• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Getting feedback that one week for the Panaad sa Negros is not enough, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday said the return of the annual festival is “truly a hit.”
Panaad is a venue for our LGUs (local government units) to showcase their best products, talents, and festivals – and they did not perform as expected – they exceeded all expectations, Lacson said during the closing ceremony of the Panaad sa Negros festival held at Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City.
As of 3 p.m. yesterday, he reported this year’s Panaad resulted in more than P20 million sales for all participating LGUS and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
This is a good jumpstart for our MSMEs, Lacson said, as he also noted a “very good crowd turn-out since Day 1 and a good number of international and national guests” who visited and attended the festival.
Panaad sa Negros returned after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year’s is the first to be celebrated under the Lacson administration.
Lacson said the closing and awarding ceremonies of the Panaad sa Negros Festival 2023 is a culmination of all the hard work of LGUs, Panaad committees, and everyone who helped.
Most of all, the governor said it is a testament to the harmony and cooperation of all Negrenses from the northernmost city of the province, San Carlos City, to the southernmost town of Hinobaan.
This year’s Panaad is indeed a feat, Lacson declared, adding that Panaad sa Negros truly came back with all the Negrenses’ might.
This year’s Panaad is indeed a renewed promise to the Negrenses that we will not only regain what we have lost, but we are going to be better, we are going to do better, and we will go after our full potential, he added.
With God’s grace and our continued cooperation and support to one another, Negros Occidental is on its way to regain what we have lost during the pandemic, Lacson stressed.*
