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Transcript of NegOccPDPFP_2008-2013
Province of Negros Occidental
PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENT
AND PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK PLAN 2008-2013
“Formulated with technical assistance from the National Economic and Development
Authority and the Asian Development Bank using the Guidelines on Strengthening
Provincial/Local Planning and Expenditure Management”
i
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Historical Background 1
2. Plan Objective and Context 3
3. Coverage of the Plan 5
4. Outline of the Plan 7
II. VISION / MISSION 8
III. THE PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
1. Location, Land Area and Political Subdivision 11
2. Population and Settlements 15
3. Physical Resources 42
4. Economy 72
5. Transportation, Access and Circulation 92
6. Income, Employment, Service Access, and Poverty 99
7. Land Use and Physical Framework 133
IV. DEVELOPMENT ISSUES, GOALS, OBJECTIVES/ TARGETS
1. Development Issues and Problems 154
2. Development Goals, Objectives and Targets 158
V. STRATEGIES, PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, AND ACTIVITIES 162
VI. ANNEXES
ii
LIST OF MAPS
Map 1 Regional Location Map 12
Map 2 Negros Occidental Province Map 13
Map 3 Population Density Map, by City/Municipality 23
1990, 2000 and 2007 Census
Map 4 Annual Population Growth Rates, by City/Municipality 29
1990, 2000 and 2007
Map 5a Built –up Areas 33
Map 5b Existing Hierarchy of Settlements 40
Map 6 Slope Map 45
Map 7 Geologic Map 52
Map 8 Climate Map 54
Map 9 Land Classification Map 57
Map 10 Land Suitability Map 59
Map 11 Protection Areas Map 71
Map 12 Agriculture Production Land Use Map 90
Map 13 Industries with Best and Declining Potentials 91
Map 14 External Linkages and Internal Circulation Routes Map 98
Map 15 Location of Health Facilities 107
Map 16 Location of Education Facilities 113
Map 18 Location of Security Facilities 116
Map 19 Location of Water and Sanitation Facilities 119
Map 20 Location of Power Facilities 122
Map 22 Location of Solid Waste Facilities 125
Map 24 Province of Negros Occidental, Existing Land Use 134
Map 25 Initial Settlements Growth 138
Map 26 Initial Settlements Growth and Protection Land Use 141
Map 27 Settlements Framework 144
Map 28 Protection Framework 146
Map 29 Production Framework 150
Map 30 Transport/Infra Framework 152
Map 31 Physical Framework 153
Map 32 Project Location 166
iii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 PDPFP Framework 4
Figure 2 2007 Population of Negros Occidental by municipality/city
Figure 3 2007 Population Density of Negros Occidental
by municipality/city
Figure 4 2007 Population Growth Rate of Negros Occidental
by municipality/city
Figure 5 Protected Areas and Watershed in Negros Occidental 36
Figure 6 Mt. Kanlaon Volcanic Lava Flow Hazard Map 66
Figure 7 Mt. Kanlaon Pyroclastic Flow and Lahar Hazard Map 66
Figure 8 Ground Water Availability Map 70
Figure 9 Overall Distribution of the Regional Economy 72
Figure 10 Share Diagram, Agriculture: Shares of Total Family Income 76 by HH Head, Business/Industry, Region VI, 2000
Figure 11 Histogram, Specialization: Shares of Total Family Income 76 by HH Head, Business/Industry, 2000
Figure 12 Poverty Incidence Map of Negros Occidental 127
Figure 13 The planning environment, development issues/problems, 154
strategies and PPAs.
iv
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Land Area of Cities and Municipalities in Negros Occidental by District 14
Table 2 Region 6 Population, Annual Population Growth Rate, 16
Density, Area by Province, Philippines, 1995, 2000, 2007
Table 3 Population size, annual population growth rate, land area, 18
Density, by cities/municipalities
Table 4 Population shares, cumulative population shares, 19
Additional Population by city/municipality
Table 5 Estimated Population & Density, Negros Occidental, 30
by City Municipality, 2008, 2010, 2013
Table 6 Area and Percentage Distribution by Slope Category 43
Table 7 Seven Major Rivers in Negros Occidental 46
Table 8 Land Classification, by Municipality/City and Congressional District 56
Table 9 Hazard Assessment Profile in Negros Occidental 65
Table 10 Cost of Damage of Calamities and Hazard in Negros Occidental 65
Table 11 Irrigation Development in Negros Occidental 69
Table 12 Data Matrix: Total Family Income (P Million) 73
by Household Head, by kind of Business/Industries, 2000
Table 13 Joint Probability Shares of Family Income (%) 74
by Household Head by Kind of Business/Industry, 2000
Table 14 Concentration: Total Family Income (%) 75
by Household Head, by Kind of Business/Industry, 2000
Table 15 Specialization: Total Family Income (%) 75
by Household Head, by Kind of Business/Industry, 2000
Table 16 Cane Production, Negros Occidental, Crop Year 2004-2005 to 2006-2007 77
Table 17 Location Quotients: Total Family Income 78
by Household Head, by Kind of Business/Industry, 2000
Table 18 Employment/Unemployment Rate, 2000-2003 100
Table 19 Total & Average Family Income, Region VI, 101
by Province, 1994, 1997, 2000
Table 20 Real Per Capita Income/Province (1994, 1997, 2000) 102
Table 20 Local Service Standards 128
Table. 21 Area Distribution of Existing Land Uses, CY 2003 (Ha) 133
Table 22 Land Use Changes, 1990-2007, Province of Negros Occidental 136
Table 23 Development Issues and Problems 156
Table 24 Development Goals, Objectives, and Targets 159
Table 25 Strategies, Program, Projects and Activities 163
i
ACRONYMS
A&D Alienable and Disposable
AFMA Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act
AIP Annual Investment Program
AMCR Average Monthly Crime Rate
ANP Association of Negros Producers
APGR Annual Population Growth Rate
BFP Bureau of Fire Protection
BPO Business Process Outsourcing
BREDCO Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp.
BRIS Bago River Irrigation System
BSWM Bureau of Soils and Water Management
BWFR Bago Watershed Forest Reserve
C/M City/Municipal
CARP Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
CCAP Call Center Association of the Philippines
CDP Comprehensive Development Plan
CENECO Central Negros Electric Cooperative, Inc.
CFRM Coastal Fisheries Resource Management Program
CHED Commission on Higher Education
CHICKS Cauayan, Hinobaan, Ilog, Candoni, Kabankalan and Sipalay
CIF Countryside in Figures
CIS Communal Irrigation Systems
CLUP Comprehensive Land Use Plan
CSF Common Service Facilities
CVO Civilian Volunteer Organization
CY Calendar Year
DA Department of Agriculture
DENR Department of Environment & Natural Resources
DepEd Department of Education
DILG Department of Interior and Local Government
DPWH Department of Public Works and Highways
ii
DRR & CCA Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation
DSWD Department of Social Welfare and Development
DTI Department of Trade & Industry
EDC Energy Development Corporation
ESWM Ecological Solid Waste Management
FHSIS Field Health Services Information System
FIES Family Income and Expenditure Survey
FNRI Food and Nutrition Research Institute
GTH gifts, toys, house ware
HEARTS Plus Health, Environment, Agriculture, Roads and other Infrastructure, Tourism, Trade & Investments, Social Services, including Education; Personnel and Human Resource Development, Livelihood and
Employment Opportunities, Urban Planning and Rural Development,
and Systems and Governance
HH Household Head
HDI Human Development Index
IBA International Bird Area
IHWFR Ilog-Hilabangan Watershed Forest Reserve
ILHZ Inter-Local Health Zone
IP Indigenous People
LGU Local Government Unit
MGB Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau
MKNP Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park
MMR Maternal Mortality Ratio
NAMRIA National Mapping and Resources Information Authority
NAST National Academy of Science and Technology
NCIP National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
NEA National Energy Administration
NGCP National Grid Corporation of the Philippines
NGO Non-Government Organization
NIPAS National Integrated Protected Areas System
NNNP North Negros Natural Park
NOCECO Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative, Inc.
NOSP Negros Occidental Scholarship Program
NOTLDC Negros Occidental Technology and Livelihood Development Center
iii
NPAAAD Network of Protected Areas for Agricultural and Agro-industrial
Development
NPC National Power Corporation
NSCB National Statistical Coordination Board
NSO National Statistics Office
NWRB National Water Resources Board
PAGASA Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services
Administration
PAMB Protected Area Management Board
PDC Provincial Development Council
PDCC Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council
PDIP Provincial Development Investment Program
PDMP Provincial Disaster Management Program
PDPFP Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan
PEMO Provincial Environment Management Office
PHIVOLCS Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
PLPEM Provincial/Local Planning and Expenditure Management
PLUC Provincial Land Use Committee
PNC Provincial Nutrition Council
PPAs Programs, Projects and Activities
PPDO Provincial Planning and Development Office
PPFP Provincial Physical Framework Plan
PRRCFI Philippine Reefs and Rainforests Conservation Foundation, Inc.
