93-579: Negros Occidental ( Hiligaynon : Nakatungdang Negros ; Tagalog : Kanlurang Negros ), officially the Province of Negros Occidental ( Hiligaynon : Kapuoran sang Nakatungdang Negros ; Tagalog : Lalawigan ng Kanlurang Negros ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island Region . Its capital is the city of Bacolod , of which it is geographically situated and grouped under by
186-747: A protectorate of the United States until 1901, when the republic was dissolved, with the two provinces annexed back to the Philippines. During the succeeding decades between 1901 and the 1930s, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental were both under Insular Government of the United States of America as with the rest of the nation and later under the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines . Economic growth continued especially with Philippine sugar having
279-522: A Western Bisayan language, while Capiznon is a Central Bisayan language closely related to Hiligaynon. Consonants [d] and [ɾ] were once allophones but cannot interchange as in other Philippine languages: patawaron ('to forgive') [from patawad , 'forgiveness'] but not patawadon , and tagadiín ('from where') [from diín , 'where'] but not tagariín . There are four main vowels: /a/ , /i ~ ɛ/ , /o ~ ʊ/ , and /u/ . [i] and [ɛ] (both spelled i ) are allophones , with [i] in
372-508: A chartered city on June 12, 1957, by virtue of Republic Act 1621. On June 7, 2003, Silay City became the first local government unit in the Republic of the Philippines to hold a referendum through a People's Initiative approving the 2003 annual executive budget. Today, Silay City is listed by the Department of Tourism as one of its 25 tourist destinations in the Philippines. It is considered
465-535: A dog. When an adjective modifies a noun, the linker nga links the two. Example: Ido nga itom 'black dog' Sometimes, if the linker is preceded by a word that ends in a vowel, glottal stop or the letter N, it becomes acceptable to contract it into -ng , as in Filipino. This is often used to make the words sound more poetic or to reduce the number of syllables. Sometimes the meaning may change as in maayo nga aga , '(the) good morning', and maayong aga ,
558-572: A first language, because of its linguistic ties with Iloilo . Cebuano is spoken by the remaining 16%, especially in the cities and towns facing the Tañon Strait , due to their proximity to the island-province of Cebu , and the province's eastern parts that border Negros Oriental . A mixture of Hiligaynon and Cebuano is spoken in Sagay and surrounding places, which both face Iloilo and Cebu. Filipino and English are widely spoken and used on both sides of
651-590: A leading sugar-producing area because of the Horno Economico ( sugar mill ) built in 1846 by a Frenchman who became a permanent resident of Silay, Yves Leopold Germain Gaston . With the outbreak of the Revolution of 1896 came a division between the sugarcane planters of Silay and the clergy . Some planters and clergy supported the rebels while others were against the revolution. On November 5, 1898, at about 2:00 in
744-527: A mine of the Maricalum company on November 8, 1982 During the 1970s and 1980s, atrocities against peasants were committed, with one such harrowing example being the Escalante Massacre . Negros del Norte was created from Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986, but its creation was declared unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and was immediately abolished on August 18, 1986. Towards the end of 1987, after
837-592: A part of the US market. The socio-economic lives of the island of Negros, from the 1950s up to the late 1980s, depended as before, mainly on the sugar industry . From 1914 to 1927, parts of Western Negros hosted several newly established settlements which became cities connected by railroads constructed to flow towards several "sugar centrals" which were processing the extremely sweet raw sugar canes grown in Negros' volcanic soil and farmed by several "Haciendas". These haciendas littered
930-412: A popular vote, serving for a three-year term as well. Cities and municipalities are further subdivided into barangays, each headed by a barangay captain , who also oversees the administrative services of the government. Bacolod, as a highly urbanized city, is not under the jurisdiction of the provincial government and does not participate in the election of provincial officials, even though it hosts most of
1023-435: A sitio of San Enrique ). Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later transferred to Himamaylan. Bacolod finally became the capital in 1849. The island was divided into Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental in 1890. The two provinces were briefly unified as the independent Cantonal Republic of Negros , with Bacolod as the capital on November 27, 1898. The Cantonal Republic of Negros became
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#17328481205201116-454: A three-year term as well. In cases where the representatives resign from their position, the position remains vacant until a caretaker is assigned to take over the affected district. Historically, Negros Occidental has been grouped under Western Visayas for the allocation of regional services as well as for statistical purposes. However, with the reinstatement of Negros Island Region in June of 2024,
