Southeast Asia that speak languages of the Austronesian family. They include Taiwanese aborigines; the majority ethnic groups of East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Madagascar, Micronesia, and Polynesia,...
heritage. Residents of Negros are called "Negrense". Negros Occidental is predominantly a Hiligaynon
Hiligaynon language
Hiligaynon, often referred to as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.Hiligaynon is concentrated in the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Capiz but is also spoken in the other provinces of the Panay Island group, including Antique,...
-speaking province, because of ties with Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
. However, the cities and towns facing the Tañon Strait
Tañon Strait
Tañon Strait lies between the islands of Negros and Cebu in the Philippines. The strait connects the Visayan Sea to the Bohol Sea.The Tañon Strait is known for whale and dolphin watching, with tour boats operating from a wharf in Bais City.- Controversy :...
are Cebuano-speaking
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
due to their proximity to the island-province of Cebu. Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
/Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
are widely spoken on both sides of the island.
Negros Occidental is the second-largest province in terms of population after Cebu, with the second largest number of congressional districts.
Culture, arts and people
Negros Occidental has long been a center of culture and arts; the wealth brought about by the sugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
industry made sure that the Negrense principalia
Principalia
The Principalía or noble class was the ruling and, usually, the educated upper class in the towns of colonial Philippines, composed of the Gobernadorcillo , and the Cabezas de Barangay who governed the districts. The distinction or status of being part of the Principalía is a heriditary right...
enjoyed the very best.
Silay City
Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it had a total population of 120,365 people...
to the north of the capital Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
, nicknamed the "Paris of Negros", is the cultural and artistic center of Western Visayas
Western Visayas
Western Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces; Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo and 16 cities making it the region with the highest number of cities. Iloilo City is the regional center...
. It has 30 heritage houses declared by the national historical institute, most notable of which is Balay Negrense
Balay Negrense
The Balay Negrense is a museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental in the Philippines, showcasing the lifestyle of a late 19th-century Negrense sugar baron. It is notable for being the first museum to be established in the province of Negros Occidental.-History:The Balay Negrense was originally the...
; it is also the hometown of National Artist of the Philippines
National Artist of the Philippines
A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts...
for Architecture Leandro Locsin
Leandro Locsin
Leandro V. Locsin was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer, known for his use of concrete, floating volume and simplistic design in his various projects. An avid collector, he was fond of modern painting and Chinese ceramics. He was proclaimed a National Artist of the Philippines...
and international mezzo-soprano Conchita Gaston.
This blossoming in art was due to the economical importance of the area during the Spanish era, Negros became probably the most hispanized area and pro-Spanish area, due to the enormous investments of Spain in the sugar business.
Another famous treasure of Negrense art heritage is to be found in Victorias City
Victorias City
Victorias City is a 4th class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 81,743 people in 15,361 households....
, within the confines of the Victorias Milling Company in its chapel is the world famous mural of the Angry Christ, painted by artist Alfonso Ossorio, a scion of the Ossorio family who owned the mill.
The Negrenses' joie de vivre is manifested in the various festivals all over the province, foremost among which are famous MassKara Festival
MassKara Festival
The MassKara Festival is a festival held each year in Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental province in the Philippines every third weekend of October nearest October 19, the city's Charter Inauguration Anniversary.-History:...
of Bacolod, Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota, Bailes de Luces of La Castellana and Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos. These and other local festivals are featured during the Pana-ad sa Negros Festival staged every April at the 25-hectare tree-lined Panaad Stadium
Panaad Stadium
The Panaad Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located inside the Panaad Park and Sports Complex in Bacolod, Philippines. Owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government, it is used for football matches, and is the adopted home of the Philippines national football team...
in Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
. Dubbed as the "Festival of Festivals", Pana-ad brings together the 13 cities and 19 towns in a showcase of history, arts and culture, tourism, trade, commerce and industry, beauty and talent as well as games and sports.
Negros Occidental is rich in structures and buildings that are remnants of a once affluent lifestyle. The Palacio Episcopal (1930), San Sebastian Cathedral (1876), and the Capitol Building (1931) are popular landmarks. In most towns, steam locomotives that used to cart sugarcane from the fields to refineries attract steam-engine enthusiasts from all over the world. There are also impressive churches all over the province, both built recently and during the Spanish era.
Media
Modern communication facilities, as well as radio, television and newspapers, are available in the province. Most are provided by dominant national players in the industry like PLDT, Globe TelecomGlobe Telecom
Globe Telecom , commonly known as Globe, is a telecommunications company in the Philippines. Globe provides mobile, fixed line, and broadband Internet services.- History :In 1928, Congress passed Act No...
and their subsidiaries. For television and radio, the major providers are giant network ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
, GMA
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
, TV5
Associated Broadcasting Company
The Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
and RPN. Cable TV provides access to CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and other international programs. National and international newspapers are available on the same day of issue in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
.
Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
is noted for being the home of the Negros Summer Workshops, founded by multi-award-winning film-maker and Negrense Peque Gallaga
Peque Gallaga
Peque Gallaga is a multi-awarded Filipino filmmaker. His most significant achievement in film is "Oro, Plata, Mata", which he directed after winning a scripwriting contest sponsored by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines...
. Founded in 1991, Workshops has long been training students from different parts of the country who wish to learn courses in film-making, acting, writing, and more. Some of its alumni include actors in mainstream Philippine show business.
Negros Occidental has also been used as a setting and location shoot for various films and television shows, most notable of which is the 1981 epic Oro, Plata, Mata
Oro, Plata, Mata
Oro, Plata, Mata is a 1982 multi-awarded Filipino film directed by Peque Gallaga, and is considered his most significant contribution to Philippine cinema. Set in the Philippine province of Negros during World War II, it tells the story of how two haciendero families cope with the changes brought...
. Recent films that were set and filmed in Negros are Ligaw Liham (2007) and Namets!
Namets!
Namets! is a 2008 Filipino independent film directed by Jay Abello. The film was a finalist in the full-length feature category of the 2008 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. The film's title is a play on the Hiligaynon word namit, which means "yummy" or "delicious".-Plot:Jacko Teves ...
(2008).
Sports
Negros Occidental has produced a large number of athletes that have achieved success in both national and international circuits, the province is also well known for hosting national and international athletic events, which has given it a reputation as the Sports capital of the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Football
Negros Occidental has a long, entrenched history when it comes to football. The first ever Filipino to play in the European football circuit was bacolod born Manuel Amechazurra,http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680959&publicationSubCategoryId=85 who joined FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
from 1905 to 1915.
The Panaad Stadium
Panaad Stadium
The Panaad Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located inside the Panaad Park and Sports Complex in Bacolod, Philippines. Owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government, it is used for football matches, and is the adopted home of the Philippines national football team...
in Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
has been a venue for national and international athletic events; such as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games men's football and the 2006 ASEAN football qualifiers. On February 9, 2011, the stadium hosted a match between the Philippines national football team
Philippines national football team
The Philippines national football team is the national football team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation , the governing body of football in the Philippines....
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
The 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification phase saw eight teams advance to the final tournament in Nepal. The qualification draw was held on 20 October 2010, in AFC House.-Seeding:...
with an attendance of 20,000 people.
Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
has been christened as the Philippine "football city" for its patronage of the sport in the country. A few members of the Philippine football team are from Negros; most notable is goalkeeper Eduard Sacapaño, a native of Bago City
Bago City
Bago City is a second class city in the province of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 159,933 people. The city is located 21 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Bacolod City....
.
Negros Occidental has its own football association: Negros Occidental F.A. It works under the Philippine Football Federation
Philippine Football Federation
The Philippine Football Federation is the governing body of football in the Philippines. It was founded in 1907 as the Philippine Amateur Football Association . They were one of the 12 Asian associations that founded the Asian Football Confederation...
as provincial football association for the Negros Occidental area. The Negros Occidental FA sends a team to represent the region in the yearly PFF National Men's Open Championship and PFF National Women's Open Championship.