PSWDO Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office
PSWMB Provincial Solid Waste Management Board
RA Republic Act
RDC Regional Development Council
RHI Roxas Holdings Inc.
RO-RO Roll-on-Roll-off
RPFP Regional Physical Framework Plan
RSET Regional Socio-Economic Trends
SAFDZ Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones
SCRP Safe and Closure Rehabilitation Plan
SMR Sagay Marine Reserve
iv
SRA Sugar Regulatory Administration
SRNH Strong Republic Nautical Highway
UNICEF United Nations Children‘s Fund
VMC Victorias Milling Company
VRESCO Victorias Rural Electric Service Cooperative, Inc.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
I - 1
CHAPTER I
Introduction
1. Historical Background
Negros Island was originally called ―Buglas‖ – an old native word which is to mean ―cut off‖. It
is believed that Negros was once part of a greater mass of land but was cut off either by what
geologists call a continental drift or by the rising waters during the so-called glacial age. Among
its earliest inhabitants were dark-skinned natives belonging to the Negrito ethnic group with their
unique culture.
Spanish explorers Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa and Juan de Aguirre discovered the island of
„Buglas‖ in April 1565. The Spaniards called the land “Negros” after the black natives whom
they saw when they first came to the island in April 1565. Two of the earliest native settlements
were Binalbagan and Ilog that later became towns in 1573 and 1584, respectively. Other
settlements were Hinigaran, Bago, Marayo (now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan) and
Candaguit (now a sitio in San Enrique). On September 6, 1571, Negros was divided into
―encomiendas‖ or Spanish colonial settlements, laying the foundation for a feudal system.
After appointing encomienderos in the island, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi placed Negros under the
jurisdiction of the Governor of Oton in Panay. In 1734, however, the island became a military
district and Ilog was made its first capital. The seat of government was later transferred to
Himamaylan and thereafter Bacolod became the capital in 1849.
The latter half of the 19th century was a period of rapid economic expansion for Negros
Occidental as evidenced by the growth of population resulting from the influx of immigrants
coming from the neighboring provinces like Iloilo, Antique, Capiz and Cebu. The major boon to
the province at this time was the widespread cultivation of sugarcane and the opening of ports to
foreign commerce like those in Iloilo and Cebu. In 1856, Negros Occidental produced only 4,000
piculs of sugar. This increased to 100,000 piculs in 1864 and 2,000,000 piculs in 1893.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
I - 2
In 1890, the island was divided by the Spanish government into two provinces – Negros Oriental
in the east and Negros Occidental in the west. Negrense revolutionary leaders joined the
Katipunan Movement and prominent Negrenses, Gen. Aniceto Lacson and Gen. Juan Araneta, led
the ―Cantonal Government of the Republic of Negros” which reunited the two provinces.
Spanish rule in Negros came to an end on November 5, 1898.
Negros Occidental was split into two provinces after a plebiscite in Cadiz City on January 3, 1986
- Negros Occidental and Negros del Norte. The creation of the new province was, however,
opposed by the Negros Anti-Partition Movement and the Supreme Court declared the creation
unconstitutional on July 11, 1986. On August 18, 1986, Negros del Norte was formally returned
to Negros Occidental, thus making the province whole again.
Negros Occidental is comprised of 12 component cities, 19 component municipalities and one
highly urbanized City of Bacolod which is also the capital city. As of October 2007, the total
population of Negros Occidental has reached 2,869,766 including Bacolod City (499,497).
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
I - 3
2. Plan Objectives and Context
2.1. Objectives of the Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework
Plan (PDPFP)
The Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan is an updated version of the
Provincial Medium Term Development Plan and Provincial Physical Framework Plan that has
been adopted as a planning document by the Provincial Development Council/Regional
Development Council. The PDC, which is the policy recommending body of the province, is
mandated to initiate the formulation or updating of its land use and development plans in
consultation with the concerned sectors in its component local government units.
The PDPFP aims to provide a brief background on the province, its planning context and
environment so as to provide analytical and comprehensive basis for identifying development
programs based on its overall provincial vision.
In order to strengthen and enhance the development of the province, the Provincial Development
and Physical Framework Plan is the primary technical guide to the development of the province.
Its specific objectives are to:
a. Define the overall vision for the province.
b. Provide analytical basis for understanding and identifying existing conditions and key
development issues, problems, opportunities, goals, objectives and targets of the province.
c. Transform the vision into implementable strategies towards the attainment of goals,
objectives and targets.
d. Identify the programs, projects and activities consistent with the proposed strategies, guided
by the vision,
2.2. Context of the Plan
The Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) serves as the link between
national/regional and city and municipal plans.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
I - 4
Within this framework, policies enunciated at the top levels of government are effectively
translated into a lower level provincial plan to be more responsive to local conditions. Conversely,
policies at the city/municipality stratum are integrated into the provincial plan which serves as the
vertical link between local development objectives and regional and national priorities. At the
provincial level, the Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) derived from the PDPFP are the
bases for a multi-year investment program, while the Annual Investment Program (AIP) is the
basis for budgetary allocations for PPAs. A simple framework showing the linkages among the
four processes is presented below.
Fig. 1. PDPFP Framework
Locally funded
projects
PPAs
PDIP/ AIP
Planning
Budgeting
Expenditure Management
Project Evaluation and Development
Investment Programming
Revenue Generation
Implementation Monitoring and
Evaluation
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
I - 5
3. Coverage of the Plan
3.1. Historical Coverage
The Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) is a six-year medium-term
development plan of the province of Negros Occidental, guided by its long-term vision. It is
formulated to coincide with two three-year terms of the present provincial leadership that can be
aligned with a full term of the national leadership. Planning analyses, however, extend beyond
the medium term to consider longer-term trends. These are significant and necessary inputs to the
identification of Strategies, Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs) for the six-year plan period.
3.2. Geographical Coverage
The political boundaries of the province define the primary level of geographical analysis. Other
provinces in Region VI (Western Visayas) as well as the region itself, and the country as a whole,
are also included as benchmarks in some of the analyses.
The PDPFP basically embodies the respective Medium Term Development Plan and
Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of the component cities and municipalities of the
province and as an indicative plan to guide the needed spatial arrangement of provincial land use
physical development activities.
Cities and municipalities within the province serve as the major level of analytical disaggregation,
although barangay-level data are recommended for selected population analysis. Groups or
clusters of municipalities as well as geographically delineated areas like the North Negros Natural
Park, Mount Kanlaon Natural Park, Bago River Watershed among others, are also considered.
References to land and land use which include water and water use are likewise a part of the
planning environment.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
I - 6
3.3. Sectoral Coverage
The planning environment of the Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP)
includes all major sectors for and in the development of Negros Occidental. As much as possible,
and in order to establish comparability and context, sectoral data should be consistent with
regional/national and city/municipal data.
In terms of the traditional sectors that typically serve as templates for public sector planning
analysis and implementation, the core elements correspond as follows:
Core Element Sector
Population Population
Economic Activity Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Trade, Industry, Services,
Tourism
Physical Resources Environment, Natural Resources, Transport
Income/Access to services
Health, Education, Housing, Social Welfare, Public Works,
Energy, Security, Other Services and Facilities (for community groups such as the elderly, children, indigenous people, etc.)
Land Use Physical integration of all sectors
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter I : Introduction
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4. Outline of the Plan
The Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) is organized as follows:
A. Introduction. This introduces the PDPFP, the general assumptions and principles underlying
the plan and the rationale and objectives for updating the plan. It also describes how the various
parts of the plan are organized. Introduction also provides a brief background on the province,
the planning context and policy environment, and objectives and coverage of the plan.
B. Vision. The vision provides the long term view of the province that reflects local aspirations. It
also serves as an inspirational guide for the rest of the PDPFP.
C. The Planning Environment. This describes and analyzes the physical, economic, and social
environments of the province as inputs to the identification of strategies and
programs/projects/activities (PPAs). Statistical tables, graphs, charts and maps are used to
describe the province‘s planning environment.
D. Development Issues/Problems, Goals, Objectives and Targets. It shows the development
issues, challenges, and opportunities facing and accompanying the task of accomplishing the
identified development goals, objectives and targets.
E. Strategies, Programs, Projects, and Activities. For each identified development goal and
objective, specific strategies and PPAs are derived and identified to address the development
issues.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter II :Vision of Negros Occidental
II - 8
CHAPTER II
Vision of Negros Occidental
“An empowered and healthy Negrense in a globally-competitive, ecologically balanced and
peaceful Negros Occidental serving as the organic food capital of Asia under a responsive and
accountable governance.”
