OVERVIEW OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL

Negros Occidental, once known as Buglas by its early inhabitants and

was later renamed Negros by the Spanish colonizers, is one of the 6 provinces
of Western Visayas located at the northwestern portion of Negros Island. It is
located southeast of Panay Island from which it is separated by Guimaras Strait.
Its terrain gently slopes in the north and the west towards the center of Negros
Island where peaks of varying elevations divide it from Negros Oriental, its sister
province. The coastline that surrounds it is irregular, dotted with islands and
lined with reefs. It is about 372 kilometers from San Carlos City, its northern tip,
to the Municipality of Hinoba-an, its southern end. Shaped like a mans boot
when viewed on a map, its total land area is 792,607 hectares, making it the
largest province in Western Visayas. The alienable and disposable lands,
including built-up areas, comprise 68.18 percent of its land area, while forest
lands cover the remaining 31.82 percent or 252,221 hectares. It is composed of
19 municipalities and 13 cities, including Bacolod City, a highly urbanized city
and the capital of the province.

Negros Occidental is the seventh most populous province in the country.

Total population in 2010 Census is pegged at 2.40 million excluding Bacolod
City, which has a population of 0.51 million. The annual population growth rate
computed from 2000-2010 for the province, exclusive of Bacolod City, is 1.15
percent while that of Bacolod City is 1.78 percent. Using these growth rates,
Negros Occidental has an estimated population of 3.62 million in 2020.
Hiligaynon is the dialect that is widely spoken along with Cebuano and Tagalog
although English is also widely understood.

The province, considering that it is predominantly agricultural, is a major

sugar producer contributing about 49 percent of the total sugar production in the
country in 2011. It has 11 mill districts and 3 sugar refineries. Apart from sugar,
it also produces rice and has reached a rice sufficiency level of 96.3 percent in
2010. Furthermore, it is also producing corn, coconuts, abaca, and other fruits
like bananas, mangoes, durian, pineapples and lanzones, among others.

Fishing is another industry that boosts the economy of the province. It is

also a major producer of livestock and poultry that have become booming
industries in the countryside considering that the province has been certified as

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Foot and Mouth Disease free. Other growing industries include cutflowers and
gamefowl breeding.

The province is accessible from Manila and Cebu by several daily

flights while regular shipping and ferry links provide access from Panay
Island and other neighboring areas. It has a road network of at least 1,005
kilometers that is maintained by the provincial and national government. The
province has also fourteen seaports and the Bacolod-Silay Airport of international
standards for domestic and commercial flights located in Silay City. Two more
community airports are presently under construction: one in San Carlos City in
the north and another one in Kabankalan City in the south. Power supply
presently comes from Palinpinon Geothermal Plant in Negros Oriental
distributed by three electric cooperatives that are strategically located at the
northern, southern and central parts of the province. Water supply is tapped
mainly from ground and spring sources. Bacolod City and 26 other cities and
municipalities have water districts providing potable water system.

For communication facilities, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone

Co. and Globelines provide the main telephone systems in the province,
complemented by five other companies providing fixed and mobile cellular
phone systems. The financial needs of the province are being served by 169
banks and other financial institutions.

Today, Negros Occidental is on its way to economic recovery having

been propelled by its various diversification programs and projects. Its dramatic
upswing has made investment opportunities diverse and vibrant. The
large consumer population provides vast potential for retail trade and consumer
services. Business ventures in furniture making, toys, gift items, garments, food
processing and dairy production, among others, have gained strong support
and market linkages in the country and abroad. The various innovations and
development initiatives vigorously pursued by the Provincial Government is
gaining momentum as evidenced by the numerous awards and national and
international recognition accorded the province. The Provincial Governments
vision and programs have opened new horizons and development potentials that
are generally supporting Negros Occidental being a key growth center in
Western Visayas.

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