The document summarizes information about the Negros Island Region, which was newly established in the Philippines in 2015 by Executive Order 183. It combines the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental into one region. Key details include: - The region has 19 cities between its two provinces, the most of any Philippine region. - The primary languages are Hiligaynon and Cebuano. The population is predominantly Catholic. - Major industries include sugar, coconut, rice and other crops. The region is known for festivals celebrating agriculture and culture.

2. On May 29,
2015, President
Benigno Aquino
III signed
Executive Order
183 creating the
Negros Island
Region (NIR)

3. Executive Order 183
Negros Occidental was carved from Region VI
(Western Visayas), and Negros Oriental from Region
VII (Central Visayas) to form the new region.
BEFORE NOW

4. The Newest Region in the
Philippines
Negros Island Region
Region XVIII

5. It is located
between the
islands of Panay
and Guimaras to
the west and Cebu
to the east, with
Siquijor located on
the toe of the
island and
Bantayan Island to
the north.

6. Negros is an Island of
the Philippines located
in the Visayas. It is the
fourth largest island in
the country , with a land
area of 13, 309.6
square kilometers.

8. Negros Island Region has the least number of provinces in
the Philippines (only 2). It has 19 cities (including the highly
urbanized city of Bacolod) in total, making it the region
with the most cities, tying alongside with CALABARZON,
which also has 19 cities.
Negros Occidental has the most chartered cities among all
the provinces in the Philippines. The province comprises 13
cities and 19 municipalities, which are further subdivided
into 601 barangays. Although Bacolod serves as the capital,
it is governed independently from the province as a highly
urbanized city. Negros Oriental comprises 6 cities and 19
municipalities, with 557 barangays.

9. Inhabitants of the island
region are called Negrenses
(and less often
Negrosanons), the name of
the Filipino island means
Blacks in the Spanish
language.

11. Negros Island 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.
Why is it named Negros?

12. Also known as Occidental
Negros or Western Negros
Capital is Bacolod City
Known as the "Sugarbowl of the
Philippines", Negros Occidental
produces more than half the
nation's sugar output.

13. The province is approximately 375
kilometers long from north to south. It is
bounded by the Visayan Sea in the
north, Panay Gulf on the west, Tañon
Strait and Negros Oriental province on
the east and Sulu Sea on the south.
Negros is basically volcanic, making its
soil ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent
of all arable land is cultivated.

15. Language:
The primary spoken language is
Hiligaynon (also known as Ilonggo) and
the predominant religious
denomination is Roman Catholicism.

17. Divisions
Independent cities - 1
Component cities - 12
Municipalities - 19
Barangays - 601
including independent cities: 662
Districts - 1st to 6th districts of
Negros Occidental
including independent cities: Lone
district of Bacolod City

21. The Masskara Festival (Hiligaynon: Pista sang
MassKara, Filipino: Fiesta ng MassKara) is a
festival held each year in Bacolod, Philippines. It
is held every third weekend of October or on the
closest weekend to October 19.
The word "Masskara" is a portmanteau, coined by
the late artist Ely Santiago from mass (a
multitude of people), and the Spanish word cara
(face), thus forming MassKara (a multitude of
faces). The word is also a pun on maskara,
Filipino for "mask" (itself from Spanish máscara),
since a prominent feature of the festival are the
masks worn by participants, which are always
adorned with smiling faces.

23. Pasalamat Festival is a thanksgiving
celebration held on Sunday nearest to
the month of May.
Pasalamat brings together the La
Carloteños in unity and thanksgiving to
God Almighty for providing the people
with gift of life and perseverance
despite life’s difficulties.

24. Bailes de Luces of La Castellana

25. La Castellana is a first class
municipality in Negros Occidental.
The name of the town is after
Spain’s “Paseo de La Castellana" in
Madrid. It is located at the base of
Kanlaon Volcano. Aside from its
picturesque and beautiful tourist
spots, the town is also known for its
festivals. One of the festivals of La
Castellana is the vibrant and lively
Bailes de Luces.

26. San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Philippines
highlights its annual festival celebration every
November 3-5. Pintaflores derived from the two
words Pintados (painted ones), and Flores,
Spanish for “flower”. It’s also known as Dances of
Flowers. The street dancing competition is one of
the highlights.

28. Sports
Negros Occidental has produced a
large number of athletes that have
achieved success in both national
and international circuits. The
province is also well known for
hosting national and international
athletic events, which has given it a
reputation as the sports capital of
the Philippines.

30. The Panaad Stadium (also spelled as Pana-ad) is
a multi-purpose stadium located inside the Panaad
Park and Sports Complex in Bacolod, Philippines.
Owned by the Negros Occidental provincial
government, it is used for football matches, and is the
adopted home of the Philippines national football
team. It played host to football at the 2005 Southeast
Asian Games and was later the venue of
the qualifiers of the 2007 ASEAN Football
Championship or ASEAN Cup, in which
the Philippines,Cambodia, Timor
Leste, Brunei and Laos participated. The stadium has
a seating capacity of 15,500.