Elements of the Vision
The Development Vision of the Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical
Framework Plan provides the ultimate goal towards which the province‘s development efforts
shall be directed. It serves as a guide upon which specific development goals, objectives,
framework/strategies/policies, scenarios/targets, major programs and projects to be implemented
shall be anchored.
Consistent with the development vision of the region, the Province of Negros Occidental aspires
to uplift over the plan period 2008-2013 the socio-economic life of its citizenry who are the
principal focus of development. The development in the province should provide opportunities
equitably which can translate into increased income and improved living standards for the
Negrenses.
People (Negrense) - An empowered Negrense means that the people of Negros Occidental will
be able to develop their full potentials, achieve level of maturity and education to make
responsible decisions, and to be able to get involved in activities that require unity and collective
participation.
- A healthy Negrense is one who enjoys clean and green environment, where there are
available healthy and organically grown foods, well maintained health institutions with quality
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter II :Vision of Negros Occidental
II - 9
comprehensive health and healthcare programs and an environment that promotes sports and
recreation towards healthy minds and bodies.
Economy - A globally-competitive economy involves production of quality/world class
products, services, facilities and infrastructure, including tourism destinations that are better than
or at par with the global market. This also involves development of quality, top caliber skilled
workers and professionals that will excel locally and internationally.
Natural and Physical Environment - Ecological balance means that the province‘s diverse
ecosystems are sustainably protected, preserved and renewed. It also has environment-friendly
and pollution-free local communities promoting sustainable development and sustainable
agriculture.
Community - A peaceful province is one where there is law and order; that the people live in
harmony; and that justice and social equity prevail. A business-friendly, investor-friendly, and
tourist & visitor-friendly province.
Governance - A responsive and accountable governance refers to a government that is
receptive and transparent, supportive and able to address the people‘s socio-economic needs; a
government that promotes gender equity by being sensitive to the special needs and concerns of
women, children, the differently-abled, the elderly, and indigenous people in its development
programs and projects; a government that is strong on social justice, focused on the welfare of the
underprivileged and determined to provide the people with equitable access to needed resources.
It is a government that lives the principle: “a public office is a public trust”.
Outward Looking - Organic Food Capital of Asia is the desired role of the province of Negros
Occidental or the best contribution it can make to the development of the nation. It will devote 10
percent of its agricultural lands to organic production in partnership with the Oriental Negros
province thus, sharing in the $20 billion world market for organic products.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter II :Vision of Negros Occidental
II - 10
Mission of Negros Occidental
We shall sustain our delivery of services to the fullest of our abilities, harnessing our potentials,
and building more meaningful teamwork;
We will uphold and promote at all times the principles and policies of the Provincial Government;
and
Cognizant of our avowed purposes, we commit ourselves to make Negros Occidental an organic
food capital of Asia, a challenge to the adventurous, a haven for the travelers, and a real home for
the Negrense.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 11
CHAPTER III
The Planning Environment
1. Location, Land Area, and Political Subdivisions
Negros Occidental is one of the six provinces that compose Western Visayas or Region VI.
Located in the northwestern portion of Negros Island, it can be found near the central part of the
Philippine Archipelago and lies between two large inter-island water bodies, the Sibuyan and the
Visayan Seas. Geographic location of the region is defined at grid coordinates 1210 5‘ W to 123
0
2‘ 30‘‘ E longitude and 9 25‘ S to 12
0 12‘ 30‘‘ N latitude.
Negros Occidental is composed of 12 component cities, 19 municipalities, one highly urbanized
capital city and 662 barangays. The province is divided into six congressional districts excluding
Bacolod City which is considered a distinct congressional district.
Bacolod City, the provincial capital, lies in the northwestern part of the province. It is set in a
sprawling 16,000-hectare coastal plain.
The province has a total land area of 792,607 hectares or 7,926.07 km2. It is in the western side of
Negros Island, the fourth largest island of the Philippines. The province is approximately 375
kilometers long from north to south, bounded by the Visayan Sea on the north, Panay Gulf on the
west, Tañon Strait and Negros Oriental province on the east and Sulu Sea on the south.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 12
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 13
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 14
Table 1. Land Area of Cities and Municipalities in Negros Occidental by District
Province
Municipality/City
Land Area
(sq. km.)
Population
2007
Municipality/
City
Land Area
(sq. km.)
Population
2007
Negros Occidental 7,926.10 2,370,269
Bacolod City 156.10 499,497
TOTAL 2,869,766
1st District 4
th District
Escalante City 125.00 92,035 Bago City 402.10 159,933
Toboso 123.40 41,358 La Carlota City 137.30 63,584
Calatrava 439.60 78,452 Pontevedra, 112.50 46,768
DSBenedicto 170.60 22,979 Pulupandan 23.00 27,072
San Carlos City 384.00 129,809 San Enrique 21.00 22,987
TOTAL 1,242.60 364,633 Valladolid 48.00 34,895
TOTAL 743.90 355,239
2nd
District 5th
District
Cadiz City 516.50 150,750 Hinigaran 160.80 80,528
Manapla 112.90 52,428 Binalbagan 185.40 64,747
Sagay City 389.60 140,511 Himamaylan City 384.20 102,014
TOTAL 1,019.00 343,689 La Castellana 216.50 70,838
Moises Padilla 143.70 39,239
Isabela 177.40 58,819
TOTAL 1,268.00 416,185
3rd
District 6th
District
Murcia 284.60 71,289 Kabankalan City 726.40 166,970
Talisay City 173.40 96,444 Cauayan 519.90 93,569
Silay City 214.80 120,365 Sipalay City 432.70 67,211
E.B. Magalona 113.30 57,424 Hinobaan 424.10 53,894
Victorias City 133.90 88,149 Ilog 281.70 53,460
TOTAL 920.00 433,671 Candoni 191.70 21,748
TOTAL 2,576.50 456,852
Source: NSO 2007 Census, RSET 2007
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 15
2. Population and Settlements
2.1. Regional and National Context
In 2007, the Philippine total population is 88,574,614 million, of which 6,843,643 or 7.73 percent
is from Western Visayas. This makes the region the fourth biggest in terms of population size
among 16 regions in the country.
Among the provinces of Region VI, the Negros Occidental and Iloilo provinces still have the
largest shares of the region‘s population at 41.93 percent and 30.84 percent, respectively. With
the presence of two highly urbanized cities of Bacolod and Iloilo in these two provinces, their
primacy in terms of population has been maintained.
The province of Capiz accounts for 10.25 percent of the regional population followed by Antique
and Aklan at 7.52 and 7.23 percent, respectively. The province of Guimaras tails behind at 2.21
percent due to its small land area although its proximity to the City of Iloilo can be a strategic
location for absorption of the city populace‘s spill-over.
The density of the province of Negros Occidental in 2007 which is 362 is higher compared to that
of the national density of 260 and the regional density which is 338. Comparing the 2007
population density for the two highly urbanized cities in the region namely the cities of Bacolod
and Iloilo, Bacolod‘s density of 3,199 is less than half of Iloilo‘s density of 7,479. These account
for the fact that Iloilo City is the seat of most regional government agencies.
Among provinces in Region VI, Negros Occidental shows an erratic growth rate with a
remarkable decrease from 1.43 in 1990-1995 to 1.13 in 1995-2000. The decrease to 1.13 in 1995-
2000 could be attributed to the deteriorating economic conditions in some areas, with the closure
of Maricalum Mining Corporation in Sipalay and some sugar centrals, thus creating migration to
other places to seek jobs and better economic opportunities.
Growth rate of Negros Occidental in 2007 which is 1.56 is higher than the regional growth rate of
1.35 but lesser than the nation‘s growth rate of 2.04. Given the current growth rate of 1.56, it is
estimated that population of Negros Occidental will double after 48 years or in 2055.
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 16
Table 2. Region 6 Population, Annual Population Growth Rate, Density, Area by Province, Philippines, 1995, 2000, 2007
Province
Population Growth Rate Density Land Area
1995 2000 2007 1995 2000 2007 1995 2000 2007 (sq. km.) % (Phil.)
Philippines 68,614,162 76,498,735 88,574,614 2.30 2.36 2.04 202 225 260 340,574 100.00
Region 5,776,938 6,208,733 6,843,643 1.30 1.56 1.35 286 307 338 20,223 6.74
Aklan 410,539 451,314 495,122 1.43 2.05 1.29 226 248 272 1,818 0.61
Antique 431,713 472,822 515,265 1.14 1.97 1.19 171 186 204 2,522 0.84
Capiz 624,469 654,156 701,664 1.26 1.00 0.97 237 248 266 2,633 0.88
Guimaras 126,470 141,450 151,238 1.31 2.43 0.93 209 233 250 605 0.20
Iloilo 1,415,022 1,559,182 1,691,878 1.13 2.07 1.28 371 408 447 4,719 1.57
Iloilo City 334,539 365,820 418,710 1.47 1.93 1.86 5,976 6,538 7,480 56 0.02
Negros Occidental 2,031,841 2,136,647 2,370,269 1.43 1.13 1.56 307 324 362 7,926 2.64
Bacolod City 402,345 429,076 499,497 1.89 1.39 2.12 2,578 2,755 3,200 156 0.05
Source: NSCB, Regional Socio-Economic Trends
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013 Chapter III : The Planning Environment
III - 17
2.2. Population Size, Density and Growth Rate
2.2.1. Size and distribution
The largest city of the province is Bacolod City which has a population of 499,497, accounting for
17.41 percent of the total provincial population. Compared with Iloilo City, the administrative
center of Region VI with a population of 418,710, Bacolod City is the largest city in the region
based on population.
