BACOLOD City – Despite recent setbacks, the state of Negros Occidental is “good”, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson in his second State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 8.
In his SOPA which was attended by key provincial officials and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Lacson said he wanted to make the province a place of opportunity and progress for those willing to work for it.
Negros Occidental, he said, made gains from its economic enterprises, tourism and agriculture.
The Negros First CyberCentre generated P64,329,885 in rentals from January to June this year.
The capitol-owned facility now has a 92.5 percent occupancy rate.
The Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary and catering services, which formally re-opened in 2022 following the coronavirus pandemic, collected P9,780,741 so far this year, an 80 percent self-sufficiency rate.
The resort also recorded 2,309,464 same-day visitors, and 678,520 overnight tourist arrivals from 2022 to the first half of this year.
The provincial government was also able to collect P44,230,997.50 from the extraction and utilization of mineral resources fees, administrative fees, and the imposition of fines and penalties for violators of Governor’s Permits and Provincial Tax Ordinance 2017-001 from January to June this year.
In the agriculture sector, Negros Occidental attained an 84 percent rice self-sufficiency level, assuring the province’s food security until the end of 2023.
Lacson also lauded the successful containment of hog diseases in the province, noting that the number of hog mortality dropped to single-digit, and even pointed out there were days they recorded zero fatality.
Negros Occidental has also remained free from bird flu, he added.
Nationwide, Negros Occidental is No. 3 in goat production, No. 4 in hog and carabao production, No. 5 in poultry, and No. 15 in cattle production, according to Lacson.
“Let us continue to show our country and our constituents that a reliable, honest, honorable, and God-centered governance is possible in our time in our province,” Lacson said.
The governor assured the mayors and other officials of the province’s component municipalities and cities that he knows that so much is being asked of them given the challenges they currently face. He assured them that the local government units and their constituents are in able hands. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