Boxing
Aside from hosting sporting events Negros Occidental has produced many of the nation's finest athletes, particularly in boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. The likes of World Flyweight boxing champion 1923, Francisco Guilledo
Francisco Guilledo
Francisco Guilledo , more commonly known as Pancho Villa, was a Filipino boxer. Villa, who stood only 5 feet and 1 inch tall and never weighed more than 114 pounds , rose from obscurity to win the World Flyweight boxing championship in 1923, earning acclaim in some quarters as "the...
a.k.a Pancho Villa, current WBO minimum weight champion Donnie Nietes
Donnie Nietes
Donnie Nietes is a Filipino professional boxer and the WBO Light Flyweight World Champion. He is also a former WBO Minimumweight World Champion. His cousin, Gerson Nietes, is also a boxer....
, 1970's WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
world junior lightweigh champion Ben Villaflor
Ben Villaflor
Benjamin Villaflor is a former boxer who was the WBA world junior lightweight champion during the 1970s.-Professional boxing career:...
, to cite a few have all come from this province.
It is also notable for producing Olympiads, Silver Medalist Mansueto Velasco
Mansueto Velasco
Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco, Jr. is a Filipino boxer from Bago City, Negros Occidental. He competed in the Men's 48 kg category at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and took home the silver medal, the Philippines' only medal of the games...
in the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, his brother Roel Velasco
Roel Velasco
Roel Velasco is a retired boxer from the Philippines. He competed in the light flyweight division during the late 1980s, early 1990s....
who in turn won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
both for boxing of course.
Softball
Negros is also home to the Junior League World Series (softball)Junior League World Series (softball)
The Junior League Softball World Series is a softball tournament for girls aged between 13 and 14. The tournament is administered by Little League Baseball, Inc...
Champions for 2003.
Golf
Bacolod City has two major golf courses. These are the Bacolod Golf and Country Club and the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club. The city hosted the 61st Philippine AirlinesPhilippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines, Inc. operating as Philippine Airlines, is a flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered in the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name...
Inter-club Golf Tournament and the 2008 Philippine Amateur Golf Championship.
Karatedo
Bacolod City hosted two major karatedo championships, the 1996 Philippine Karatedo FederationPhilippine Karatedo Federation
The Philippine Karatedo Federation is the governing body of sport karate in the Philippines. Member of Asian Karatedo Federation with 39 affiliated countries in Asia and duly...
National Championship and the 2007 20th PKF National Open. Both tournaments were held at the La Salle Coliseum
La Salle Coliseum
The USLS Coliseum is an indoor sporting arena located in Bacolod City, Philippines.The La Salle Coliseum has played host to a number of basketball games including those of Philippine Basketball Association out of town games and the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association...
of USLS. The tournaments were participated by hundreds of karatekas all over the country.
Basketball
Bacolod City hosted the 2008 PBA All-Star Weekend2008 PBA All-Star Weekend
The 2008 PBA All-Star Weekend is the annual all-star weekend of the Philippine Basketball Association 's 2007-08 PBA season. The events were held from April 24 to 27, 2008 at the West Negros University Gym, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental....
. The city is also a regular venue for the Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
out-of-town games. Another major sports team in the past is the Negros Slashers
Negros Slashers
The Negros Slashers also known as the RCPI-Negros Slashers was a former professional basketball team in the Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002. The team enjoyed considerable success, winning the MBA National Championship in 2002, the last season of the said league...
arguably the most successful team of the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association
Metropolitan Basketball Association
The Metropolitan Basketball Association or Metroball was a professional basketball league in the Philippines founded in 1998.The MBA overtook the Philippine Basketball Association's plans on regionalization when the league adopted a home-and-away format where teams, instead of representing...
International tournaments
Many other athletes of the province have also won medals, in the Asian GamesAsian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
, the Southeast Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
and international billiard 9-ball championships.
Track and field
Negros Occidental produce a lot of national athletes which competes to other nations in and out of the Philippines.Swimming
One of the product of Negros Occidental who competed in 1986 Olympic in Los Angeles, California was Francisco Guangco.Modern Arnis
The Philippines' national martial arts and sports was founded in its modern incarnation in Negros Occidental by the late Remy PresasRemy Presas
Remgio Amador Presas was the founder of Modern Arnis, a popular Filipino martial art. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the United States in 1974, where he taught his art via seminars and camps. In 1982 he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year...
, Beginning with a small gymnasium in Bacolod
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
in the 1950s, he attempted to spread the art to the local youth as both a cultural legacy and a form of physical development or sport. He also taught the art at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
The University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos, commonly referred to by the short form "UNO-Recoletos" and by the acronym "UNO-R", is a private, Catholic university founded on 1941 in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines...
Economy
Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", the sugar industry is the lifeblood of the economy of Negros Occidental, producing more than half of the country's sugar. There are 15 sugar centrals located throughout the lowland areas the north and west of the island, stretching from northwest along the coasts of the Visayan SeaVisayan Sea
The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines, surrounded by the islands of the Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas located to the east and west, while the Central Visayas is located to the south...
and Guimaras
Guimaras
Guimaras is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Among the smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The island is located in the Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros...
Strait. Among the larger mills are San Carlos, La Carlota, Bago,
Binalbagan, Kabankalan, Sagay, Silay City, Murcia, Victorias. Victorias Mill in Victorias City
Victorias City
Victorias City is a 4th class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 81,743 people in 15,361 households....
is the largest sugar mill in the country, and the world's largest integrated sugar mill and refinery. Sugar is transported from plantations to refineries by large trucks that use the national highway.
Because of the priority given to sugar plantations, much of the province's food has to be imported from neighboring islands.
A fishing industry is found in Cadiz City
Cadiz City
Cadiz City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 141,954 people in 26,998 households. The city is 65 kilometers north of Bacolod City....
, and other fishponds dot the province. One of the country's largest copper mines is located in Sipalay City
Sipalay City
Sipalay City is a 4th class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 62,063 people in 11,955 households.-Barangays:Sipalay City is politically subdivided into 17 barangays....
. There also exists a cottage industry which produced handicrafts made from indigenous materials.
Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
is the center of commerce and finance in Negros Occidental. It has oil companies, factories, bottling plants, allied industrial businesses, steel fabrication, power generation, agri-businesses, prawn culture and other aqua-culture ventures.
Business process outsourcing
Business process outsourcing is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions to a third-party service provider. Originally, this was associated with manufacturing firms, such as Coca Cola that outsourced large segments...
(BPO) hub of the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys
Convergys
Convergys Corporation is a corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio that provides solutions in customer management and information management. Customer management solutions include agent assisted, self-service and proactive care solutions tailored to the communications, financial services,...
, Teleperformance
Teleperformance
Teleperformance is a French customer service, technical support, call center and debt collection company with headquarters in Paris, France.The company operates in around 50 countries, including UK, Brazil, Chile, India, Philippines, China , Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Norway, Italy, USA, Costa...
, TeleTech
TeleTech
TeleTech Holdings, Inc. is a global business process outsourcing company that provides services for customer management, transaction-based processing, database marketing services, professional sales, and eCommerce. Kenneth D...
, Focus International and Transcom Asia.
Infrastructure
Through its capital, Bacolod CityBacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
, Negros Occidental is only 50 minutes from Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
and 30 minutes from Cebu by air. By sea, it is an 18-hour cruise from Manila and an hour by fast ferries from Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
. It is also accessible by sea and land trip from Cebu via Escalante City, San Carlos City and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. Travel from Bacolod
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
to Dumaguete is only 5 to 6 hours by land. Seven airline companies, including Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines, Inc. operating as Philippine Airlines, is a flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered in the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name...
, Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific
Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific Air, is based on the grounds of Ninoy Aquino International Airport , Pasay City, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations...
and Air Philippines
Air Philippines
Air Philippines Corporation, now operating as Airphil Express , is a low-cost airline based in Pasay City, in the Philippines. It operates both domestic and international scheduled services from Manila, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga. The airline was re-branded for a number of times, first as Air...
, serve the province. Four inter-island shipping lines call on nine seaports of Negros Occidental
Bacolod-Silay Airport
Silay City
Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it had a total population of 120,365 people...
16 kilommeters north of Bacolod
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
. The new airport replaces the 60-yr-old Bacolod
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
domestic airport. The new Bacolod-Silay Airport runway is of international standards and was constructed to facilitate future landings of international Flights to serve the growing number of tourists visiting Negros Occidental each year.
Kabankalan City Domestic Airport
is a new airport designed to serve the general area of Kabankalan CityKabankalan City
Kabankalan City is a 1st class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 166,845 people in 27,851 households....