Aside from Bacolod City, there are seven cities with 100,000 and above population namely:
Kabankalan, Bago, Cadiz, Sagay, San Carlos, Silay and Himamaylan accounting for 51.22
percent of the provincial population. The rest of the population is distributed among the 24
cities/municipalities of the province with Candoni having the smallest share at 21,748 or 0.70
percent of the provincial population.
Within the province, only 11 cities and municipalities registered an increase from their 2000
population, with the largest increase experienced by Bacolod City (net increase of 0.68 percent);
Talisay City and Murcia which border Bacolod City had the next largest share increases at 0.28
percent and 0.17 percent, respectively.
These population growth trends suggest that Bacolod City remains the biggest driver of
population growth in the province, as well as in the region. The population of the cities and
municipalities located near Bacolod City: Bago City (159,933), Silay City (120,365), Talisay
City (96,444) and Murcia (71,289), have substantially increased since 2000. Their proximity to
the city of Bacolod makes these areas strategically located to absorb the spillover of the city‘s
population.
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Table 3. Population size, annual population growth rate, land area, density, by municipalities/cities
Province Mun/City
Population 2007
Growth Rate 2007
Estimated Population Estimated Density Additional Population 2007-2013 2008 2010 2013 2008 2010 2013
Negros
Occidental 2,869,766 1.56 2,914,534 3,006,177 3,149,072 368 379 397 279,306
Bacolod City 499,497 2.12 510,086 531,943 566,497 3268 3408 3629 67,000
Bago City 159,933 1.68 162,620 168,130 176,747 404 418 440 16,814
Binalbagan 64,747 1.46 65,692 67,625 70,630 354 365 381 5,883
Cadiz City 150,750 0.83 152,001 154,535 158,415 294 299 307 7,665
Calatrava 78,452 0.69 78,993 80,087 81,756 180 182 186 3,304
Candoni 21,748 1.17 22,002 22,520 23,320 115 117 122 1,572
Cauayan 93,569 0.75 94,271 95,690 97,859 181 184 188 4,290
D.S. Benedicto 22,979 4.03 23,905 25,871 29,126 140 152 171 6,147
E.B. Magalona 57,424 0.73 57,843 58,691 59,986 511 518 529 2,562
Escalante City 92,035 2.11 93,977 97,985 104,319 752 784 835 12,284
Himamaylan City 102,014 1.95 104,003 108,099 114,547 271 281 298 12,533
Hinigaran 80,528 0.99 81,325 82,943 85,431 506 516 531 4,903
Hinobaan 53,894 0.82 54,336 55,231 56,601 128 130 133 2,707
Ilog 53,460 1.93 54,492 56,615 59,957 193 201 213 6,497
Isabela 58,819 2.63 60,366 63,583 68,733 340 358 387 9,914
Kabankalan City 166,970 1.51 169,491 174,649 182,680 233 240 251 15,710
La Carlota City 63,584 1.67 64,646 66,823 70,227 471 487 511 6,643
La Castellana 70,838 2.53 72,630 76,352 82,295 335 353 380 11,457
Manapla 52,428 0.77 52,832 53,648 54,897 468 475 486 2,469
Moises Padilla 39,239 1.73 39,918 41,311 43,492 278 287 303 4,253
Murcia 71,289 2.56 73,114 76,905 82,964 257 270 292 11,675
Pontevedra 46,768 1.46 47,451 48,846 51,017 422 434 453 4,249
Pulupandan 27,072 0.64 27,245 27,595 28,128 1185 1200 1223 1,056
Sagay City 140,511 1.1 142,057 145,199 150,044 365 373 385 9,533
San Carlos City 129,809 1.29 131,484 134,898 140,186 342 351 365 10,377
San Enrique 22,987 0.55 23,113 23,368 23,756 1101 1113 1131 769
Silay City 120,365 1.54 122,219 126,012 131,924 569 587 614 11,559
Sipalay City 67,211 1.11 67,957 69,474 71,813 157 161 166 4,602
Talisay City 96,444 2.76 99,106 104,652 113,559 572 604 655 17,115
Toboso 41,358 0.22 41,449 41,632 41,907 336 337 340 549
Valladolid 34,895 0.95 35,227 35,899 36,932 734 748 769 2,037
Victorias City 88,149 1.05 89,075 90,955 93,850 665 679 701 5,701
Note: *Population including Bacolod City. Source: RSET, NSCB
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Table 4. Population shares, cumulative population shares, additional population by
municipality/city
Province
Mun/City
Pop
1995
(%
share)
Pop
2000
(%
share)
Pop
2007
(%
share)
1995
Cum.
Pop‟n.
2000
Cum.
Pop‟n.
2007
Cum.
Pop‟n.
1995-
2000
%
change
2000-
2007
%
change
Negros Occidental
Bacolod City 16.53 16.72 17.41 16.53 16.72 17.41 0.19 0.6821
Kabankalan City 5.72 5.84 5.82 22.25 22.56 23.23 0.12 -0.0191
Bago City 5.44 5.52 5.57 27.69 28.08 28.80 0.09 0.0494
Cadiz City 5.17 5.53 5.25 32.86 33.61 34.05 0.36 -0.2797
Sagay City 5.27 5.06 4.90 38.14 38.67 38.95 -0.22 -0.1614
San Carlos City 4.17 4.61 4.52 42.30 43.28 43.47 0.44 -0.0859
Silay City 5.04 4.20 4.19 47.34 47.48 47.67 -0.84 -0.0043
Himamaylan City 3.42 3.46 3.55 50.77 50.94 51.22 0.04 0.0983
Talisay City 2.81 3.08 3.36 53.58 54.02 54.58 0.27 0.2759
Cauayan 3.46 3.45 3.26 57.03 57.47 57.84 0.00 -0.1931
Escalante City 3.28 3.08 3.21 60.32 60.56 61.05 -0.20 0.1242
Victorias City 3.22 3.19 3.07 63.53 63.74 64.12 -0.03 -0.1143
Hinigaran 2.94 2.92 2.81 66.47 66.67 66.93 -0.02 -0.1170
Calatrava 2.87 2.91 2.73 69.34 69.57 69.66 0.04 -0.1747
Murcia 2.26 2.31 2.48 71.61 71.89 72.15 0.05 0.1706
La Castellana 2.45 2.30 2.47 74.06 74.19 74.62 -0.15 0.1649
Sipalay City 2.63 2.42 2.34 76.68 76.61 76.96 -0.21 -0.0769
Binalbagan 2.25 2.27 2.26 78.93 78.88 79.21 0.03 -0.0153
La Carlota City 2.32 2.20 2.22 81.25 81.08 81.43 -0.12 0.0171
Isabela 2.01 1.90 2.05 83.26 82.98 83.48 -0.11 0.1508
EB Magalona 2.24 2.12 2.00 85.50 85.10 85.48 -0.11 -0.1228
Hinobaan 1.68 1.98 1.88 87.17 87.08 87.36 0.30 -0.1023
Ilog 1.80 1.81 1.86 88.98 88.90 89.22 0.01 0.0495
Manapla 1.82 1.93 1.83 90.80 90.83 91.05 0.11 -0.1055
Pontevedra 1.74 1.64 1.63 92.54 92.47 92.68 -0.10 -0.0108
Toboso 1.59 1.59 1.44 94.13 94.06 94.12 0.00 -0.1456
Moises Padilla 1.29 1.35 1.37 95.42 95.41 95.49 0.06 0.0165
Valladolid 1.29 1.27 1.22 96.70 96.68 96.70 -0.02 -0.0537
Pulupandan 1.02 1.01 0.94 97.73 97.68 97.64 -0.02 -0.0641
San Enrique 0.85 0.86 0.80 98.58 98.54 98.45 0.01 -0.0600
D.S. Benedicto 0.72 0.67 0.80 99.30 99.22 99.25 -0.05 0.1281
Candoni 0.70 0.78 0.76 100.00 100.00 100.00 0.08 -0.0212
Source: RSET, NSCB
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2.1.1. Population Density and Urbanization
The region has an average density of 338.4 persons per sq. km. in 2007. The provinces of Iloilo
and Negros Occidental, the two largest provinces in the region, also have the highest densities.