1209-627: A total of 13 operating PEZA-registered IT Parks and Centers. In 2012, a two-hectare portion of the four-hectare Paglaum Sports Complex was partitioned for the construction of the provincial government-owned Negros First CyberCentre (NFCC) as an IT-BPO Outsourcing Hub with a budget of P674-million. It is located at Lacson corner Hernaez Streets in Bacolod and offers up to 22,000 square meters of mixed IT-BPO and commercial spaces. Its facilities are divided into three sections — Information Technology, Commercial Support Facilities, and Common IT Facilities. It
1302-458: A tropical climate, some places are cooler, particularly the localities located close to Mandalagan, Kanlaon, and the mountain range near its border. More specifically, the towns of Don Salvador Benedicto and Candoni boast average temperatures somewhat lower compared to those situated at the coast. Negros Occidental comprises 19 municipalities and 13 cities (one highly-urbanized and twelve component), further subdivided into 662 barangays . It has
1395-424: Is a forest reserve located in these areas. Initially established as a forest reserve in 1935, it was converted to a natural park in 2005. Numerous diverse arrays of fauna and flora, some of which are endemic to its forests, dominate the entire park. Negros Occidental has a tropical climate due to the fact that it is situated close to the equator, being located at least nine degrees north of it. The northern section of
1488-424: Is already in the talks of local provincial politicians, with additional support from the native Negrenses . There is also a suggestion, jointly approved by the provincial governors, that Negros Occidental along with Negros Oriental, be renamed with their pre-colonial names as " Buglas Nakatundan " and " Buglas Sidlakan " respectively, with Negros, as a federal state, be named as " Negrosanon Federated Region ", due to
1581-573: Is also the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub of the Negros Island Region of the Philippines . Bacolod has an estimated 35,000 workforce in the IT-BPO industry working in 20 major companies. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys , Teleperformance , TTEC , Focus Direct International, Inc. – Bacolod , Panasiatic Solutions, Ubiquity Global Services, Transcom Asia and iQor . As of 2019, Negros Occidental has
1674-622: Is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, predominantly in Western Visayas , Negros Island Region , and Soccsksargen , most of whom belong to the Hiligaynon people . It is the second-most widely spoken language in the Visayas and belongs to the Bisayan languages , and it is more distantly related to other Philippine languages . It also has one of
1767-463: Is approximately 375 kilometres (233 mi) long from north to south. The Visayan Sea bounds it in the north, Panay Gulf on the west, the Tañon Strait on the east, the province of Negros Oriental on the southeast, and Sulu Sea on the southwest. Much of Negros Occidental is composed of plains and gentle slopes, the former of which dominate the northern and central parts of the province. Since
1860-602: Is beautiful.' 'Sara is beautiful' (English) There is no direct translation for the English copula to be in Hiligaynon. However, the prefixes mangin- and nangin- may be used to mean will be and became, respectively. Example: Manamì mangín manggaránon. 'It is nice to become rich.' The Spanish copula estar ('to be') has also become a part of the Hiligaynon lexicon. Its meaning and pronunciation have changed compared to its Spanish meaning, however. In Hiligaynon it
1953-463: Is capable of handling all-weather and night-landing operations. Its 2,000-meter (6,600 ft.) long and 45-meter (148 ft.) wide primary runway, and 678-meter by 23-meter taxiways can accommodate Airbus A320 family -size aircraft, and the Boeing 737 , while the apron can hold five aircraft at any one time. The runway runs in a direction of 03°/21°. Provisions for a 500-meter (1,600 ft) expansion of
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#17328481205202046-562: Is composed of three sub-variants: Northern, Central and Southern Negrense Hiligaynon), Guimaras Hiligaynon, and Mindanao Hiligaynon (which incorporated some Cebuano and other languages due to the mass influx of migrants from Cebu , Bohol , Siquijor and Cebuano-speaking parts of Mindanao reside in the Soccsksargen area). Some native speakers also consider Kinaray-a (also known as Hiniraya or Antiqueño) and Capiznon dialects of Hiligaynon. However, linguists have classified Kinaray-a as
2139-461: Is governed independently as a highly urbanized city. With a population of 2,623,172 inhabitants, it is the most populated province in Negros Island Region, the second most-populous province in the Visayas after Cebu and the 8th most-populous province of the Philippines . The province also has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines with a total of 13. Negros