31. Isn’t it amazing?

32. The Capitol Park and Lagoon is a provincial park located in
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. One of
the landmarks of the park is the statue of a carabao (water
buffalo) being pulled by a woman. This statue is located at
the northern end of the lagoon. On the other end, there is
also another carabao sculpture but the figure is being
pulled by a man. These sculptures are located at the
northern and southern ends of the lagoon. These figures
were executed by Italian sculpture Francesco Riccardo
Monti who also did the sculptures of the Metropolitan
Manila Theater and the University of the Philippines -
Visayas Iloilo campus. Guillermo Tolentino also contributed
as a sculptor of the figures.

33. Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

35. The Fountain of Justice is a historic landmark in
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It
marks the location where the house of Jose Ruiz
de Luzurriaga used to stand. It was in this house
that the surrender of Bacolod by Spanish
authorities to the Filipino forces of General
Aniceto Lacson took place on November 6, 1898,
during the Negros Revolution.

36. The Fountain of Justice

37. The Bacolod Public Plaza is one of the notable
landmarks of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros
Occidental, Philippines. It is located in the heart of
the downtown area, near the city hall and across
from the San Sebastian Cathedral. The plaza is a
trapezoidal park with a belt of trees around the
periphery and a gazebo at the center. Scattered
within the trees are four circular fountains.
The plaza was constructed in 1927 as a place for
recreation, political, spiritual and cultural activities. It
is quite a popular site for outdoor picnics and
concerts. The gazebo is often used to house a
bandstand.

38. The Bacolod Public Plaza

39. Silay City, to the north of the capital of
Bacolod City, nicknamed the "Paris of
Negros", is the cultural and artistic center of
Negros Island Region. It has 30 heritage
houses declared by the national historical
institute, most notable of which is Balay
Negrense; it is also the hometown of
National Artist of the Philippines for
Architecture Leandro Locsin and
international mezzo-soprano Conchita
Gaston.

40. Balay Negrense on Cinco de
Noviembre Street

41. The Ruins.
The mansion dates back to the 1900s when it was
built by sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson
for his first wife, Maria Braga, a Portuguese from
Macau whom he met in his vacations in Hong Kong.
The mansion's structure is of Italianate architecture
enhanced by a belvedere complete with renaissance-
type balustrading typical of the homes of English ship
captains. It was burned down in World War II to
prevent the Japanese from using it. It was opened to
the public by descendants of the original owner and is
listed as among the World's 12 most fascinating ruins.

42. The Ruins.

44. The San Diego Pro-cathedral, formerly
known as the San Diego Parish Church or
the St. Didacus Parish Church before its
declaration as a pro-cathedral in 1994, is
an early 20th-century church in Silay
City, Negros Occidental in the
Philippines. It is the only pro-cathedral
outside of the national capital of Manila,
and is unique in Negros Occidental for
being the only church in the province
featuring a cupola or dome.

45. The San Diego Pro-cathedral

47. Negros Oriental also called Oriental
Negros or Eastern Negros, is a province in
the Philippines located in the Negros Island
Region. It occupies the southeastern half of the
island of Negros, with Negros
Occidental comprising the north-western half. It
also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for
both local and foreign tourists.
Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of
government, and most populous city of the
province.

48. Geography
Negros Oriental
faces Cebu to the
east across the
Tañon Strait and
Siquijor to the
south east (which
happened to be
part of the
province).

49. Language
The primary spoken language is Cebuano
and the predominant religious
denomination is Roman Catholicism.

50. Sugarcane
Coconut
Mango
Rice and
Corn

52. Municipality of Valencia

57. Celebrated every 15th day of
January, the Sinulog de
Jimalalud, known today as
Hambalalud Festival is the
most contested event in
celebration of the town’s
fiesta and unending blessings
& generosity of the Holy
Child, Sr. Sto Niño.
HAMBALALUD FESTIVAL
(Municipality of Jimalalud)

58. Held in barangay Masulog,
Sibulan every 3rd Sunday of
January the street dancing
and showdown
presentations recount the
legend of the great floods
(sulog) that periodically laid
waste to the old village. The
natives would seek the
intercession of the Santo
Niño, and took better care of
their natural resources so
their crop lands’ fertility was
restored.
MASULOG FESTIVAL
(Brgy. Maslog, Sibulan )

59. The fiesta highlight is a
ritual of pagan
provenance, the
“Inagta,” featuring
dark-painted
performers imitating
animals in ethnic
movements. The ritual
starts at the portals of
the church just after
the fiesta Mass, and
proceeds along well-
paved municipal
streets to private
residences. The Inagta
Festival is celebrated
every 5th day of
December.

60. BODBOD FESTIVAL (City of Tanjay)
– 3rd week of December
The festival gives emphasis to the
City’s native delicacy made of
glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar
and salt. It features “the Biggest
Bodbod“ that would weigh as much
as eighty kilos and requires ten
persons to prepare the delicacy,
and the “Smallest Bodbod” that
would come served inside a
matchbox.

61. SINULOG SA TANJAY FESTIVAL
(City of Tanjay) – 24th of June
A Street
dancing with
mock battles
between Moros
and Christians
followed by a
reconciliation
through the
intercession of
the patron
Señor Santiago.