The province of Iloilo has the highest density at 447.2 persons per sq. km., followed by Negros
Occidental with 362.1 persons per sq. km. The high population densities in these two provinces
can be attributed to the presence of two highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod which
account for densities of 7,479.6 and 3,199.9 persons per sq. km., respectively.
A comparison of Negros Occidental‘s population densities in 1995, 2000, and 2007 as reflected
in the population density maps reveals that much of the population are in areas near the highly
urbanized city of Bacolod. This trend is quite noticeable in the cities and municipalities of
Talisay, Murcia, Silay, Pulupandan and Bago. Their proximity to the city of Bacolod makes these
areas strategically located to absorb the spillover of the city‘s population. As a whole, density
maps confirmed the perception that the most significant growth in the province of Negros
Occidental is fueled by Bacolod City and other small cities.
The municipalities with the highest population density are Pulupandan and San Enrique with
1,177 persons per sq. km. and 1,094 persons per sq.km., respectively, aside from Bacolod City
which is 3,199.9 persons per sq.km. Candoni has the lowest at 113 persons per sq.km., followed
by Hinobaan at 127 persons per sq.km. The provincial and national averages are 362.1 persons
per sq.km. and 260.1persons per sq.km., respectively.
Other cities/municipalities with population densities substantially higher than the provincial
average are: Bago City (397), Silay City (312.9), Talisay City (556), Escalante City (736),
Victorias City (658), EB Magalona (506), and Valladolid (726). Outside the province, Bacolod‘s
density is comparable to the largest urban centers of the country, such as the Cities of Davao,
Cebu, Mandaue, Lapulapu and Cagayan de Oro.
Based on the density maps, the highest density settlements are along the coastal areas of the
province. This may be attributed to the presence of most sugar mills, alcohol processing plants
and other industrial complex in coastal municipalities and cities. Other attributes may include the
provinces major roads which are built along the coast line and majority of the Local Government
Units (78 percent) are coastal LGUs, thus accessibility and center of trade and commerce happens
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in these localities. Historically, most original settlers of the province settled along the coast line
as most of the areas in Negros are still forest areas. Urban centers started along the coast. Thus
the presence of old churches (which serve also as look-out and protective structure in case of
attacks during the Spanish era) are found along nearby coastal area implying a large number of
parishioners worshipping in these churches.
A comparison of the municipalities/cities population densities in 1995, 2000 and 2007 reveals that
much of the population are in areas near the highly urbanized city of Bacolod as well as in the
other cities of northern Negros such as Escalante and San Carlos Cities. Obviously, since
Bacolod is the center of trade and commerce, business and employment is quite high in the capital
city. The provincial capitol is also located in Bacolod City together with most national agencies
with provincial offices. These factors influence LGUs surrounding Bacolod City to take in new
settlements due to business, employment, trade and marketing. Given that Escalante and San
Carlos Cites are emerging growth centers in the province with the presence of seaports in both
LGUs, influx of businesses and shipping activities would cause population to settle in these LGUs
or its nearby localities. Again, trade and commerce are high in these areas due to their close
proximity and relatively cheap transport to Cebu province.
Increases in population density in 2007 are also noticeable particularly in the interior towns of La
Castellana, Isabela and Binalbagan in central Negros, and Manapla in northern Negros. This is
brought about by the strong growth of agriculture in these interior towns. The improvement of
farm to market roads that made products from the uplands becoming easily transported to the
urban areas in the lowlands is also a plus factor in the population growth of these areas as a result
of economic development.
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Fig. 2. 2007 Population of Negros Occidental by municipality/city.
Fig. 3. 2007 Population Density of Negros
Occidental by municipality/city
Fig. 4. 2007 Population Growth Rate of
Negros Occidental by municipality/city
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2.2.3. Growth Rate
Among the two highly urbanized cities in the region, the City of Iloilo has an increasing
population growth rate from 1995 to 2000 but growth rate slightly dipped in 2007 while Bacolod
City showed a decreasing trend from 1995 to 2000, it had a marked increased by 0.43 percent in
2007. The location regional agencies, big malls and business centers in Iloilo City has boosted its
economic growth and correspondingly, opened employment opportunities that attracted migration
from other provinces. In 2007, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City increased their population
growth rate to 1.56 and 2.12 respectively.
Aside from Bacolod City, which has a bigger & increasing density and growth rate due to its
being a highly urbanized center, there are some municipalities and cities that have high density
but decreasing growth rate or vice versa.
High Densities and Fast-Growing: Bacolod City, Victorias City, Talisay City, Escalante City,
Hinigaran
Bacolod City being the capital city and the center for trade, banking, and commerce including
where most government agencies are located becomes the largest urban center with the highest
density (3,199.9 persons per km2) and the highest population of all LGUs in the province. The
other three component cities namely Victorias City, Talisay City, Escalante City continue to have
a growing settlements. Victorias City is the home of the famous Victorias Milling Corporation
(VMC), the first sugar refinery in the province with diversification into canning and construction.
Despite the significant decline in the operations of VMC, the city government was able to
mitigate its ill-effect by building infrastructures that would spur back the economy of the city.
Talisay City is a recipient of the spill-over of Bacolod City. Also the presence of First Farmers
Sugar Mill, an alcohol processing plant and rapid land development for subdivisions both
socialized and high-end residences accounts for the growing settlement and increase economic
activities in the LGU. Escalante City in the northern end of the province have benefitted from its
conversion to cityhood having installed infrastructures in support to economic development in the
area. Having a seaport connecting Negros and Cebu with the nautical highway program of the
national government and its agriculture and fisheries which is fully supported by the city
government caused the increasing settlement in the city. Hinigaran, the one municipality that
have densities 500 and higher is one of the more economically progressive municipalities in the
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province. It has a strong fisheries and agriculture economy. It also has a relatively significant
population who are employed in international ocean vessels and Overseas Filipino Workers.
Low Densities and Fast-Growing: Kabankalan City, Sagay City, San Carlos City, Sipalay City,
Silay City, Murcia, Binalbagan
The cities of Kabankalan, Sagay and Sipalay are former municipalities that were recently
converted to cities after the passage of the new Local Government Code. With the increase in the
IRA and other revenues of these cities, they invested it in infrastructures and increase support to
economic and social development of their LGUs. Kabankalan City has developed its role as the
gate-way to Dumaguete City and Cebu in the southern Negros. Sagay City capitalized on its vast
marine and agricultural resources to attract investors and is developing its Export Processing
Zone. Sipalay City dreams of becoming the next ―Boracay‖ or even better with the lessons
learned by Boracay. It has also built-in measures to ensure a safe and lush environment even with
the presence of mining firms in the area. Silay City, with its ―laid-back‖, relax and casual
atmosphere, it is home of the New Bacolod-Silay Airport of international standard. It has
benefitted from its tourism and retirement villages. Two sugar mills are located in Silay City.
Murcia, aside from the spill-over of Bacolod City, has become the weekend spa of Bacoleños and
tourists because of the world famous Mambukal Resort. The presence of BISCOM sugar mill and
refinery and Binalbagan Catholic College made Binalbagan sustain its economic activities despite
several slumped in the sugar industry for the past years. Its fishery and agriculture has given a
boost to its economy.
High Densities and Slow-Growing: EBMagalona, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Valladolid
These LGUs have densities 500 or higher (persons per km2) but economic activities are a little
slow. These LGUs are relatively small in terms of land area and are mostly relying on agriculture
(rice and sugarcane) and fisheries. The high population density may be attributed to its being
coastal LGUs and generally along the main highway where settlements are usually high. Also
most of the agricultural lands in these LGUs are privately owned by just a few landed Negrenses
especially those that are planted to sugarcane.
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Low Densities and Slow Growing: Bago City, Cadiz City, Himamaylan City, La Carlota City,
Calatrava, Candoni, Cauayan, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Isabela, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra,
Don Salvador Benedicto, Toboso
There are four component cities and eleven component municipalities in Negros Occidental that
have densities lower than 500 persons per km2. These LGUs except for Bago City are located
farther from Bacolod City. The landed and feudal culture of Bago City maybe the strong factors
in its conservative growth and development. These values tend to be difficult for them to invest
in other industries or for investors to come to Bago City. The closure of Ma-ao Sugar Mill has
contributed to its slow growth. Cadiz City and La Carlota Cities are existing cities before the
devolution but have never taken off in terms of economic development as they rely too heavily on
agriculture and fisheries. Himamaylan City is just a newly converted city and for a decade now,
there was no major development in the locality. In fact, the transfer of their market site to a new
location has caused a slumped in their economy since their residents would rather buy from the
nearby municipalities than go to their new market.