, The airport would be the second airport in Negros Occidental, after the New Bacolod-Silay Airport, and the third airport on the island of Negros. It is located four kilometers northeast of Kabankalan City proper on a 100-hectare site in Barangay Hilamonan.
Road network and accommodations
All cities and municipalities are linked by an extensive road and bridge network stretching more than 1,500 kilometers crisscrossing the province with seven alternative scenic routes to the nearby province of Negros OrientalNegros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
. Within the province, travel is also easy, comfortable and even enjoyable by air-conditioned and non-aircon buses or metered taxis. Car rental services are also available. However, the jeepney is still the most common means of transport among the towns and cities. For accommodations, visitors may choose from a wide range of about 67 hotels, pension and lodging houses and tourist inns. The better known hotels are L’ Fisher, Bacolod Convention Plaza, Pagcor Hotel, and Business Inn, Sugarland Hotel, all in Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
.
Energy and water
The province has adequate power and water supplies. It is currently interconnected to the Visayas Power Grid whose main sources of power are geothermal. Aside from its existing 170 megawatts capacity, Negros Island by the year 2006 has an additional 105 megawatts of locally produced power from geothermal plants in Bago CityBago City
Bago City is a second class city in the province of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 159,933 people. The city is located 21 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Bacolod City....
and Palinpinon, and from bagasse co-generation facility of First Farmers Sugar Mill. Ample water supply for household, commercial, industrial and agricultural uses is assured by 73 thousand hectares of proclaimed and protected major watersheds, regular rainfall and six major river systems.
Communications and medical facilities
International direct dialing, fiber optic data lines and internet services are accessible in most areas of the province. Also, GSM, digital and analog cellular networks provide good coverage in Bacolod CityBacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
and other areas, including international roaming. The medical and health care needs of the people of Negros Occidental and its guests are presently being met by 20 government hospitals and 10 private hospitals, as well as several city and municipal health centers, barangay health stations and day-care centers. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel serving these facilities are not only competent but also very caring towards their patients.
Banking, finance and accessibility
Banking and finance is likewise a thriving industry in Negros Occidental. According to the latest count, there are 389 financial institutions competing for businesses in the province. 149 of these are banks. Negros Occidental offers several advantages for those who are doing business in the province. It is strategically located near Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, all major international gateways with maximum travel time of only about 4 hours between the Philippines and its neighbors in Asia. It is equipped with major infrastructure facilities for easy travel and shipment of goods within and outside of Negros.It has adequate information and communication facilities with excellent connection capabilities necessary for, among others, call center operations for business communication and transmission of data. The province is also blessed with abundant water supply and dependable power supply for almost any type of business endeavor. Modern health care facilities with competent medical s are available, as well as excellent schools to care for the needs of the investor and his family.
Panaad Stadium
The Panaad StadiumPanaad Stadium
The Panaad Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located inside the Panaad Park and Sports Complex in Bacolod, Philippines. Owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government, it is used for football matches, and is the adopted home of the Philippines national football team...
is a multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadium
Multi-purpose stadiums are a type of stadium designed in such a way as to be easily used by multiple sports. While any stadium could potentially host more than one sport, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy that stresses multi-functionality over specificity...
in the province. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and was used for the 2005 South East Asian Games. It was the venue of the pre-qualifiers of the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship
2007 ASEAN Football Championship
The 2007 ASEAN Football Championship was the 6th ASEAN Football Championship, hosted by Singapore and Thailand....
or ASEAN Cup, in which the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Timor Leste, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
participated. The stadium has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 15,500, but holds around 20,000 people with standing areas. It is unofficially designated as the home stadium of the Philippines national football team. Aside from the football field, it also has a rubberized track oval, an Olympic-size swimming pool and other sports facilities.
The stadium is also the home of Panaad Festival, a week-long celebration participated in by all cities and municipalities in the province held annually every summer. The festival is highlighted by merry-making and field demonstrations at the stadium. The stadium itself features replicas of the landmarks of the 13 cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental.
Capitol Park and Lagoon
The Capitol Park and LagoonCapitol Park and Lagoon
The Capitol Park and Lagoon is a provincial park located in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. One of the features of the park are matching sculptures depicting a woman standing alongside a water buffalo and that of a man pulling another water buffalo. These sculptures are...
is a provincial park located right in the heart of Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. One of the landmarks of the park is the carabao
Carabao
The carabao or Bubalus bubalis carabanesis is a subspecies of the domesticated water buffalo found in the Philippines, Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and various parts of Southeast Asia...
(water buffalo
Water buffalo
The water buffalo is a domesticated bovid widely kept in Asia, Europe and South America.Water buffalo can also refer to:*Wild water buffalo , the wild ancestor of the domestic water buffalo...
) being pulled by a woman
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
. This carabao is located at the northern end of the lagoon. On the other end, there is also another carabao sculpture but the figure is being pulled by a man
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...
.
There are several other attractions in the park. These include activities of the locals -jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
, aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, school dance rehearsals, promenaders, arnis
Modern Arnis
Modern Arnis is the system of Filipino martial arts founded by the late Remy Presas as a self-defense system. His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense system in order to preserve the older Arnis systems...
adors, martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
practitioners and even the relaxing and therapeutic quiet of feeding the tilapia
Tilapia
Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...
s of the lagoon. It is well-secured and well-lighted; it is very safe to walk /stroll, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Fountain of Justice
The Fountain of Justice is a historic landmark in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It marks the location where the house of Jose Ruiz de Luzurriaga used to stand. It was in this house that the surrender of Bacolod by Spanish authorities to the Filipino forces of General Aniceto Lacson took place on November 6, 1898, during the Negros Revolution.Bacolod Public Plaza
The Bacolod Public Plaza is one of the notable landmarks of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental, Philippines. It is located in the heart of the downtown area, near the city hall and across from the San Sebastian Cathedral. The plaza is a trapezoidal park with a belt of trees around the periphery and a gazebo at the center. Scattered within the trees are four circular fountains.The plaza was constructed in 1927 as a place for recreation, political, spiritual and cultural activities. It is quite a popular site for outdoor picnics and concerts. The gazebo is often used to house a bandstand and inscribed along the sides of the roof are the names of Western classical music composers Beethoven, Wagner, Haydn, and Mozart.
Balay Negrense
The Balay Negrense was originally the ancestral house of Victor F. Gaston, a son of Yves Leopold Germain GastonYves Leopold Germain Gaston
Yves Leopold Germain Gaston was the patriarch of a large family with roots in the City of Silay, in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines...
and Prudencia Fernandez. The elder Gaston is credited as one of the pioneers of sugarcane cultivation in this portion of the Philippine archipelago. A native of Normandy in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he married a Filipina from Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
where he initially began experimenting with sugar production before relocating to Negros.
Built in 1897,[2] the structure housed Victor Gaston and his twelve children from 1901 until his death in 1927. Left unused by the family, the structure was abandoned in the mid-1970s and fell into disrepair until a group of concerned Negrenses formed what would later become the Negros Cultural Foundation and managed to acquire the house from the heirs of Gaston through a donation. With donations from prominent individuals and later the Department of Tourism, the structure was repaired and furnished with period furniture and fixtures. The museum was officially inaugurated on October 6, 1990.
Mariano Ramos Ancestral House
The Mariano Ramos Ancestral House is the home of the late Don Mariano V. Ramos,the son of Agaton Ramos and Dolores Varela ,was the first appointed Presidente Municipal of Bacolod City, Philippines. It was built in the 1930s and its architecture is a combination of Castilian and Tuscan and has three storeys including the tower room, known as the torre.During World War II, Don Generoso Villanueva's house on the same street (Burgos Street) was the most prominent structure with a view over the whole city. The commanding Japanese general was disguised as a family gardener. As the war broke, the Japanese seized the Villanueva family house in order to use it as a watchtower and as a headquarters.
San Diego Pro-cathedral
Pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.-Usage:In Ireland, the term is used to specifically refer to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation, when Christ Church...
in 1994, is an early 20th century church in Silay City
Silay City
Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it had a total population of 120,365 people...
, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. It is the only pro-cathedral outside of the national capital of Manila, and is unique in Negros Occidental for being the only church in the province featuring a cupola or dome.
