THE current situation in Negros Oriental after the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo will not affect the upcoming Panaad sa Negros Festival, which is set on April 17 to 30, Provincial Tourism Officer and Panaad Festival Director Cheryl Decena said Tuesday, March 14.
Even before the incident in the neighboring province, the local government and law enforcement units had already been working hard on the security plan for the biggest festival in the province, she said.
The festival's formal launch was held Tuesday afternoon, March 14, at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon and Park, led by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Among the lead agencies that will be leading the security and safety of the festivalgoers are the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO).
Decena is confident that a lot of tourists will arrive in the province to join the festivities, which were not held in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said that based on the statistics they have gathered, so far, the number of tourist arrivals is already picking up, and they are confident that they'll be able to beat the targets set by the Department of Tourism for Negros Occidental this year.
She also pointed out that tourists who are originally planning to visit Negros Oriental may opt to visit Negros Occidental instead.
However, she pointed out that Negros Occidental is not taking advantage of the situation and that they would need to prepare the available accommodations for the thousands of tourists expected to visit the province this year.
Also held during the Panaad launching on Tuesday was the sashing of 27 candidates representing the towns and cities in the province for the search for Lin-ay sang Negros 2023.
Decena also said there are already national figures who have accepted the invitation to come to the province, however, she cannot divulge their names yet for security reasons.*