Candoni, Isabela, Moises Padilla, and Don Salvador Benedicto are all landlocked municipalities
whose main economic activities are agriculture and forestry. There are even no banks in these
areas. Calatrava, Cauayan, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Manapla, Pontevedra, and Toboso are small coastal
towns are quite far from economic centers such as Bacolod City and are highly dependent on
farming (sugarcane, rice, corn) and municipal fishing. Manapla and Ilog are even located
seaward farther from the main highway.
Within the province, the population growth rate of the cities/municipalities near the highly
urbanized city of Bacolod show a remarkable increase from 2000 to 2007. These are Silay City
(-2.76 to 1.55 percent), E.B. Magalona (0.03 to 0.73 percent), Murcia (1.60 to 2.56 percent), Bago
City (1.48 to 1.68 percent), Pontevedra (-0.18 to 1.46 percent) and La Carlota City (nil to 1.67
percent). There is also a remarkable increase in growth rate in the northern city of Escalante (-
0.22 to 2.11 percent) and LGUs in the south such as Himamaylan City, (1.36 to 1.95 percent) and
Ilog (1.25 to 1.93 percent). This could be attributed to their economic growth that correspondingly
opened employment opportunities and attracted migration from other towns/cities and other
provinces.
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The decline in population growth of various towns/cities from 2000 to 2007 such as Candoni
(3.52 to 1.17 percent), Hinobaan (4.80 to 0.82 percent), Cadiz City (2.60 to 0.83 percent),
Calatrava (1.41 to 0.69 percent), Cauayan (1.11 to 0.75 percent), Manapla (2.44 to 0.77 percent),
Moises Padilla (2.17 to 1.73 percent), San Enrique (1.46 to 0.55 percent), Talisay (3.17 to 2.76
percent), Toboso (1.13 to 0.22 percent) and San Carlos City (3.34 to 1.29 percent) could be
attributed to the deteriorating economic conditions in these areas. Population settlement in
Talisay City must have shifted to Silay City due to the operationalization of the new airport in
Silay City thus the decline in the growth rate of Talisay City and the subsequent increase in Silay
City. Nevertheless, despite the closure of San Carlos Milling Corporation, growth rate in San
Carlos City is expected to rise in the future with the establishment and construction of a Bio-
ethanol Plant in the area.
The movement of migrant sugarcane workers could also be considered as one of the factors in the
decline or growth of population in some areas. Decline in population is expected when the
population census falls within July or August which is considered as off-season or ―tiempo
muerto‖ in the sugar industry, when the migrant workers return to their respective provinces.
The fast-growing settlements in the province (from 2000 to 2007) are Silay City (from -2.76
percent to 1.54 percent), Escalante City (from -0.22 percent to 2.11 percent), La Castellana (from
-0.19 percent to 2.53 percent), Don Salvador Benedicto (from -0.46 percent to 4.03 percent) and
Pontevedra (from -0.18 to 1.46 percent).
Map 4 shows a slow-down in population growth from 1990 to 2000 in the central LGUs of the
province particularly Isabela, La Castellana, Pontevedra, La Carlota City San Enrique, Valladolid,
Pulupandan and even Bago City but made a sudden surge in 2007. This may be explained by the
long drought (El Niño) in the latter part of 1998 until mid 1999 whose effect was felt until 2000.
Central Negros Occidental is the rice granary of the province thus population might have shifted
to non-crop areas such as the coastal cities of Talisay, Cadiz and San Carlos and to some extent
the coastal municipalities of Calatrava, Toboso and Manapla where fishing became their
alternative livelihood. However, by 2007, population seem to have gone back to their respective
localities since economy has started picking up and agriculture has been sustained due to the
thrust of the provincial and municipal/city governments to fully support food sufficiency and
agricultural productivity in the province.
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Given the current growth rate, the estimated total population and overall density at the end of the
plan period (2013) of the province are 3,149,072 and 397 persons per square kilometer,
respectively. This translates into an additional population of 279,306.
Negros Occidental has a consistently increasing growth rate from 1.13 percent in 2000 to 1.56
percent in 2007. This may be due to increase in economic activities and opportunities that
encourage migration to the province.
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Table 5. Estimated Population & Density, Negros Occidental, by City Municipality, 2008, 2010, 2013
Note: *Population including Bacolod City
Source: RSET, NSCB
Province Mun/City
Popu-lation 2007
Growth Rate 2007
Estimated Population Estimated Density Additional Population 2007-2013 2008 2010 2013 2008 2010 2013
Negros
Occidental 2,869,766 1.56 2,914,534 3,006,177 3,149,072 303 312 326 212,306
Bacolod City 499,497 2.12 510,086 531,943 566,497 3,268 3,408 3,629 67,000
Bago City 159,933 1.68 162,619 168,129 176,746 404 418 440 16,813
Binalbagan 64,747 1.46 65,692 67,624 70,629 354 365 381 5,882
Cadiz City 150,750 0.83 152,001 154,534 158,414 294 299 307 7,664
Calatrava 78,452 0.69 78,993 80,087 81,756 180 182 186 3,304
Candoni 21,748 1.17 22,002 22,520 23,320 115 117 122 1,572
Cauayan 93,569 0.75 94,270 95,690 97,859 181 184 188 4,290
D.S. Benedicto 22,979 4.03 23,905 25,870 29,126 140 152 171 6,147
E.B. Magalona 57,424 0.73 57,825 58,638 59,879 510 518 528 2,455
Escalante City 92,035 2.11 93,976 97,984 104,318 752 784 835 12,283
Himamaylan City 102,014 1.95 104,003 108,098 114,546 271 281 298 12,532
Hinigaran 80,528 0.99 81,325 82,943 85,431 506 516 531 4,903
Hinobaan 53,894 0.82 54,335 55,230 56,600 128 130 133 2,706
Ilog 53,460 1.93 54,491 56,615 59,957 193 201 213 6,497
Isabela 58,819 2.63 60,365 63,582 68,732 340 358 387 9,913
Kabankalan City 166,970 1.51 169,508 174,700 182,788 233 241 252 15,818
La Carlota City 63,584 1.67 64,645 66,823 70,227 471 487 511 6,643
La Castellana 70,838 2.53 72,630 76,351 82,294 335 353 380 11,456
Manapla 52,428 0.77 52,831 53,648 54,897 468 475 486 2,469
Moises Padilla 39,239 1.73 39,917 41,311 43,492 278 287 303 4,253
Murcia 71,289 2.56 73,113 76,905 82,964 257 270 292 11,675
Pontevedra 46,768 1.46 47,450 48,846 51,017 422 434 453 4,249
Pulupandan 27,072 0.64 27,245 27,595 28,128 1,185 1,200 1,223 1,056
Sagay City 140,511 1.10 142,056 145,199 150,043 365 373 385 9,532
San Carlos City 129,809 1.29 131,483 134,897 140,185 342 351 365 10,376
San Enrique 22,987 0.55 23,113 23,368 23,756 1,101 1,113 1,131 769
Silay City 120,365 1.54 122,230 126,049 132,001 569 587 615 11,636
Sipalay City 67,211 1.11 67,957 69,474 71,813 157 161 166 4,602
Talisay City 96,444 2.76 99,105 104,651 113,558 572 604 655 17,114
Toboso 41,358 0.22 41,448 41,631 41,906 336 337 340 548
Valladolid 34,895 0.95 35,226 35,898 36,931 734 748 769 2,036
Victorias City 88,149 1.05 89,074 90,954 93,850 665 679 701 5,701
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2.3. Existing Settlement Patterns
2.3.1. Built-up Areas
Of the total land area of 792,607 hectares for Negros Occidental, the Alienable and Disposable
(A&D) areas cover 540,385.62 or almost 68 percent (LEP-FMS, DENR 6). Based on the current
PPFP of the province, Agricultural Land constitutes 531,016.99 hectares, which includes built-up
areas consisting of residential, commercial and institutional areas covering an area of 53,565.5758
hectares.
2.3.2. Built-up Areas due to Development Trends and Directions
Sagay City
The newly updated CLUP of Sagay City includes the proposed Negros Agro-Industrial Center
situated in Brgy. Paraiso which is 3.5 kilometers from the City Hall along the national highway.
The site used to be an agricultural area converted into an agro-industrial zone.
The conceptual master plan estimates the preliminary land use distribution to the Agro-industrial
Zone to be 182.3 hectares which includes residential/commercial, road network and other areas.
Kabankalan City
The city is proposing to construct a domestic airport as part of their Transport Infrastructure
Development Program. The proposed Kabankalan Domestic Airport is located at So.
Cabangahan, Brgy. Hilamonan, Kabankalan City. Total project cost is estimated to range from
P150M to P200M.
At present, the city is processing the requirements for the revision or updating of their CLUP to
include the conversion of the proposed airport site from agricultural to
industrial/commercial/residential use.