The Ruins
The mansion dates back to the 1900s when it was built by the sugar baron, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson for his first wife, Maria Braga, a Portuguese from Macau whom he met in his vacations in Hongkong. The mansion’s structure is of Italianate architecture enhanced by a belvedere complete with renaissance-type ballustrading typical of the homes of English ship captains.It was burned down in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to prevent the japanese from using it. It is was opened to the public by descendants of the original owner and is listed as among the World's 12 most fascinating ruins .http://www.oddee.com/item_96671.aspx
Education
Technological University of the Philippines
The Technological University of the Philippines -History:The Technological University of the Philippines was established upon the enactment of Organic Act No. 74 by the Philippine Commission in 1901. TUP was known then as the Manila Trade School with the primary intention of developing the dignity...
-Visayas and Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College
Carlos Hilado Memorial State College is a public, state-owned college, the main campus of which is in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It provides higher technological, professional and vocational instruction and training in science, agriculture and industrial fields, as well as...
in Talisay City. Of these, 158 are private schools, including University of Saint La Salle, West Negros University
West Negros University
West Negros University, also referred to as WNU, is a university located in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. The university is a second level-accredited school by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities - Commission On Accreditation and awards degrees in associate,...
and University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
The University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos, commonly referred to by the short form "UNO-Recoletos" and by the acronym "UNO-R", is a private, Catholic university founded on 1941 in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines...
(UNO-R).
Food and agriculture
Negros Occidental’s output of more than 1 million metric tons for crop year 2002–2003 accounts for nearly half of the country’s sugar production in an industry that generates an estimated annual revenue of more than P18 billion. There are 12 sugar mills in the province, of which only 10 are presently operational. Victorias Milling Company has the highest rated capacity with 15,000 tonnes cane per day.However, the volatility of the sugar industry forced the province to shift, albeit slowly, to other high-value crops and alternative industries. The diversification has proven to be successful. Production of rice, the basic commodity for food security, has been increasing. By 2003, annual output of 437 thousand metric tons of palay was 33% better than two years ago. This allowed the province to significantly raise its sufficiency level from 65% to more than 84%. The improvement could be attributed to the introduction and promotion of hybrid rice, which increased rice yields to 3.8 metric tons per hectare. Because of the success of the program, area planted to hybrid rice has increased nearly fivefold. The highest hybrid yield was recorded at 10.3 tons per hectare.
Corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
also registered increasing gains. Production for 2003 of 42 thousand metric tons outperformed 2001 output by 18%. Average yield per hectare has also grown by 18%. Other fruit and vegetable crops, except for banana and cassava, likewise improved their harvest. Harvested coconut was placed at 139 million nuts, while production of banana; fruit and vegetable crops totaled 110 million kilograms. Livestock and poultry are industries where Negros Occidental has strongly diversified.
With the province successfully quarantined from the dreaded foot and mouth disease and the Bird Flu, and with other endemic diseases under control, total production of livestock and poultry in 2003 of 49 thousand metric tons exceeded estimated local demand by 18%. Fishing is likewise an industry where the province has remained focused. After all, 9 of its cities and 16 of its municipalities are located along the coast and a great portion of the population depends on fishing for their livelihood.
The area for exploitation by this industry is huge, covering most of the coastal areas and the rich fishing grounds of the Visayan Sea on the north, Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
on the south, Tañon Strait on the east, Guimaras
Guimaras
Guimaras is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Among the smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The island is located in the Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros...
Strait and Panay
Panay
Panay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
Gulf at the southern portion of the province. These rich coastal areas and fishing grounds continue to be generous to the people of Negros Occidental. In 2003, products from deep-sea fishing, municipal marine and inland waters, and aquaculture reached 87 thousand metric tons, 30% better than 2001 production.
The province is rich in mineral deposits. Minerals that abound in the province are primary copper with estimated reserve of 591 million metric tons and gold ore with estimated reserve of 25 million tons. Silver and molybdenum deposits are also abundant, as well as non-metallic minerals suitable for agricultural and industrial uses. Notwithstanding its great potential, the mining industry in Negros Occidental has remained virtually dormant since the biggest copper mine in Sipalay suspended its operation.
Political divisions
Negros Occidental is subdivided into 19 municipalities and 13 citiesCities of the Philippines
A city is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies the administrative structure...
. It has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines, . Although Bacolod City
Bacolod City
The City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
serves as the capital, it is governed independently from the province as a highly-urbanized city.
Cities
|
La Carlota City La Carlota City is a 3rd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 65,669 people in 13,497 households. The city was known as Simancas until 1871, two years after its foundation... Sagay City Sagay City is a 3rd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines.Sagay can be easily identified in the map of Negros Occidental, because of its “ice-cream cone” shape sliced from the northern tip of Negros... San Carlos City, Negros Occidental San Carlos City is a 2nd class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. The settlement was elevated to city status on July 1, 1960 per Republic Act 2643... Silay City Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it had a total population of 120,365 people... Sipalay City Sipalay City is a 4th class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 62,063 people in 11,955 households.-Barangays:Sipalay City is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.... Talisay City, Negros Occidental Talisay City is a 5th class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. It neighbors Silay City to the north, and Bacolod City to the south. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it has a total population of 96,444 people. As of 2007, it has a total land area of 20,118 hectares... Victorias City Victorias City is a 4th class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 81,743 people in 15,361 households.... |
Municipalities
|
Manapla, Negros Occidental Manapla is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 49,581 people in 9,512 households.-Barangays:Manapla is politically subdivided into 12 barangays.* Chambery... Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental Moises Padilla is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 34,658 people in 6,376 households.... (Magallon) Murcia, Negros Occidental Murcia is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 71,289 people.-Culture and economy:... Pontevedra, Negros Occidental Pontevedra is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 42,089 people in 8,554 households.-History:... Pulupandan, Negros Occidental Pulupandan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 25,849 people in 5,175 households. The current mayor of Pulupandan is Hon... Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental Salvador Benedicto is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 17,259 people in 3,456 households.... San Enrique, Negros Occidental San Enrique is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 22,091 people in 4,419 households.-Barangays:San Enrique is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.* Bagonawa... Toboso, Negros Occidental Toboso is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 40,712 people in 8,060 households. The current mayor is Evelio Valencia.-Economy:... Valladolid, Negros Occidental Valladolid is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. At the 2000 census, it had a population of 32,576 people in 6,653 households. The mayor of the municipality is Romel P... |
1st District
- City: Escalante City, San Carlos City
- Municipality: Calatrava, Toboso, Salvador Benedicto
- Congressman: Jules Ledesma
2nd District
- City: Cadiz and Sagay City
- Municipality: Manapla
- Congressman: Alfredo Maranon III
3rd District
- City: Silay City, Talisay City, Victorias City
- Municipality: Enrique B. Magalona, Murcia
- Congressman: Alfredo Benitez
4th District
- City: Bago City, La Carlota City
- Municipality: Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Valladolid
- Congressman: Jeffrey Ferrer
5th District
- City: Himamaylan City
- Municipality: Binalbagan, Hinigaran, Isabela, La Castellana, Moises Padilla
- Congressman: Iggy ArroyoIggy ArroyoIgnacio Tuason Arroyo, Jr., also known as Iggy Arroyo, is a Filipino politician. He is a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the Fifth District of Negros Occidental. He is the brother of former First Gentleman, Jose Miguel Arroyo. He was born to Ignacio L. Arroyo and...
6th District
- City: Kabankalan City, Sipalay City
- Municipality: Candoni, Cauayan, Hinoba-an, Ilog
- Congresswoman: Mercedes Alvarez
Notable people
Below is a list of people who are from Negros Occidental, or who lived there for an extended period.Historical figures
- Juan AranetaJuan AranetaJuan Anacleto Araneta , was a pioneer sugar farmer and revolutionary leader during the Negros Revolution.-Early life:Juan was born to Romualdo Araneta and Agüeda Torres in Molo, Iloilo, Philippines...
- revolutionary - Yves Leopold Germain GastonYves Leopold Germain GastonYves Leopold Germain Gaston was the patriarch of a large family with roots in the City of Silay, in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines...
- Sugar Baron - Antonio Ledesma JaymeAntonio Ledesma JaymeAntonio Ledesma Jayme was a Filipino lawyer, revolutionary, provincial governor and assemblyman.-Early years and education:Antonio L. Jayme was born on July 24, 1854 in what is now the district of Jaro, Iloilo City...
