BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental provincial government has cancelled the staging of the 27th Panaad sa Negros Festival on April 20 to 26 amid the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The decision was made after Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer met with the mayors of the towns and cities during the Negros Association of Chief Executives assembly in Talisay City on March 16.
The top provincial officials and the local chief executives unanimously agreed to cancel this year’s edition of the festival.
“Despite the initial preparations, the health, safety and well-being of all Negrosanons are still the priority,” Lacson said.
The organizers of the said festival already posted on their official Facebook page the cancelation of the event.
“We are all excited for Panaad sa Negros Festival 2020. However, the health and safety of our fellow Negrenses are our top priority,” the organizers said.
“We promise to bring you the best Panaad sa Negros Festival in the future. For now, stay healthy and keep safe everyone!” they added.
Dubbed as the “Festival of All Festivals,” Panaad sa Negros showcases the 32-themed pavilions of each city and municipality of the province. They are designed either as replicas of their own municipal or city hall, or it can even be their famous products.
This year’s edition of the Panaad Festival – supposedly the first under the leadership of Lacson and Ferrer – was launched on Feb.11 with the theme, “The Future is Now!”
At that time, the provincial government said they will continue working on the preparations for Panaad 2020 since the COVID-19 spread may no longer exist in April.
They added, however, that they are willing to cancel or postpone the festival if the need arises in order to not sacrifice the health of its people.(With a report from PNA/PN)
