BACOLOD City – Amid the threat of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Negros Occidental provincial government launched the 27th Panaad sa Negros Festival on Tuesday, promising an eco-friendly celebration.
This year’s festival, slated on Apr. 20 to 26, is the first time to be staged under the leadership of governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and vice governor Jeffrey Ferrer.
Lacson said that during the festival, the province would strengthen solid waste management and provide guidelines to each local government unit.
“Plastic bags will not be used in our pavilions,” he stressed.
This year, he said, the festivities would focus on various aspects of tourism, including food, sports, culture, arts and heritage, adventure, and festival, as well as on eco-tourism and sustainable tourism.
Dubbed as the “Festival of All Festivals,” the Panaad sa Negros showcases the 32-themed pavilions of each city and municipality of the province, including the capital Bacolod City, designed either as replicas of their own municipal or city hall, or their famous products.
As for the COVID-19 situation, Lacson said they will continue preparing for Panaad 2020 and “will not allow the condition, which may not exist in April, to dampen our spirits.”
He, however, said the province is willing to cancel or postpone the festival if the need arises as it will not sacrifice the health of its people.
The “The Future is Now!” themed festival is apt as the province faces the future by reinventing itself to show the world that Negros is more than just sugar, Lacson said.
“Negros is the place where you can succeed if you try, where a healthy economy can advance by what we make and innovate,” he added. (with a report from PNA/PN)