- revolutionary, provincial governor and assemblyman. - Aniceto LacsonAniceto LacsonAniceto Lacson y Ledesma was a sugar farmer, revolutionary general and businessman in the Philippines. He was the fifth son of seven children of Lucio Lacson y Petronila and Clara Ledesma of Iloilo, Philippines who migrated to Negros when Aniceto was still young...
- Revolutionary, President Republic of Negros - Papa IsioPapa IsioDionisio Magbuelas, Dionisio Seguela or Dionisio Papa y Barlucia, more widely known as Papa Isio , was the leader of a group of babaylanes who were, as conjectured by Modesto P...
- Revolutionary, - Dr. Antonio A. Lizares - provincial governor, founder of the University of Negros Occidental (now UNO-Recoletos)
International Organization
- Rafael M. SalasRafael M. SalasRafael M. Salas , was the first head of the United Nations Population Fund from its inception in 1969 up to his death in 1987 . Salas is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines...
- former United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Under-Secretary General, Executive Director UNFPA, Executive Secretary to Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate... - Jorge B. VargasJorge B. VargasJorge B. Vargas was a lawyer and youth advocate born in Bago City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911 and a Bachelor of Law degree with honors in 1914, both from the University of the...
- Member, World Scout Committee,Wartime Head of the Philippine Government, Executive Secretary to Manuel Quezon
National Government
- Rafael Alunan- former Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture
- Jose Miguel ArroyoJose Miguel ArroyoJose Miguel "Mike" Tuason Arroyo is a former First Gentleman of the Philippines. He is the husband of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former President of the Philippines and the current Congresswoman of Pampanga 2nd District....
-Former First Gentleman of the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... - Iggy ArroyoIggy ArroyoIgnacio Tuason Arroyo, Jr., also known as Iggy Arroyo, is a Filipino politician. He is a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the Fifth District of Negros Occidental. He is the brother of former First Gentleman, Jose Miguel Arroyo. He was born to Ignacio L. Arroyo and...
-Representative 5th District of Negros Occidental, brother in law of former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo - Frank Chavez- former Solicitor General of the Philippines
- Esteban De La Rama- Senator,Sugar Tycoon,grandfather of Senator Sergio Osmeña III
- Anthony Rolando T. Golez, Jr.-former Deputy Presidential Spokesperson of Former President Gloria Arroyo and Representative Lone District of Bacolod City
- Vicente JaymeDepartment of Finance (Philippines)The Philippines' Department of Finance is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the formulation, institutionalization and administration of fiscal policies, management of the financial resources of the government, supervision of the revenue operations of all local...
- Former Secretary of Finance - Daniel "Bitay"Lacson- current Chairman of the Government Service Insurance System (Philippines)Government Service Insurance System (Philippines)The Government Service Insurance System is a government-owned and -controlled corporation in the Republic of the Philippines. Created by Commonwealth Act No...
, former Governor of Negros Occidental , and Presidential Advisor to former Philippine President Fidel V. RamosFidel V. RamosFidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as... - Isaac Lacson-former Senator
- Oscar R. Ledesmahttp://www.nhi.gov.ph/downloads/fihgov0077.pdf-former Senator
- Jose LocsinJose LocsinJose Locsin was a Filipino senator.A successful medical practitioner, Senator Jose C. Locsin was born in Silay, Negros Occidental in 1890. His parents sent him to Manila to study, and in 1907, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Liceo de Manila...
-former Senator and Secretary of Health - Enrique B. MagalonaEnrique B. MagalonaEnrique B. Magalona was a former Senator of the Philippines, and the grandfather of the late Francis Magalona.-Early life:Enrique B. Magalona was born in Saravia, Negros Occidental on November 5, 1891 to Vicente Magalona Y Ledesma and Agustin Barrera y Majarocan.-Personal life:He was married by...
-former Senator, grandfather of the late Francis MagalonaFrancis MagalonaFrancis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream... - Alfredo Montelibano, Sr.-politician and industrialist,served as Mayor of Bacolod CityBacolod CityThe City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
governor of Negros Occidental,and Philippine Secretary of National Defense and Interior - Gil MontillaGil MontillaGil Montilla was a Filipino politician who served as Speaker of the National Assembly from 1935 to 1938, and a member of the Philippine Senate...
-Speaker of the National Assembly - Ruperto Montinolahttp://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/former_senators/ruperto_montinola.htm former Senator
- Monico PuentevellaMonico PuentevellaMonico Ogtong Puentevella is a Filipino politician. A member of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD Party, he has been elected three terms as a Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the Lone District of Bacolod City...
-politician, former Representative Lone District of Bacolod City former Commissioner of Philippine Sports CommissionPhilippine Sports CommissionThe Philippine Sports Commission was created through Republic Act No. 6847 in 1990 to serve as the "sole policy-making and coordinating body of all amateur sports development programs and institutions in the Philippines"... - Mar RoxasMar RoxasManuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II is a former Senator of the Philippines. He is the son of former Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of former President Manuel Roxas and industrialist J. Amado Araneta....
-Secretary of Transportation and communication,former Trade Secretary, Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate, President of the Liberal Party (Philippines)Liberal Party (Philippines)The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the... - Ramon Torres- Labor Secretar to Manuel Quezon, and former Senator
- Haydee YoracHaydee YoracHaydee Yorac was a Filipino public servant, law professor and politician.-Early life:Yorac was born on March 4, 1941 in E. B. Magalona, Negros Occidental. She earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines in 1962...
-former Chairman of the Commission on Elections (Philippines)Commission on Elections (Philippines)The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls.... - Jose YuloJose YuloJosé Yulo was the Chief Justice of the Philippines during the Japanese Occupation and was Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1939 until the World War II started in 1941.-Career:...
- former Speaker of the House,Secretary of Justice under Manuel Quezon, Wartime Chief Justice, Secretary of Labor, and served as Secretary of Justice again under Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
Local Government
- Ramon BagatsingRamon BagatsingDr. Ramon D. Bagatsing was the Mayor of Manila during Martial Law from 1971 to 1986. He was the first Indian Filipino to serve in this position.-Early Life and Military Career:...
- Former Mayor of ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
during Martial LawHistory of the Philippines (1965-1986)This article covers the history of the Philippines during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. The Marcos era includes the final years of the Third Republic and the entirety of the Fourth Republic .-Marcos Administration :... - Guia Gomez- Mayor of San Juan City, mistress of former Philippine President Joseph EstradaJoseph EstradaJoseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
, and mother to his son Rep. Joseph EjercitoJoseph EjercitoJoseph Victor Gomez Ejercito , commonly known as JV Ejercito, is a Filipino politician currently serving as congressman for the lone district of San Juan City. He is also the son of former President Joseph Estrada... - Arsenio LacsonArsenio LacsonArsenio H. Lacson was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as Mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by Time and The New York Times to New York's Fiorello La Guardia, he was the first Manila mayor to be reelected to three terms...
-broadcaster, Mayor of ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
Military
- Gen.Victor IbradoArmed Forces of the PhilippinesThe Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
-Former Chief of Staff Armed Forces of the PhilippinesArmed Forces of the PhilippinesThe Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
Other
- Alex LacsonAlex LacsonAlexander L. Lacson is a Filipino lawyer, author, lecturer, philanthropist and politician best known as the author of "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country.", and for having run in the 2010 Philippine Senatorial Election....
-lawyer, philanthropist and politician,author of "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country."
Sportsmen
- Manuel Amechazurra http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680959&publicationSubCategoryId=85-the first filipino to play in the European football circuit, He was called el capitán and played as a defender, from 1905 to 1915 for FC BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
- Francis ArnaizFrancis ArnaizFrancis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986...
-former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel - Nonoy BaclaoNonoy BaclaoSiverino A. Baclao, Jr. is a Filipino professional basketball player who currently plays for the Petron Blaze Boosters in the Philippine Basketball Association...
-Filipino basketball player,plays for the Philippine PatriotsPhilippine PatriotsThe Philippine Patriots is a professional basketball team currently seeing action in the ASEAN Basketball League. The Philippines' representative team to the first ASEAN Basketball League, it is co-owned by Mikee Romero of Harbour Centre fame and businessman Tony Boy Cojuangco...
in the ASEAN Basketball LeagueASEAN Basketball LeagueThe ASEAN Basketball League, often abbreviated to the ABL, is a men's professional basketball league in Southeast Asia. Six clubs from six different countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations competed in the league's 2009 inaugural season...