2232-480: Is likewise an industry where the province has remained focused. After all, 9 of its cities and 16 of its municipalities are located along the coastline and a great portion of the population depends on fishing for their livelihood. The area for exploitation by this industry is huge, covering most of the coastal areas and the rich fishing grounds of the Visayan Sea on the north, Sulu Sea on the south, Tañon Strait on
2325-580: Is more commonly used, which has rarely or never been used by other dialects of the language. Another example, amó iní , ('this is it') in Standard Hiligaynon can be simplified in Urban Hiligaynon and become 'mó'ní . Some of the other widely recognized dialects of the language, aside from Standard Hiligaynon and Urban Hiligaynon, are Bacolodnon Hiligaynon ( Metro Bacolod dialect), Negrense Hiligaynon (provincial Negros Occidental dialect that
2418-517: Is no officially recognized standard orthography for the language and different writers may follow different conventions. It is common for the newer generation, however, to write the language based on the current orthographic rules of Filipino. A noticeable feature of the Spanish-influenced orthography absent in those writing following Filipino's orthography is the use of "c" and "qu" in representing /k/ (now replaced with "k" in all instances) and
2511-417: Is practised by a minority, with 1,842 claiming it as their religion. Poverty incidence of Negros Occidental Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", the sugar industry is the lifeblood of the economy of Negros Occidental, producing more than half of the country's sugar. There are 15 sugar centrals located throughout the lowland areas the north and west of
2604-500: Is pronounced as istar and means 'to live (in)/location' (Compare with the Hiligaynon word puyô ). Example: Nagaistar ako sa tabuk suba. 'I live in tabuk suba'. Tabuk suba translates to 'other side of the river' and is also a barangay in Jaro, Iloilo. To indicate the existence of an object, the word may is used. Example: May EXIST idô dog (a)ko 1SG May idô (a)ko EXIST dog 1SG I have
2697-1068: Is spoken in other neighboring provinces , such as Antique and Aklan in Western Visayas, Negros Oriental in Negros Island Region, Masbate in Bicol Region , and southern parts of Mindoro , Romblon and Palawan in Mimaropa . It is spoken as a second language by Kinaray-a speakers in Antique , Aklanon/Malaynon speakers in Aklan , Capiznon speakers in Capiz , Cebuano speakers in Negros Oriental , and spoken and understood by native speakers of Maguindanaon , Cebuano, Ilocano , Blaan , Tboli and other settler and indigenous languages in Soccsksargen in Mindanao . There are approximately 9,300,000 people in and out of
2790-656: Is the subject and which is the object ; rather, the affix of the verb determines this, though the ang -marked noun is always the topic. In addition to this, there are two verbal deictics , karí , meaning 'to come to the speaker', and kadto , meaning 'to go yonder'. Hiligaynon lacks the marker of sentence inversion ay of Tagalog/Filipino or hay of Akeanon. Instead sentences in SV form (Filipino: Di karaniwang anyo ) are written without any marker or copula. Examples: Si Sara ay maganda (Tagalog) Si Sara matahum / Gwapa si Sara (Hiligaynon) = 'Sara
2883-404: Is used medially to indicate the glottal stop san-o 'when' gab-e 'evening; night'. It is also used in reduplicated words: adlaw-adlaw 'daily, every day', from adlaw 'day, sun'. This marking is not used in reduplicated words whose base is not also used independently, as in pispis 'bird'. Hyphens are also used in words with successive sounds of /g/ and /ŋ/ , to separate
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2976-503: The Coronas climate classification , Negros Occidental is situated under the Type III climate. This means that the province has a relatively short dry season from November to April, while remaining wet for the rest of the year. Occasionally, the southwestern section is classified as a Type I climate, with more pronounced wet and dry seasons. While most of the province has temperatures expected for
3069-550: The National Historical Commission of the Philippines as part of the Silay National Historical Landmark. In 2015, the city celebrated its 58th charter anniversary. The appellation Silay is derived from the name of a native tree which grew abundantly in the area. The kansilay is the city's official tree. A local legend tells of how Silay City got its name. It is said that in the days of
3162-657: The Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol . Both positions are elected by a popular vote to serve for a three-year term. Since the province is an administrative division of the country, it is still subject to the laws and policies of the republic, such as those under the Constitution, Republic Acts, and Executive Orders. Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and Sangguniang Bayan of the 13 cities and 19 municipalities, respectively, are also elected by
3255-501: The Philippines who are native speakers of Hiligaynon and an additional 5,000,000 capable of speaking it with a substantial degree of proficiency. Aside from Hiligaynon , the language is also referred to as Ilonggo , also spelled Ilongo , as it originated in Iloilo. Many speakers outside Iloilo argue, that this is an incorrect usage of the word Ilonggo . In precise usage, these people opine that Ilonggo should be used only in relation to
