BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Earnings of the 2023 Panaad sa Negros Festival hit a record high of P23.6 million.
It is P3.4 million higher than the festival’s 2019 sales of P20.2 million.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said local government unit (LGU) pavilions raked in P16 million while kiosk operators earned more than P5 million.
Trade fair earnings, meanwhile, were pegged at P1 million.
With regards to complaints of high prices from festival goers, Lacson pointed out they always received such complaint every festival edition.
The reason behind the high prices, he said, may be the inflation, adding that even without the festival, the price of primary products is already high.
Despite the complaints, Lacson said majority of the festival goers have chosen to still make purchases – the reason why they reached the P23.6-million mark in sales this year.
This year’s festivities were held for the first time after a three-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, this year’s Panaad sa Negros Festival was generally peaceful, according to the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO).
Police Captain Judesses Catalogo, NOCPPO spokesperson, said they recorded only a few minor incidents during the week-long festivities.
He pointed out such incidents were to be expected due to the large volume of festival goers.
A man they caught stealing had already been charged and was detained at the Police Station 7.
A total of 680 personnel from various law enforcement agencies and force multipliers were deployed during the festivities./PN