. - Jeffrei ChanJeffrei ChanJeffrei Allan Chan is a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association who currently plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters...
- basketball player in the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
who currently plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters - Rudy Distrito-former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
for Pop Cola PanthersPop Cola PanthersThe Pop Cola Panthers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team from 1990-2001 under the ownership of Cosmos Bottling Corporation, a subsidiary of RFM Corporation. Cosmos was sold to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc., then-owned by San Miguel Corporation in 2001 which also includes the... - Monsour del RosarioMonsour del RosarioManuel Monsour T. del Rosario III commonly known as Monsour del Rosario, is a Filipino taekwondo champion who has also starred in several Filipino and international action films...
-taekwondo champion who has also starred in several Filipino and international action films. - Boyet FernandezBoyet FernandezTeodorico "Boyet" Fernandez III is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. He was the last head coach of the Sta. Lucia Realtors before the team disbanded in 2010. He is currently an assistance coach of the Meralco Bolts....
– coach of the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
's Sta. Lucia RealtorsSta. Lucia RealtorsThe Sta. Lucia Realtors was a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association.The Universal Robina Corporation team is one of the founding members of the PBA. Formerly known as Great Taste and Presto-Tivoli Ice Cream, they have won a total of 6 championships. Sta... - Ramil GallegoRamil GallegoRamil Gallego is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Bebeng".As veteran player, Gallego has been competing in tournaments outside his homeland, mainly in Japan...
- pool player - Francisco GuilledoFrancisco GuilledoFrancisco Guilledo , more commonly known as Pancho Villa, was a Filipino boxer. Villa, who stood only 5 feet and 1 inch tall and never weighed more than 114 pounds , rose from obscurity to win the World Flyweight boxing championship in 1923, earning acclaim in some quarters as "the...
-more commomly known as Pancho Villa, boxer,World flyweight champion - Noli LocsinNoli LocsinManuel Luis Locsin , better known as Noli Locsin, is a retired Filipino professional basketball player. He spent most of his career for the Ginebra San Miguel franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association...
-etired Filipino basketball player in the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA... - Randy Mengullo-initiated the Jack and Jill SchoolJack and Jill SchoolJack & Jill School is composed of preschool and elementary institutions in Homesite and City Heights, 5 kilometers south of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental province of the Philippines, and Victorias City, 34 kilometers north of Bacolod City...
karateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
program, a SandanDan rankThe ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
BlackbeltBlack belt (martial arts)In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in who garnered medals in many karatedo championships and athletic meet of different schools and karate organizations in the Philippines. - Small MontanaSmall MontanaBenjamin Gan , more commomly known as Small Montana, was a Filipino boxer.Montana, who stood 5 feet and 4 inch tall and never weighed more than 112 pounds, won the Flyweight Championship of the World .-Fighting style:Montana was known for his quick punches, although he was a scrappy and not very...
(Benjamin Gan)-Boxer, won the Flyweight Championship of the World (as recognized by New York state). - Donnie NietesDonnie NietesDonnie Nietes is a Filipino professional boxer and the WBO Light Flyweight World Champion. He is also a former WBO Minimumweight World Champion. His cousin, Gerson Nietes, is also a boxer....
- boxer, current WBO Minimumweight World Champion - Dodie Boy PeñalosaDodie Boy PeñalosaDiosdado "Dodie Boy" Peñalosa is a retired Filipino boxer and a former IBF champion in the light flyweight and flyweight classes.-Professional career:...
-boxer , former IBF champion in the light flyweight and flyweight classes. - Gerry PeñalosaGerry PeñalosaGeronimo Peñalosa , more commonly known as Gerry Peñalosa, is a retired Filipino professional boxer....
- boxer,former holder of the WBCWBCWBC may stand for:* BWF World Championships , a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation to crown the best badminton players in the world...
super flyweight and the WBO bantamweight titles - Ernesto PresasErnesto PresasErnesto Presas was the founder of Filipino martial arts system Kombatan.Kombatan, which includes training with the stick and with bladed weapons in addition to empty-hand work, was developed from the Modern Arnis system. Ernesto Presas assisted his older brother Remy Presas in developing Modern...
-martial artist,founder of Filipino martial arts system KombatanKombatanKombatan is a Filipino martial arts system. The head and founder of the system is Ernesto Presas. The style is known for its double stick techniques but features other stick and blade techniques, as well as empty-hand methods.... - Remy PresasRemy PresasRemgio Amador Presas was the founder of Modern Arnis, a popular Filipino martial art. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the United States in 1974, where he taught his art via seminars and camps. In 1982 he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year...
-Father of Modern ArnisModern ArnisModern Arnis is the system of Filipino martial arts founded by the late Remy Presas as a self-defense system. His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense system in order to preserve the older Arnis systems... - Remy P. PresasRemy P. PresasRemy P. Presas, Jr. is the eldest son of the late Remy Presas, founder of the Filipino martial art of Modern Arnis, and Rosemary Pascual Presas. Beginning from a young age, he studied Modern Arnis with his father and, when his father was forced to flee the country, his father's students...
-martial artist - Roberto Presas-martial artist, founder of Filipino martial arts system Hinigaran Arnis de Mano.
- Eduard Sacapaño - Goalkeeper, Philippines national football teamPhilippines national football teamThe Philippines national football team is the national football team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation , the governing body of football in the Philippines....
- Joan TiponJoan TiponJoan Tipon is an amateur boxer from the Philippines who won gold at the 2006 Doha Asian Games in the Bantamweight division...
-boxer, Asian GamesAsian GamesThe Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
gold medalist - Mansueto Velasco, Jr.Mansueto VelascoMansueto "Onyok" Velasco, Jr. is a Filipino boxer from Bago City, Negros Occidental. He competed in the Men's 48 kg category at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and took home the silver medal, the Philippines' only medal of the games...
- Olympic Silver Medalist - Roel VelascoRoel VelascoRoel Velasco is a retired boxer from the Philippines. He competed in the light flyweight division during the late 1980s, early 1990s....
- Olympic Bronze Medalist - Ben VillaflorBen VillaflorBenjamin Villaflor is a former boxer who was the WBA world junior lightweight champion during the 1970s.-Professional boxing career:...
-boxer who was the WBAWorld Boxing AssociationThe World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
world junior lightweight (now called super featherweight) champion during the 1970s. - James YapJames YapJames Carlos Yap Sr. is a Filipino professional basketball player for the B-Meg Llamados in the Philippine Basketball Association...
- basketball superstar player for the Derby Ace Llamados in the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball AssociationThe Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
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Fashion
- Rafé Totengco-New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
based fashion designer - Grendel AlvaradoGrendel AlvaradoGrendel Alvarado is a Filipina fashion model from Bacolod who won the first cycle of Philippines' Next Top Model a Philippine franchise of Tyra Banks top model search America's Next Top Model after making it to the finals with Rina Lorilla...
-fashion model, winner of Philippines' Next Top ModelPhilippines' Next Top ModelPhilippines’ Next Top Model was a Filipino reality competition broadcast by the Radio Philippines Network where a number of women competed for the title of the country's "next top model". The series was a local version of America's Next Top Model... - Sandra SeifertSandra SeifertSandra Inez Suravilla Seifert is a beauty queen and an international fashion model of mixed Filipina and German descent....
-beauty queen and an international fashion model
Film
- Jay Abello- film director
- Bernard BonninBernard BonninBernard Bonnin was a Filipino actor.-Early life:He was born on September 8, 1939 to parents Juan S. Bonnin a pure Spaniard from Palma de Mallorca and his mother Lina Zayco a native of Negros in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental...
-actor - JC Bonnin- actor, known for his role as Toffee in the Bagets (film series)
- Peque GallagaPeque GallagaPeque Gallaga is a multi-awarded Filipino filmmaker. His most significant achievement in film is "Oro, Plata, Mata", which he directed after winning a scripwriting contest sponsored by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines...