3348-449: The datus and rajahs , there once lived a princess named Kansilay. An attack on the settlement by pirates was thwarted when the princess bravely led the people in the village's defense. The fight was furious and the princess fought like a seasoned warrior. Murals that used to grace some of the city's public buildings depict her as a fierce fighter wielding a huge talibong , a short native single-edged sword. The pirates were routed, but at
3441-503: The metropolitan area called Metro Bacolod , which includes the cities of Bacolod (the metropolitan center) and Talisay . It has a sizable commercial and fishing port and is the site of the new Bacolod–Silay International Airport , which replaced the old Bacolod City Domestic Airport . Silay is often referred to as the " Paris of Negros" due to its artists, cultural shows and large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses. More than thirty of these houses have been declared by
3534-445: The "Negros Famine." The percentage of malnourished infants eventually went up to as high as 78%. Negros Occidental's problem on malnourished infants gained global prominence among the press in 1985, as they ran covers on both, local and international newspapers. The Province has a history of problems with mine pollution , one of the worst episodes being the tailings dam failure and spill of 28 million tonnes of copper mine tailings from
3627-576: The 2-story multipurpose PHP1.03 billion Negros Occidental Convention Center in Silay. It was Mayor Albee Benitez who initiated the project near the Bacolod-Silay Airport . His brother 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez certified the center as green building for conferences, cultural events, and social gatherings. The Bacolod–Silay International Airport , serves the whole Metro Bacolod area and surrounding places. The P4.37-billion airport
3720-780: The 7th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Occidental. They started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Negros from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial forces. By the time Ferdinand Marcos' second term began, sugar had become a critical Philippine export, responsible for 27% of
3813-447: The Bible into Hiligaynon and in traditional or formal speech. (**)The plural personal case markers are not used very often and not even by all speakers. Again, this is an example of a case marker that has fallen largely into disuse, but is still occasionally used when speaking a more traditional form of Hiligaynon, using fewer Spanish loan words. The case markers do not determine which noun
Negros Occidental - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-644: The Cebuano speaking natives. During World War II , both Negros provinces were invaded by Imperial Japanese forces , resorting many residents to flee to the inland mountains. Negros Island was liberated by combined Philippine & American troops with the local Negrense guerillas attacking the Japanese on August 6, 1945. The 7th, 73rd, 74th and 75th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were established from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and
3999-426: The Philippine Commonwealth Army and Negrense guerrilla fighters and defeated the Japanese defenders. Today, the site is marked by a monument dedicated to the efforts which led to the liberation of the island of Negros. On June 12, 1957, Silay was converted into a city, by virtue of Republic Act 1621. Silay City had been known in the past as the "Paris of Negros" and the "cultural and intellectual hub of Negros" due to
4092-498: The Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent from the provincial government and also one of the two regional centers in Negros Island Region (the other one is Dumaguete ). It occupies the northwestern half of the large island of Negros , and borders Negros Oriental , which comprises the southeastern half. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half
4185-451: The Spanish colonizers called Arayas , which may be a Spanish misconception of the Hiligaynon words Iraya or taga-Iraya , or the current and more popular version Karay-a ('highlanders' – people of Iraya / highlands ). Similar to many languages in the Philippines , very little research on dialectology has been done on Hiligaynon. Standard Hiligaynon, is the dialect that is used in
4278-408: The absence of the letter "w" ("u" was formerly used in certain instances). The core alphabet consists of 20 letters used for expressing consonants and vowels in Hiligaynon, each of which comes in an uppercase and lowercase variety. The apostrophe ⟨'⟩ and hyphen ⟨-⟩ also appear in Hiligaynon writing, and might be considered separate letters. The hyphen, in particular,
4371-494: The afternoon, residents of Silay gathered in the street corner now known as Cinco de Noviembre Street and from there they proceeded to the Spanish garrison near the Catholic Church. The encounter was bloodless. The Spanish civil guard commander, Lt. Maximiano Correa, refused to surrender. After negotiations with the revolutionaries mediated by Juan Viaplana, a local Spaniard, the Spanish garrison did surrender. A Philippine flag
