On May 29, 2015,

President Benigno

Aquino III signed

Executive Order 183

creating the Negros Island Region (NIR)

Executive Order 183Negros Occidental was carved from Region VI (Western Visayas), and Negros Oriental from Region VII (Central Visayas) to form the new region.

  BEFORE NOW

The Newest Region in the Philippines

Negros Island RegionRegion XVIII

It is located between the islands of Panay and Guimaras to the west and Cebu to the east, with Siquijor located on the toe of the island and Bantayan Island to the north.

Negros is an Island of the Philippines

located in the Visayas. It is the

fourth largest island in the country , with

a land area of 13, 309.6 square kilometers.

Negros Island Region has the least number of provinces in the Philippines (only 2). It has 19 cities (including the highly urbanized city of Bacolod) in total, making it the region with the most cities, tying alongside with CALABARZON, which also has 19 cities.

Negros Occidental has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines. The province comprises 13 cities and 19 municipalities, which are further subdivided into 601 barangays. Although Bacolod serves as the capital, it is governed independently from the province as a highly urbanized city. Negros Oriental comprises 6 cities and 19 municipalities, with 557 barangays.

Inhabitants of the island region are called Negrenses (and less often Negrosanons), the name of the Filipino island means Blacks in the Spanish language.

NEGROSOCCIDENTAL

Negros Island was originally known to the natives as "Buglas", meaning "cut off" in old Hiligaynon. When the Spaniards arrived in April 1565, they named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found.

Why is it named Negros?

NEGROS OCCIDENTALAlso known as Occidental Negros or Western Negros

Capital is Bacolod CityKnown as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's sugar output.

GEOGRAPHYThe province is approximately 375 kilometers long from north to south. It is bounded by the Visayan Sea in the north, Panay Gulf on the west, Tañon 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.

Language:The primary spoken language is Hiligaynon (also known as Ilonggo) and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism.

NATURAL RESOURCES

DivisionsIndependent cities - 1Component cities - 12Municipalities - 19Barangays - 601including independent cities: 662Districts - 1st to 6th districts of Negros Occidentalincluding independent cities: Lone district of Bacolod City

FESTIVALS

MASSKARA FESTIVAL

The Masskara Festival (Hiligaynon: Pista sang MassKara, Filipino: Fiesta ng MassKara) is a festival held each year in Bacolod, Philippines. It is held every third weekend of October or on the closest weekend to October 19.The word "Masskara" is a portmanteau, coined by the late artist Ely Santiago from mass (a multitude of people), and the Spanish word cara (face), thus forming MassKara (a multitude of faces). The word is also a pun on maskara, Filipino for "mask" (itself from Spanish máscara), since a prominent feature of the festival are the masks worn by participants, which are always adorned with smiling faces.

PASALAMAT FESTIVAL OF LA CARLOTA

Pasalamat Festival is a thanksgiving celebration held on Sunday nearest to the month of May.

Pasalamat brings together the La Carloteños in unity and thanksgiving to God Almighty for providing the people with gift of life and perseverance despite life’s difficulties.

Bailes de Luces of La Castellana

La Castellana is a first class municipality in Negros Occidental. The name of the town is after Spain’s “Paseo de La Castellana" in Madrid. It is located at the base of Kanlaon Volcano. Aside from its picturesque and beautiful tourist spots, the town is also known for its festivals. One of the festivals of La Castellana is the vibrant and lively Bailes de Luces.

PINTAFLORES FESTIVAL OF SAN CARLOSSan Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Philippines highlights its annual festival celebration every November 3-5. Pintaflores derived from the two words Pintados (painted ones), and Flores, Spanish for “flower”. It’s also known as Dances of Flowers. The street dancing competition is one of the highlights.

SPORTS

SportsNegros 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 Philippines.

LANDMARKS

The Panaad Stadium (also spelled as Pana-ad) 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. It played host to football at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games and was later the venue of the 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.

THE PANAAD STADIUM

Isn’t it amazing?

The Capitol Park and Lagoon is a provincial park located in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. One of the landmarks of the park is the statue of a carabao (water buffalo) being pulled by a woman. This statue 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. These sculptures are located at the northern and southern ends of the lagoon. These figures were executed by Italian sculpture Francesco Riccardo Monti who also did the sculptures of the Metropolitan Manila Theater and the University of the Philippines - Visayas Iloilo campus. Guillermo Tolentino also contributed as a sculptor of the figures.

CAPITOL PARK AND LAGOON

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

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.

The Fountain of Justice

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.

The Bacolod Public Plaza

Silay City, to the north of the capital of Bacolod City, nicknamed the "Paris of Negros", is the cultural and artistic center of Negros Island Region. 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.

SILAY CITY

Balay Negrense on Cinco de Noviembre Street

The Ruins.

The mansion dates back to the 1900s when it was built by sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson for his first wife, Maria Braga, a Portuguese from Macau whom he met in his vacations in Hong Kong. The mansion's structure is of Italianate architecture enhanced by a belvedere complete with renaissance-type balustrading typical of the homes of English ship captains. It was burned down in World War II to prevent the Japanese from using it. It was opened to the public by descendants of the original owner and is listed as among the World's 12 most fascinating ruins.

The Ruins.

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.

The San Diego Pro-cathedral

NEGROS ORIENTAL

Negros Oriental also called Oriental Negros or Eastern Negros, is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island Region. It occupies the southeastern 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.

Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of government, and most populous city of the province.

Geography

Negros Oriental faces Cebu to the east across the Tañon Strait and Siquijor to the south east (which happened to be part of the province).

Language

The primary spoken language is Cebuano and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Sugarcane CoconutMango Rice and Corn

TOURISTS SPOTS

Municipality of Valencia

BALANAN LAKE IN DUMAGUETE

LAKE BALINSASAYAO

KANLAON VOLCANO

FESTIVALS

Celebrated every 15th day of January, the Sinulog de Jimalalud, known today as Hambalalud Festival is the most contested event in celebration of the town’s fiesta and unending blessings & generosity of the Holy Child, Sr. Sto Niño.

HAMBALALUD FESTIVAL (Municipality of Jimalalud)

Held in barangay Masulog, Sibulan every 3rd Sunday of January the street dancing and showdown presentations recount the legend of the great floods (sulog) that periodically laid waste to the old village. The natives would seek the intercession of the Santo Niño, and took better care of their natural resources so their crop lands’ fertility was restored.

MASULOG FESTIVAL (Brgy. Maslog, Sibulan )

The fiesta highlight is a ritual of pagan provenance, the “Inagta,” featuring dark-painted performers imitating animals in ethnic movements. The ritual starts at the portals of the church just after the fiesta Mass, and proceeds along well-paved municipal streets to private residences. The Inagta Festival is celebrated every 5th day of December.

BODBOD FESTIVAL (City of Tanjay) – 3rd week of December

The festival gives emphasis to the City’s native delicacy made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt. It features “the Biggest Bodbod“ that would weigh as much as eighty kilos and requires ten persons to prepare the delicacy, and the “Smallest Bodbod” that would come served inside a matchbox.

SINULOG SA TANJAY FESTIVAL (City of Tanjay) – 24th of June

A Street dancing with mock battles between Moros and Christians followed by a reconciliation through the intercession of the patron Señor Santiago.