-multi-awarded filmmaker - Ronnie LazaroRonnie LazaroRonnie Lazaro is a Gawad Urian Award-winning Filipino film and television actor, producer and casting and art director.-Television:* 2011 Wansapanataym: Darmo Adarna ... Darako * 2011 Maalaala Mo Kaya ... Papa...
-is a Gawad Urian Award-winning Filipino film and television actor, producer and casting and art director. - Carlo Ledesma-film director, producer and screenwriter, Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
award recipient for Best Short Film - Pancho MagalonaPancho MagalonaEnrique "Pancho" Magalona, Jr. — was a Philippine actor from the 1940s to the 1970s.-Early life:Born Enrique Gayoso Magalona, Jr. on 1921 in the southern Philippine province of Negros Occidental and was the son of Philippine Senator Enrique B. Magalona, Sr.-Personal life:Pancho and his real life...
-award winning actor - Susan RocesSusan RocesJesusa Purificación Sonora , better known as Susan Rocés, is a Filipina actress and widow of Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, better known as Fernando Poe, Jr...
- award winning actress, nicknamed Queen of Philippine Movies, widow of Fernando Poe, Jr.Fernando Poe, Jr.Ronald Allan Poe y Kelley , better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da King, was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration... - Rosemarie SonoraRosemarie SonoraRosemarie Levy Sonora is a former actress.-Life:She was born to an American mother of French extraction and a Filipino father of Spanish-Chinese descent...
-actress - Joel Torre http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868381/ - is an actor, director, producer
Literature
- Adelina GurreaAdelina GurreaMaría Adelaida Gurrea Monasterio was a Philippine journalist, poet and playwright in Spanish.She studied in a religious school in Manila ....
-journalist, poet and playwright in Spanish
- Elsa Martinez CoscolluelaElsa Martinez CoscolluelaElsa Martinez Coscolluela is an award-winning Filipina poet, short-story writer, and playwright from Bacolod City. She is married to Jose Orlando H. Coscolluela and has three sons, Jose Orlando Jr, John Paul Rupert, and Jacques Oscar Celerino...
-award-winning poet, short-story writer, and playwright
Music
- Bobby EnriquezBobby EnriquezRoberto Delprado Yulo Enriquez , better known as Bobby Enriquez, was a Filipino jazz pianist who became prominent in the United States and well-known internationally.New York Times critic John S. Wilson wrote:Mr...
- jazz pianist who became prominent in the United States and well-known internationally. - Kuh LedesmaKuh LedesmaKuh Ledesma is a popular Filipino pop and jazz singer. She is known in the Philippines as the "Pop Diva". Kuh Ledesma has been performing for 25 years in the music industry which encompasses more than 300 concerts, numerous awards in the Philippines, and 18 albums in the Philippine recording...
-popular pop and jazz singer.known as the Pop Diva of the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Television
- Allan K.Allan K.Allan K. is a singer, comedian, actor and TV host. He is one of the co-hosts of the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga.-Career:...
-is a singer, comedian, actor and TV host. He is one of the co-hosts of the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga. - Saicy AguilaSaicy AguilaSaicy Abucejo Aguila is a dancesport and samba instructor in Bacolod City and former reality show contestant who joined Pinoy Big Brother . She is currently a dancer for the Filipino variety noontime show, Pilipinas Win Na Win.-Filmography:-References:...
-dancesport and samba instructor,former reality show contestant who joined Pinoy Big Brother (season 2). - Rio DiazRio DiazRio Diaz-Cojuangco was a former beauty queen, TV Host and actress born in the Philippines. She was the sister of former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz. Rio was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in December 1998. She was given three months to live then, but she lived for six more years...
-was a former beauty queen, TV Host and actress - Romy PastranaRomy PastranaRomeo Pastrana , commonly known by his stage name Dagul, is a Filipino midget actor, comedian and politician. He was born in Victorias City, Negros Occidental on October 5, 1958 and is married with 3 children.-About:...
-comedian - JM Rodriguez- TV host, stage actor, and current TV Head Channel V PhilippinesChannel V PhilippinesChannel [V] Philippines is a 24-hour music-entertainment television network owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, a partnership with TV Xtreme Broadcasting Company as a new network provider starting on March 1, 2009....
- Margaret Nales Wilson-British-Filipino beauty pageant contestant, TV personality, and actress
- Christian VasquezChristian VásquezChristian Vazquez is a Negros Occidentalese actor, model and a former housemate of ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother: Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition. During his stint at Pinoy Big Brother, he was one of the comedian housemates. He graduated from high school at the University of St...
-actor, model and a former housemate of ABS-CBNABS-CBNABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
's Pinoy Big BrotherPinoy Big BrotherPinoy Big Brother is the Philippine version of the reality television show Big Brother . It follows the same premise as its many foreign counterparts around the world: twelve Philippine residents are forced to live with each other inside a house for about 3 months or at least 100 days...
: Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity EditionPinoy Big Brother: Celebrity EditionThe first celebrity edition of Pinoy Big Brother, titled Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition is a special edition of the original show...
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Visual Arts
- Alfredo AlcalaAlfredo AlcalaAlfredo P. Alcala was a Filipino comic book artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United...
-comic book artist for DC and Marvel Comics - Alfonso A. OssorioAlfonso A. OssorioAlfonso A. Ossorio was an abstract expressionist artist who was born in Manila in 1916 to wealthy Filipino parents from the province of Negros Occidental. His heritage was Hispanic, Filipino, and Chinese. Between the ages of eight and thirteen, he attended school in England. At age fourteen, he...
-abstract expressionist artist,
Business
- Amado AranetaAraneta familyThe Aranetas are influential Filipino family that originated from Gipuzkoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the Basque word "aran" meaning valley, with the suffix "eta" denoting a "place of" .-Origins:...
-Sugar Miller, developer of the Araneta ColiseumAraneta ColiseumThe Smart Araneta Coliseum, known as The Big Dome is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines...
and Araneta CenterAraneta CenterThe Araneta Center is a 35-hectare commercial area in Quezon City, Philippines. Araneta Center Inc. , controlled by the Araneta family, is the owner, developer and manager of Araneta Center, which brings in an estimated 1 million visitors daily... - Jorge AranetaAraneta familyThe Aranetas are influential Filipino family that originated from Gipuzkoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the Basque word "aran" meaning valley, with the suffix "eta" denoting a "place of" .-Origins:...
- Chairman and CEO and President, Araneta Group - Judy Araneta-RoxasAraneta familyThe Aranetas are influential Filipino family that originated from Gipuzkoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the Basque word "aran" meaning valley, with the suffix "eta" denoting a "place of" .-Origins:...
- Vice Chairman, Araneta Group, mother to Liberal Party (Philippines) President and Cabinet Secretary Mar RoxasMar RoxasManuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II is a former Senator of the Philippines. He is the son of former Senator Gerry Roxas, and the grandson of former President Manuel Roxas and industrialist J. Amado Araneta....
- Margarita Araneta Foreshttp://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Margarita_Fores-Celebrity chef and businesswoman extraordinaire in ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. Owner of 10 Italian inspired restaurants including Cibo, Pepato, Café Bola and Pepato restaurants. Other businesses include Fiori di M and Casa di M, high-end floral and housewares design, respectively - Lynn Agustin and Corcor Bitong- founders of Bayo Inc., a women's clothing line
- Oscar Hilado - Chairman, Philippine Investment Management Inc. ranked in 2007 by Forbes Magazine as the 33rd richest person in the Philippines
- Raul Locsin http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/Citation/CitationLocsinRau.htm-Editor,Publisher and founder of BusinessWorldBusinessWorldBusinessWorld is a business newspaper in the Philippines. Its forerunner, BusinessDay, whose maiden issue came out on February 27,1967, was Southeast Asia’s first business daily. As of September 2011, it has a daily circulation of 65,000....
, Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
's first daily business newspaper.Ramon Magsaysay AwardRamon Magsaysay AwardThe Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
recipient. - Tan YuTan YuTan Yu was a Chinese Filipino philanthropist and real estate entrepreneur who was once the richest man in the Philippines. In 1997, Forbes ranked him among the 20 wealthiest men on the planet where he had a net worth of about $7 Billion...