4464-409: The basic commodity for food security, has been increasing. By 2003, annual output of 437 thousand metric tons of palay was 33% better than two years ago. This allowed the province to significantly raise its sufficiency level from 65% to more than 84%. The improvement could be attributed to the introduction and promotion of hybrid rice, which increased rice yields to 3.8 metric tons per hectare. Because of
4557-485: The beginning and middle and sometimes final syllables and [ɛ] in final syllables. The vowels [ʊ] and [o] are also allophones, with [ʊ] always being used when it is the beginning of a syllable, and [o] always used when it ends a syllable. Hiligaynon is written using the Latin script . Until the second half of the 20th century, Hiligaynon was widely written largely following Spanish orthographic conventions. Nowadays there
4650-498: The cost of the princess' life. Her paramour arrived in time to see her die. In grief, the people lovingly buried her. To their surprise, a tree grew right over her grave, the first Kansilay tree, a final gift from the brave princess. Silay was first settled in 1565, under the name "Carobcob" , which means "to scratch" in Kinaray-a ; residents of the settlement relied upon harvesting tuway clams , which involved "scratching" (or raking)
4743-517: The country's sugar production in an industry that generates an estimated annual revenue of more than ₱18 billion . There are 12 sugar mills in the province, of which only 10 are presently operational. Victorias Milling Company has the highest rated capacity with 15,000 tonnes cane per day. However, the volatility of the sugar industry forced the province to shift, albeit slowly, to other high-value crops and alternative industries. The diversification has proven to be highly successful. Production of rice,
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#17328481205204836-503: The countryside as the central sugar mills eventually grew to become full pledged towns and cities: chief among which were Ilog, Hinigaran, La Carlota, Silay , Pulupandan, Bacolod , San Carlos and Bais Western Negros also saw massive immigration from Panay as the Spanish, Chinese, and French mestizos who administered the Haciendas imported laborers from Panay island to foster the farming of Negros' sugar plantations and thereby displacing
4929-672: The county's total dollar earnings. With international sugar prices rising rapidly through the early 1970s, Marcos decided to put domestic and international sugar trading under government control, first through the Philippine Exchange Co. (Philex), and later through the Philippine Sugar Commission (Philsucom) and its trading arm, the National Sugar Trading Corporation (NASUTRA), which were both controlled by Marcos crony Roberto Benedicto . However,
5022-414: The east and Guimaras Strait and Panay Gulf at the west. These rich coastal areas and fishing grounds continue to be generous to the people of Negros Occidental. In 2003, products from deep-sea fishing, municipal marine and inland waters, and aquaculture reached 87 thousand metric tons, 30% better than 2001 production. Negros Occidental is headed by a governor and vice governor, which has its offices at
5115-513: The ethnolinguistic group of native inhabitants of Iloilo and the culture associated with native Hiligaynon speakers in that place, including their language. The disagreement over the usage of Ilonggo to refer to the language extends to Philippine language specialists and native laypeople. Historical evidence from observations of early Spanish explorers in the Archipelago shows that the nomenclature used to refer to this language had its origin among
5208-450: The greeting for 'good morning'. The linker ka is used if a number modifies a noun. Silay Silay , officially the City of Silay ( Hiligaynon : Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Silay ; Filipino : Lungsod ng Silay ), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Negros Occidental , Philippines . According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 130,478 people. It is part of
5301-430: The industrial sector accelerated the consumer-led economic growth and development manifested with the increase in sales of consumer goods and by-products. Today, Negros Occidental remains one of the most progressive and largely developed Philippine provinces, in large due to the profits from the sugar industry, but also due to economic diversification in other fields. Due to the vast population of Negros Occidental, it became
5394-481: The international price of sugar eventually crashed. Quality of life and sugar production were intertwined, so lower production meant lower quality of life for thousands that relied on the industry for sustenance and financial stability. The NASUTRA monopoly forced many sugar planters into bankruptcy or deep in debt. In 1984, over 190,000 sugar workers lost their livelihood, and about a million sacadas and their families in Negros suffered in what would later become known as
