BEST IN DANCE | The Kadalag-an Festival of Victorias City earns top honors in the Panaad sa Negros Best of Festival Dances competition held at Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City on April 23, 2023. (Photo by RONNIE BALDONADO / Contributor)
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — The return of the “Panaad sa Negros” Festival after a three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was a success, according to Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Lacson, who spoke at the closing rites of the weeklong celebration held at Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod on Sunday, said the sales of participating local governments and micro, small and medium enterprises hit more than P20 million.
“Panaad is a venue for our local governments to showcase their best products, talents, and festivals, and they exceeded all expectations,” he said.
The Panaad sa Negros Festival is held annually during the month of April in Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental.
“Panaad” is a Hiligaynon word for “vow” or “promise” coming from the root word “saad.”
The festival is a form of thanksgiving to God and a vow in exchange for a good life.
Lacson said he was glad about the very good crowd turnout, which included international and national guests.
He said the Panaad sa Negros Festival 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, Hinoba-an.”
Striving to be better
“[This year’s Panaad is 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,” Lacson said.
“After three years of hiatus, Panaad sa Negros truly came back with all the Negrenses’ might. We thank God for this opportunity,” he added.
The festival is held at Panaad Park, which also houses Panaad Stadium, and is participated in by the 13 cities and 19 towns of the province.
For this reason, the province dubs it the “mother” of all its festivals.
The first-ever Panaad sa Negros Festival was held at Capitol Park and Lagoon in a three-day affair that started on April 30, 1993.
As the festival grew each year, it became necessary to locate a bigger space. In 1997, the festival was held at the reclaimed area near where Bredco Port is located today.
The construction of the Panaad stadium and sports complex was completed in 1998 and became the permanent home of the festival.
This year’s festival also introduced an event called the Best of Negros Products, which featured winners with national, regional, and provincial qualifications for food and nonfood products.
Negros Occidental allocated P25 million to finance the festival.
In 2017, the province was elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Pearl Awards after the Panaad sa Negros Festival was named Best Tourism Event in the Provincial Festival category from 2014 to 2016.