- was once the richest man in the Philippines. In 1997, Forbes ranked him among the 20 wealthiest men on the planet when he had a net worth of about $7 Billion, he studied at the University of St. La SalleUniversity of St. La SalleThe University of St. La Salle , located in La Salle Avenue, Bacolod City, Philippines, is a Catholic private university run by the De La Salle Brothers. Established in 1952 as La Salle College-Bacolod, it is the second oldest campus originally founded by the congregation in the country...
in Bacolod CityBacolod CityThe City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in... - JM, Rose and Bing Tanalgo - founders of Bacolod Chicken InasalBacolod Chicken InasalBacolod Chicken Inasal is a Philippine restaurant business. It is among the chains in the country best known for serving inasal, a kind of roast chicken served on skewers that originated in the Visayas. It is also a sponsor for a number of television sitcoms on ABS-CBN.-History:The chain was...
, a Philippine restaurant chain - Dr. Homero Sicangco and Conchita Varela Sicangco- founder of Bob's http://bobsbacolod.com/history, a restaurant chain in the Philippines
- Ricardo B. Yanson and Olivia Flores Yanson- founder of Vallacar Transit CorporationVallacar Transit CorporationVallacar Transit Corporation is the largest land transport company in the Philippines. It comprises Vallacar Transit, Inc., established in 1968, Rural Transit of Mindanao Inc. , established in 1985, and Bachelor Express Inc., also established in 1985...
;operator of Ceres Bus Lines, the largest land transport company in the Philippines
Religion
- Niall O'Brien (priest)-was an Irish Columban missionary priest,writer of the hiligaynon bible
- Rolando Ramos DizonRolando Ramos DizonBrother Rolando Ramos Dizon FSC PhD is a Filipino De La Salle Brother who was the President of De La Salle University-Manila and the De La Salle University System from 1998–2003, Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education from March 2003 to September 2004, Director-at-Large of the Catholic...
-de la salle brother, former chairman of the Commission on Higher EducationCommission on Higher Education (Philippines)The Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines, , abbreviated as CHED. The CHED is attached to the Office of the President for administrative purposes... - Antonio FortichAntonio FortichRight Reverend Bishop Antonio Fortich was a Catholic bishop and social activist who lived in Bacolod City in Negros Occidental in the Philippines.-Early years:...
-former Bishop of BacolodBacolod CityThe City of Bacolod , is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city. It is the capital of the Negros Occidental province. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in...
, political activist and Ramon Magsaysay AwardRamon Magsaysay AwardThe Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
recipient - Jesus Y VarelaJesus Y VarelaThe Most Reverend Jesus Y. Varela is a Filipino prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been the Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon, since his retirement on April 16, 2003. He was appointed bishop of Sorsogon on November 27, 1980 Prior to that he served as the first...
-Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of SorsogonRoman Catholic Diocese of SorsogonThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was established in 1951 by the Archdiocese of Caceres, and in 1968, the diocese was subdivided after the Diocese of Masbate separated. The diocese is a suffragan of...
,former President, Philippine Federation of Catholic Broadcasters
Others
- Rose Lacson-PorteousRose PorteousRose Porteous , a Filipino-born Australian, is best known for her marriage to Lang Hancock, a West Australian iron ore mining magnate, and the protracted legal battle with her step-daughter, Gina Rinehart, over the circumstances that lead to the death of Hancock, and the distribution of his estate...
-Australian-Filipino Socialite - Soledad "Gretchen" Oppen-CojuangcoEduardo Cojuangco, Jr.Eduardo Murphy Cojuangco, Jr. , also known as Danding Cojuangco, is the chairman of San Miguel Corporation, the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, former Philippine ambassador, and former governor of Tarlac. In 2005, his personal wealth was estimated at...
- Heiress and Philantrophist, is the wife of Billionaire Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr.Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr.Eduardo Murphy Cojuangco, Jr. , also known as Danding Cojuangco, is the chairman of San Miguel Corporation, the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, former Philippine ambassador, and former governor of Tarlac. In 2005, his personal wealth was estimated at...
, Chairman of San Miguel CorporationSan Miguel CorporationEstablished in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
,southeast asia's largest food and beverage corporation.
Notable people of Negrense descent
Below is a list of people whose parent were born and raised in Negros Occidental, but was not born nor lived in Negros for an extended period- Mikey ArroyoMikey ArroyoJuan Miguel Macapagal Arroyo, known as Mikey Arroyo is a Filipino actor and the representative of the party-list group Ang Galing Pinoy. He was the former congressman from second district of Pampanga from 2004 to 2010...
-son of former Phil President Gloria Arroyo, member Philippine House of Representatives - Diosdado Macapagal–Arroyo also known as Dato Arroyo-son of former Phil President Gloria Arroyo, member Philippine House of Representatives
- Sheryl CruzSheryl CruzSheryl Rose Anna Marie Sonora Cruz , better known simply as Sheryl Cruz, is a Filipina actress and singer. She is known for her role as Divina Ferrer on 2007's television drama series Sinasamba Kita and as Valeria on Bakekang and Rosalinda.-Acting career:Cruz started her career at a very young age...
- actress on film and television - Joseph Victor Ejercito-son of former Phil President Joseph EstradaJoseph EstradaJoseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
, member Philippine House of Representatives - Charlene GonzalesCharlene GonzalesCharlene Mae Gonzales Bonnin Muhlach is a television and film personality and former beauty queen from the Philippines. Gonzalez won the Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 1994 title and represented her country at the Miss Universe 1994 pageant held in Manila, where she won the Best National Costume...
-television and film personality and former beauty queen - AJ PerezAJ PerezAntonello Joseph "AJ" Sarte Perez was a Filipino actor. He was a member of ABS-CBN's Star Magic in Batch 13. He portrayed one of the lead characters in the 2009 miniseries Your Song Presents: Underage. In 2010, he played his first main role on primetime in the television series, Sabel...
-actor on film and television - Francis MagalonaFrancis MagalonaFrancis Michael Durango Magalona , also known as FrancisM, Master Rapper, MC The Mouth and The Man From Manila, was a Filipino rapper, entrepreneur, songwriter, producer, actor, director, and photographer. He was the first Filipino rapper in the Philippines to cross over to the mainstream...
-is an actor, TV host, master rapper and also VJ on Channel V PhilippinesChannel V PhilippinesChannel [V] Philippines is a 24-hour music-entertainment television network owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, a partnership with TV Xtreme Broadcasting Company as a new network provider starting on March 1, 2009....
and MTV PhilippinesMTV PhilippinesMTV Philippines was a 24-hour music/entertainment television network owned by All Youth Channels, Inc., with a partnership with MTV Networks Asia Pacific...
. He is one of the past co-hosts of the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga. - Sergio Osmeña III-Senator
- Tomas OsmeñaTomas OsmeñaTomas "Tommy" de la Rama Osmeña is a Filipino politician currently serving as Congressman for the second district of Cebu City. Prior to his congressional term, he has also served as mayor of Cebu City from 1988 to 1995 and from 2001 to 2010.-Early life:Tomas is the son of the late Senator Sergio...
-member Philippine House of Representatives, former Mayor of Cebu CityCebu CityThe City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was... - Lea SalongaLea SalongaLea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and...
- Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
award winning actress and singer - Francis Varela - Under-secretary for the Department of Education (Philippines)Department of Education (Philippines)The Department of Education , is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the management and governing of the Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine educational policy and is responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary...
- Juan Miguel ZubiriJuan Miguel ZubiriJuan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri is a Filipino politician who served as a Congressman representing the third district of Bukidnon for three consecutive terms, and was the Senate of the Philippines Majority Leader, replacing Senator Francis Pangilinan on November 17, 2008...
- Senator
Social problems
While most residents of Negros enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, Negros continues to face many social challenges as it develops.Child poverty
One of the major social problems in Negros Occidental is the growing population of street children. Many children are abandoned by their parents as a result of drug or alcohol addiction, or poverty. These children are often involved in criminal activities, and can even be forced into child prostitution, which is a growing problem in the area. Lack of education, medical attention, food and shelter are a daily reality for many of Negros' street children. Children are often emotionally scarred from their early childhood experiences, leading to drug and alcohol abuse later in life.There are several charitable organizations who work with the Negros Occidental communities to help them alleviate the problem of child poverty, including Kalipay Negrense Foundation. These organizations help to provide food and shelter, as well as access to education and medical care. They also aim to aid in the physical, mental and emotional development of Negros' impoverished children.