5487-460: The island for educational, literary and official purposes. Negros Occidental is the second most-populous province in the Visayas after Cebu, having the second largest number of congressional districts and the 7th most-populous (4th if highly urbanized cities and independent component cities are included in the population of corresponding provinces) in the Philippines based on the 2015 Census. As of 2010,
5580-541: The island, stretching from northwest along the coasts of the Visayan Sea and Guimaras Strait. Among the larger mills are in San Carlos, La Carlota, Bago, Binalbagan, Kabankalan, Sagay, Silay, Murcia and Victorias. Victorias Mill in Victorias City is the largest sugar mill in the country, and the world's largest integrated sugar mill and refinery. Sugar is transported from plantations to refineries by large trucks that use
5673-596: The island. The occupying forces of the Nagano Detachment of the Imperial Japanese Army retreated to Silay and proceeded up Mt. Silay to Patag. There, they established a defensive position. Military forces of the Philippine Commonwealth and soldiers of the U.S. 40th Infantry Division proceeded up the slopes of Mt. Silay with help from Filipino soldiers of the 7th, 72nd and 75th Infantry Division of
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#17328481205205766-571: The largest native language-speaking populations of the Philippines , despite it not being taught and studied formally in schools and universities until 2012. Hiligaynon is given the ISO 639-2 three-letter code hil , but has no ISO 639-1 two-letter code. Hiligaynon is mainly concentrated in the regions of Western Visayas ( Iloilo , Capiz , and Guimaras ), Negros Island Region ( Negros Occidental ), and Soccsksargen ( South Cotabato including General Santos , Sultan Kudarat , and North Cotabato ). It
5859-512: The letters with the digraph NG. Like in the word gin-gaan 'was given'; without the hyphen, it would be read as gingaan /gi.ŋaʔan/ as opposed to /gin.gaʔan/ . In addition, some English letters may be used in borrowed words. Hiligaynon has three types of case markers: absolutive , ergative , and oblique . These types in turn are divided into personal, that have to do with names of people, and impersonal, that deal with everything else, and further into singular and plural types, though
5952-454: The mining industry in Negros Occidental has remained virtually dormant since the biggest copper mine in Sipalay suspended its operation in 2000. Bacolod is the center of commerce and finance in Negros Occidental. It has oil companies, factories, bottling plants, allied industrial businesses, steel fabrication, power generation, agri-businesses, prawn culture and other aqua-culture ventures. It
6045-434: The most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines. Although Bacolod serves as the capital, it is governed independently from the province as a highly urbanized city . The population of Negros Occidental in the 2020 census was 2,623,172 people, with a density of 340 inhabitants per square kilometre or 880 inhabitants per square mile. If Bacolod is included for geographical and statistical purposes,
6138-468: The nation's sugar output. Negros Occidental faces the island-province of Guimaras and the province of Iloilo on Panay Island to the northwest across Panay Gulf and the Guimaras Strait . The primary spoken language is Hiligaynon and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism . Bacolod is the capital, seat of government and the largest city of the province (by population), but
6231-748: The national highway. A fishing industry is found in Cadiz , and other fishponds that dot the province. One of the country's largest copper mines is located in Sipalay City . There also exists a cottage industry which produced handicrafts made from indigenous materials. The province is rich in mineral deposits. Minerals that abound in the province are primary copper with estimated reserve of 591 million metric tons and gold ore with estimated reserve of 25 million tons. Silver and molybdenum deposits are also abundant, as well as non-metallic minerals suitable for agricultural and industrial uses. Notwithstanding its great potential,
6324-412: The negative racial connotation associated with the name " Negros ". Negros Occidental is located in the western side of Negros Island , the fourth largest island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 7,802.54 square kilometres (3,012.58 sq mi). If Bacolod is included for geographical purposes, the province has an area of 7,965.21 square kilometres (3,075.38 sq mi). The province
6417-526: The people of the coasts or people of the Ilawod (" los [naturales] de la playa ") in Iloilo, Panay, whom Spanish explorer Miguel de Loarca called Yligueynes (or the more popular term Hiligaynon , also referred to by the Karay-a people as Siná ). The term Hiligaynon came from the root word ilig ('to go downstream'), referring to a flowing river in Iloilo. In contrast, the Kinaray-a has been used by what
6510-484: The plural impersonal case markers are just the singular impersonal case markers + mga (a contracted spelling for /maŋa/ ), a particle used to denote plurality in Hiligaynon. (*)The articles sing and sing mga means the following noun is indefinite , while sang tells of a definite noun, like the use of a in English as opposed to the ; however, it is not as common in modern speech, being replaced by sang . It appears in conservative translations of