Silay City – Proposed New Town Center
Their newly-updated Comprehensive Land Use Plan shows the newly-converted agricultural land
to residential, commercial and industrial areas in the vicinity of the New Bacolod Airport in Silay
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City. The proposed New Town Center, estimated to be 1,500 hectares in area is also located in
the vicinity of the airport at Brgy. Bagtic.
Sipalay City – Transfer of Government Center
In their revised Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the city is converting an agricultural land in Brgy.
Gil Montilla into residential/commercial usage. The city is developing the barangay into New
Urban Core as Government and Civic Center. The site earmarked for this center is a 177-hectare
contiguous area. The new urban core will cater to multiple zones as government and civic center
and institutional areas where the City Hall, Hall of Justice, as well as the Sangguniang Bayan
Session Hall and office shall be located. All other government offices shall also be located in the
area. A centralized transport terminal for out-of-town vehicles, among other facilities, are
likewise to be located in this zone.
Calatrava
In their latest revision of their Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the municipality is converting
agricultural land to residential/commercial along the national highway until the boundary of
Calatrava and San Carlos City approaching the new Bio-ethanol Plant. These include the national
highway part of Brgys. Refugio, San Isidro, Patun-an, Bantayanon and Buenavista. These will
accommodate future residential and commercial expansion in the area.
Please refer to Map 5a Existing Settlement Areas which shows the built-up areas occupied by
provincial settlements. It includes urban areas (including poblaciones or rural settlements) and
industrial complexes. The primary source of data about the amount and/delineation of built-up
areas are in city/municipal existing land use plans.
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The existing built-up areas on settlements are identified in the respective Comprehensive Land
Use Plan (CLUP) of each municipalities and cities. Generally, settlements are located in A and D
lands. However, there are also settlements within the protected areas and hazardous areas as
identified in the hazard map of the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau of DENR.
2.3.3. Built-up Areas Within Protected Areas
Development ―aggression‖ refers to the kind of development which spawns adverse impact on
communities and habitats, threatens the biodiversity and sustainability of ecosystems especially
the protected areas of the province.
In Negros Occidental, the following areas are declared Protected Areas by the DENR: Mt.
Kanlaon Natural Park, North Negros Natural Park, Sagay Marine Reserve, Bago River Watershed
Forest Reserve and Ilog-Hilabangan Watershed Forest Reserve.
A. Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park
The Built-up Areas Map of the Province shows that settlement in the protected areas are very
minimal especially in the town of Murcia, D.S. Benedicto, San Carlos City, La Castellana, La
Carlota City and Bago City. These are the cities and municipalities located in the vicinity of the
protected areas of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park. Each municipality and city identified built-up areas
or settlements such as barangays and sitios inside the identified area of protection including the
initiatives, programs/projects in order to protect against inappropriate forest exploitation and
disrupted land use which are defined in their Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUP).
B. North Negros Natural Park
The North Negros Natural Park (NNNP) having an aggregate area of 80,454.50 hectares is
considered to be the largest watershed of the Province being the main source of water for
seventeen (17) municipalities and cities. It is also a wildlife sanctuary where rare and endangered
species of flora and fauna exist, such as the Hornbill (Tarictic and Kalaw), Bleeding Heart Pigeon,
Visayan Warty Pig and the Philippine Spotted Deer and home to some species of plants and
animals not found elsewhere in the world. Birdlife International has identified NNNP as an
International Bird Area (IBA).
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There are numerous threats to the ecological integrity and biodiversity of NNNP. The presence of
large settlements inside the Park composed of 8,814 households within the 42 barangays exert
pressure on the resources of NNNP.
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Figure 5. Protected Areas and Watershed in Negros Occidental
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2.3.4. Hierarchy of Settlements
The role and functions and size of each hierarchy level are identified in order to provide direction
for interaction and sharing of services/facilities among cities and municipalities. The hierarchy of
centers also enhances the optimization of limited land resources through the identification of
urban growth centers and priority areas for development.
As an additional guide using the scalogram, there are some settlements that perform central place
functions but are not identified as urban centers. These towns perform marketing and/or servicing
roles in their influence areas.
The results showed that the provincial capital, small cities and large towns have the most
functionally complex hierarchy of settlements. The scalogram shows a pronounced hierarchy of
settlements led by Bacolod City, with a centrality index of 358.66; closely followed by Silay City
with 265.72 centrality index. Sagay City ranks third with a centrality index of 132.40.
The existing settlement patterns may be described as a four-level hierarchy.
Regional (Metropolitan) Centers: Population of 400,000-1M - Bacolod City
In the Philippines, there is no official definition of a metropolitan area. However, the term has
been used for a number of years, such as Metro Manila or Metro Cebu. The closest concept to a
metropolis in the Philippines is that of a ―highly urbanized city‖ which, in reference to the Local
Government Code, is a city having a population of 200,000 or more.
In Region VI, only Iloilo and Bacolod Cities are classified as highly urbanized cities.
Metropolitan Iloilo, composed of the municipalities of Leganes, Oton, Pavia, San Miguel and
Iloilo City, is facing rapid growth in the recent years.
Unlike Metropolitan Iloilo where efforts have been exerted to institutionalize the inter-local
cooperation among the Metro Iloilo localities, Metro Bacolod at present remains just a term used
to group LGUs which has a semblance of inter-local cooperation which includes the cities of
Bacolod, Silay, and Talisay. On the other hand, the emerging Metro Third covers the cities of
Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Victorias, and the municipalities of E.B. Magalona and Murcia.
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Home to almost half a million Negrenses, Bacolod City, a highly urbanized city, performs the
multiple roles of commercial, residential and institutionalized functions in the province of Negros
Occidental. Hence, it is the center of commerce & trade, entertainment, culture, education and
seat of government offices, services and facilities in the province.
Large Towns/Cities: Population of 100,000 - 400,000
(Kabankalan City, Bago City, Cadiz City, Sagay City, San Carlos City, Silay City and
Himamaylan City)
With a population of over 150,000, Kabankalan City is the second largest city of Negros
Occidental and considered as the most progressive and fast developing city in the southern part of
the province. Cadiz City is also an emerging city in the northern part of Negros Occidental. Bago
City is strategically located to absorb the spillover of Bacolod City‘s population. San Carlos City
is also considered as the commercial and industrial center in the northern tip of Negros
Occidental. A Bio-ethanol Plant is already operating in San Carlos City, considered also as the
gateway to Cebu province.
The presence of sugar mills in Sagay City, Silay City and Kabankalan City, distillery plant in
Bago City and bio-ethanol plant in San Carlos City, in terms of settlement, indicates some level of
family income, attracts business, commerce, trading and industry-related activities in the areas.
Medium Towns/Cities: Population of 50,000 - 100,000
(Talisay City, Escalante City, Victorias City, Sipalay City, La Carlota City, Towns of Hinigaran,
Calatrava, Murcia, La Castellana, Binalbagan, Isabela, E. B. Magalona, Hinobaan, Ilog and
Manapla)
Escalante City, Victorias City and Talisay City are also considered as emerging cities in northern
Negros Occidental. Recently, more businesses and modern commercial centers are investing in
these areas especially Talisay City and Murcia that absorb spillover investments from Bacolod
City such as subdivisions. Victorias City and Talisay City are also the sites of leading sugar mills
in the province.
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As for the rest of the medium towns, these towns also provide for convergence of trading
activities for some small towns.
Small Towns: Population - < 50,000
(Pontevedra, Toboso, Moises Padilla, Valladolid, Pulupandan, San Enrique, S. Benedicto and
Candoni)
These are the small towns with mostly agriculture-based economy. Some of these towns are
poised to become bigger towns such as D.S. Benedicto with negative growth rate to 4.03 percent
and Pontevedra from negative growth rate to 1.46 percent. Valladolid, San Enrique and
Pulupandan are rice producing towns of Negros Occidental with Pulupandan having a national
port.
Pulupandan (1,177), San Enrique (1,094) and Valladolid (727) have the highest densities of the
province excluding Bacolod (3,200) and Escalante (736) Cities.
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Summary and Overall Trends
Among the provinces of Region VI, Negros Occidental and Iloilo still have the largest share of
the region‘s population at 41.90 percent and 30.84 percent, respectively. With the presence of
two highly urbanized cities of Bacolod and Iloilo in these two provinces, their primacy in terms of
population had been maintained.
Negros Occidental (2,370,269) ranks as the fifth largest province in the Philippines excluding the
highly urbanized city of Bacolod (499,497); but if it includes Bacolod City then Negros
Occidental with a population of 2,869,766 is the second biggest province in the Philippines next
to Cebu (2,439,005) plus the population of Cebu City, Mandaue City & Lapulapu City; and bigger
than Cavite (2,856,765); Bulacan (2,826,926); Pangasinan (2,645,395); Laguna (2,473,530) which
ranks first, second, third, and fourth, respectively.