6603-431: The populace from Moro raiders. The place is now known as Sitio Estaca, its name derived from the Spanish word estacada . In 1760, Silay was recognized as a town being referred to in a letter from Governor Juan Jose de Mijares (1772–1775) mentioning Silay as a leading town in the north. In 1776, the bishop of Cebu considered Silay as the center of the parish . In 1760, it became a pueblo or town. By 1896, it had become
6696-528: The population of registered voters are 1,478,260. Catholicism is the predominant religion, with over 2 million adherents. Negros Occidental falls under the jurisdictions of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Bacolod , San Carlos & Kabankalan . Other major Christian denominations include Baptist churches, Aglipayan Church , Iglesia ni Cristo has 3 districts supervision has 3-4% adherents , Seventh-day Adventist Church , and Evangelicalism. Islam
6789-464: The present runway in order to accommodate even larger airplanes like the Airbus A330 , Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 are now in place. The airport is expected to be the primary entrance by air to Negros Island Region. Silay is 50 minutes by air from Manila , 30 minutes by air from Cebu , 1 hour by air from Cagayan de Oro and 37.2 minutes by air from General Santos . Commercial airlines operating in
6882-415: The province has a tropical rainforest ( Köppen : Af ) climate, whereas the southern portion has a tropical monsoon (Köppen: Am ) climate. Mount Kanlaon itself, along with its higher-elevated slopes, are classified as having a dry-winter subtropical highland climate (Köppen: Cwb ) due to their higher elevations, allowing for a significantly cooler temperature compared to the province as a whole. Under
6975-423: The province is slowly being augmented to the aforementioned new region, with regional operations fully expected by 2025. Fourteen executive departments’ regional offices are planned to be established in Bacolod. Congressional districts: 1st District: 2nd District: 3rd District: Hiligaynon language Hiligaynon , also often referred to as Ilonggo or Binisayâ/Bisayâ nga Hiniligaynon/Inilonggo ,
7068-506: The province of Iloilo , primarily in the northern and eastern portions of the province. It has a more traditional and extensive vocabulary, whereas the Urban Hiligaynon dialect spoken in Metro Iloilo has a more simplified or modern vocabulary. For example, the term for 'to wander,' 'to walk,' or 'to stroll' in Urban Hiligaynon is lágaw , which is also widely used by most of the Hiligaynon speakers, whereas in Standard Hiligaynon, dayán
7161-549: The province with the most number of cities outside of the National Capital Region. On May 29, 2015, the Negros Island Region was formed when Negros Occidental and its capital was separated from Western Visayas and transferred to the new region along with Negros Oriental , when President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 . But it was abolished on August 9, 2017, when President Rodrigo Duterte revoked Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 through
7254-512: The province's government agencies. Under the House of Representatives , Negros Occidental is represented by six congressional districts . The city of Bacolod, being a highly urbanized city, has its own representation through a separate congressional district . Each of these districts elects its own representative, who is meant to represent certain groups of municipalities and cities. Officials in these positions are elected, by popular vote, to serve for
7347-595: The residents' love for knowledge and works of art, and its collection of heritage mansions built during the height of the Philippine sugar industry's success, of which Negros was the very center. Most notable among these houses is Balay Negrense , the mansion of the son of the first Negrense sugar baron, Yves Leopold Germain Gaston and the Hofileña Ancestral House built by Manuel Severino Hofileña for his wife, former Miss Silay Gilda Ledesma Hojilla. Silay became
7440-524: The sands for the mollusks at low tide, as a means of livelihood. In early writings, the settlement was also referred to as "Calubcub" , "Caracol" and "Caraco" . The last two variations mean "snail" or a "spiral" in Spanish . Carobcob was built near the mouth of a creek ; nothing is left of the village today. Carobcob was granted as an encomienda to Cristobal Nuñez Paroja, one of the seventeen soldiers of Miguel López de Legazpi on January 25, 1571. In
7533-427: The seat of arts, culture and ecotourism in the Negros Island Region . Every 12th day of June, the city celebrates their annual festival called Hugyaw Kansilay Festival. The theme is derived from the story of Kansilay, which is also the origin of the city's name. The festival reflects the growth of Silay; from a lowly pueblo to a city that can hold its own among the country's best. The city's festival dance depicts
7626-459: The second half of the century, Moro slave raiders escalated their incursions on the large island, forcing the Corregidor of Negros to adopt the policy of flight rather than resistance. People left their homes sometime in 1760 and settled in a new location between two small rivers, Matagoy and Panaogao. A paloisades or estacada ( Spanish for "palisade" or "stockade") was constructed to protect
7719-471: The setting, characters, plot , sub-plots , conflict , climax and the story of the Legend of Kansilay. Silay City is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Bacolod . Silay is politically subdivided into 16 barangays . Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios . Poverty incidence of Silay Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Eugenio Jose Lacson led the groundbreaking of
7812-602: The signage of Executive Order No. 38 , citing the reason of the lack of funds to fully establish the NIR according to Benjamin Diokno , the Secretary of Budget and Management , reverting Negros Occidental and its capital back into Western Visayas. However, with the Philippines' current presidential administration promoting federalism , the idea of the twin provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental reunified into one federal state/region
7905-575: The southeastern part of the province serves as its basis of boundary with Negros Oriental. Kanlaon volcano is the province's highest peak (sharing it with Negros Oriental), as well as of the entire Visayas region, rising to a height of 2,465 meters (8,087 ft) above sea level. Mount Mandalagan is the province's second highest mountain (as well as the highest mountain located wholly in the province), being situated 1,885 metres (6,184 ft) above mean sea level. Slopes and areas close to Mandalagan are heavily forested. The Northern Negros Natural Park
7998-437: The success of the program, area planted to hybrid rice has increased nearly fivefold. The highest hybrid yield was recorded at 10.3 tons per hectare. Corn also registered increasing gains. Production for 2003 of 42 thousand metric tons outperformed 2001 output by 18%. Average yield per hectare has also grown by 18%. Other fruit and vegetable crops, except for banana and cassava, likewise improved their harvest. Harvested coconut
8091-506: The successful overthrow of the Marcos regime , the overall economic situation started to show a positive upturn. The campaign for agricultural diversification had been gaining momentum, paving the way for more landowners to invest in prawn and fish farming, seafood catching, raising of livestock and high-value organic produce such as fruits and vegetables, as well as other cash crops. Investments' upswing became apparent by 1988. The participation of
8184-401: The total population is 3,223,955 people, with a density of 384/km (995/sq mi). Residents of Negros are called " Negrenses " (and less often "Negrosanons") and many are of either pure or mixed Austronesian heritage, with foreign ancestry (i.e. Chinese and/or Spanish ) as minorities. Negros Occidental is predominantly a Hiligaynon-speaking province with 84% of residents speaking it as
8277-645: The whole island is volcanic, its soil is ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent of all arable land in the island region is cultivated. Beaches also dot its coastal areas, such as those located in Sipalay, the Sipaway Island in San Carlos, and the Lakawon Island in Cadiz. In contrast, the southwestern section of the province is more mountainous and hilly; some are situated at least 100 meters above sea level. The mountain range in
8370-591: Was inaugurated in April 2015 in rites led by President Benigno S. Aquino III . The area was initially a residential zone and has been reclassified as a commercial zone as approved by the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. By 2014, Negros Occidental is the province with the highest income in all of the Philippines, earning an average of P3.332 billion. Negros Occidental's output of more than 1 million metric tons for crop year 2002–2003 accounts for nearly half of
8463-492: Was originally known to the natives as "Buglas", meaning "cut off" in old Hiligaynon. When the Spaniards arrived in April 1565, they named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found. Two of the earliest native settlements were Binalbagan and Ilog which later became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were Hinigaran , Bago , Marayo (now Pontevedra ), Mamalan (now Himamaylan ) and Candaguit (now
8556-473: Was placed at 139 million nuts, while production of banana; fruit and vegetable crops totaled 110 million kilograms. Livestock and poultry are industries where Negros Occidental has strongly diversified. With the province successfully quarantined from the foot and mouth disease and bird flu, as well as with other endemic diseases under control, total production of livestock and poultry in 2003 of 49 thousand metric tons exceeded estimated local demand by 18%. Fishing
8649-466: Was raised for the first time at the Silay plaza later that afternoon. Aniceto Lacson became president after the signing of the terms of surrender. Timoteo Unson and the group of Silay residents then marched south to join forces with some residents of Talisay for an attack on Bacolod , the capital. On the slopes of Mt. Silay lies Patag, the site of Imperial Japan 's last stand in Negros during World War II . In 1945, U.S. military forces landed in
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