Region 6 has an average density of 338.4 persons per square kilometer in 2007. The provinces of
Iloilo and Negros Occidental, the two most populated provinces in the region, also have the
highest densities with 447.2 persons per square kilometer and 362.1 persons per square kilometer,
respectively.
Negros Occidental‘s growth rate (1.56) is the biggest in the region but lower than the Philippines‘
growth rate of 2.04.
Given the current growth rate, the estimated total population and overall density at the end of the
plan period (2013) of the province are 3,149,072 and 326 persons per square kilometer. This
translates into an additional population of 212,306. This figure excludes the estimated population
of Bacolod City of 566,497 by 2013.
Existing settlement areas and built-up areas are presented in Map 5a and Map 5b. Built-up areas
in protected areas (Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park and North Negros Natural Park) are also noted and
identified. Initiatives and programs for the protection and maintenance of the said parks are also
presented by DENR-MKNP for the Mt. Kanlaon National Park and PEMO, Negros Occidental for
the North Negros Natural Park, with the coordination of PAMB.
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3. PHYSICAL RESOURCES
3.1. General Land and Water Characteristics and Resources.
3.1.1. Topography and Slope
The northern and western parts of Negros Occidental are largely level plains and gently rolling
slopes separated from the eastern seacoast and its neighboring province by mountain ranges of
varying elevations including a series of volcanic peaks. Mt. Kanla-on, an active volcano, rising at
an elevation of 2,435 meters above sea level, is the highest in the province and is also considered
to be the highest in Central Philippines. Mt. Kanla-on has been classified as a large strato-
volcano type which is part of a chain of volcanic mountains along the central spine of the island
of Negros and along the Negros Trench that includes Mt. Silay (1,533.67m) and Mt.
Mandalagan (1,879.30m). The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS) classified these two mountain ranges as potentially active volcanoes with no
historical records of eruption but morphologically young-looking. Two other inactive volcanoes
of lesser elevations are Mt. Solitario (locally called Mt. Lunay - 307.9m) in the north and Mt.
Malapantao (618.9m) in the southern end. These mountains are not found in the present
classification of volcanoes of the PHIVOLCS but local people have confirmed the existence of
these volcanoes. Also, no record of eruptions was found for both mountains and their long period
of inactivity is evident from too much weathering and erosion of deep and long gullies (valleys).
The coastline of Negros Occidental is more irregular compared to that of its adjacent province,
Oriental Negros which forms the other half of Negros Island.
Negros Occidental consists mainly of moderately sloping to rolling terrain fit for agricultural
production. A large portion or about 46 percent of the land area of the province is categorized as
within the slope of 0-8 percent and about 25 percent within the 8-18 percent slope. These are
found in the northern and western parts of the province which are generally considered to be
largely level plains. Only 13 percent are within the 18-30 percent slope and the rest or 16 percent
is above 50 percent slope. Thus, about 71 percent of the province‘s land resources is within the
relatively level or flat range (0-18% slope) and only 29 percent in the protection-oriented slope
range or the land of sierras of varying elevations (18% and above).
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Table 6. Area and Percentage Distribution by Slope Category
Slope Category (%) Area (‗000 ha.) % Share
0-3 191.10 24.00
3-8 171.60 21.60
8-18 200.40 25.30
18-30 102.10 13.00
30 over 127.41 16.10
Source: DA-BSWM
3.1.2. Land and Water Resources
Negros Occidental is a longish stretch of land which is approximately 374 kilometers from its
northern tip, San Carlos City to Hinoba-an at the southern end. Negros Island is shaped like a
man‘s boot when viewed on the map. It has a total area of 7,926.07 square kilometers or 792,607
hectares.
The province has several islands that have significant socio-economic importance beside its
ecological significance in the islands‘ biodiversity. Among others, the following islands are
considered to have aesthetic values and are potential tourism destinations in the province.
Sipaway Island
Sipaway Island in San Carlos City is essentially a white-sand beach coral island situated some 3.5
kilometers off the eastern coast of the city. Sipaway is about seven (7) kilometers in length and
one-and-a-half (1.5) kilometers at the widest. Sipaway Island‘s white sand beaches are
comparable to that of Guimaras Island. Although it‘s not as powdery white as Boracay sand, it‘s
still beautiful and unspoiled. And there are areas where people can picnic for free.
Geographically known as Refugio Island, Sipaway Island is a favorite destination both of local
and foreign tourists. It is just 10 to 15 minutes away from San Carlos City, Negros Occidental by
pumpboat. Life in the island is very laidback. The island is one of the major tourism attractions
of San Carlos City.
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Lakawon Island
Lakawon Island is located three kilometers off Cadiz Viejo, Cadiz City. This is a 15-hectare
island rimmed with white sand beaches, coral reefs and coconut & talisay trees. Several fishing
communities reside in the island and are also the source of labor for the resorts and hotels therein.
Lakawon Island is one of the major tourism attractions in Cadiz City. It is a 20-minute boat ride
from the mainland (Barangay Cadiz Viejo) to Lakawon.
Molocaboc Island
Molocaboc is an island barangay located 21 kilometers and 600 meters (21.6 kilometers) from the
town proper of Sagay City, and 8.5 kilometers to the north from the shore of Old Poblacion. The
island has an area of 428 hectares and is composed of three islets namely: Molocaboc Grande,
Molocaboc Diutay and Matabas Islet. Residents of the island are mostly fisherfolk and farmers.
Bulata Island
Bulata Island, some 125 kilometers south of Bacolod City, is a forty three-(43) hectare island
lying some 3.2 kilometers off the coast of the seashore town of Cauayan. Its white-sand beaches
and dazzling underwater world rich in marine life makes it ideal for marine research and
recreation. Presently, the island was declared as a marine sanctuary by the local Sangguniang to
protect it from further destruction and poaching from illegal fishers.
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Major Rivers
Negros Occidental has the most number of rivers in the region, six of which are considered as
major rivers namely: Sicaba, Himoga-an, Malogo, Bago, Binalbagan, Ilog and Sipalay. Himoga-
an river and its tributaries emanate from the eastern slope of a chain of volcanic mountain ranges
in the northern part of Negros Island. Sicaba River starts from Mt. Silay and empties into
Visayan Sea around Cadiz City. Malogo or Silay River originates from the western slope of Mt.
Silay and empties into Guimaras Strait. Ilog River is the largest in the province. It is the
principal drainage-way of the Ilog-Hilabangan River basin. Its headwaters originate at the north-
western tip of the basin with the river flowing in a southeast direction until it reverses its course to
a general northwest direction and discharges into Panay Gulf. Sipalay River flows to the Sulu Sea
coming from the mountainous areas near the boundary of Sipalay City and Candoni.
Table 7. Seven Major Rivers in Negros Occidental
River Location Discharge
(Million cu.m.)
Estimated Watershed
Area (km2)
1. Sicaba River Cadiz City 329 122
2. Himoga-an River Sagay City 1,387 578
3. Malogo River Victorias City 574 228
4. Bago River DSB, Murcia, Bago 1,822 759
5. Binalbagan River Binalbagan 1,641 746
6. Ilog River Kabankalan, Ilog 4,499 2,044
7. Sipalay River Sipalay City 640 291
The Provincial Development Council of Negros Occidental has approved the proposed Irrigation
Highway Project of Negros Occidental connecting all seven major rivers for agriculture, hydro
power, domestic and industrial use including the overriding tourism potential of the project.
Several private organizations both local and foreign have signified interest in the proposal of the
province.
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Fishery and Aquatic Resources
Of the 32 local government units, 12 cities and 13 municipalities are located along the coast of the
province. On the other hand, 176 coastal barangays of the 662 barangays of the province are
located in the 467.5 kilometers stretch of coastline of the province. The municipal waters in the
province occupy a total of 5,176.91 square kilometers.
Fishing areas cover the fishing grounds that surround the island, namely: the Visayan Sea on the
north, the Sulu Sea on the south, Tañon Strait on the east and the Guimaras Strait and Panay Gulf
at the southern portion of the province.
Fish culture in ponds has grown to more than 9,000 hectares in late 1980s to early 1990s with
more than 3,000 hectares of prawn farms. However, by early 1990s prawn areas had drastically
declined due to problems with diseases. Other species grown in fishponds include bangus,
tilapia, shrimps, bulgan and kikiro. Sea farming and sea ranching are also being practiced in the
province.
Negros Occidental‘s fish production used to be more than the per capita consumption, however,
over the years and due to coastal resources degradation and destruction, the province has become
a net importer of fishery products.
Water Sources
Water sources for domestic supply are categorized into three major sources: ground water, spring
and surface source.
Ground Water source are divided into solo shallow well and deep Well. Shallow well areas are
those water-bearing rock formations extending not more than 20 meters in depth below the
ground surface while in deep well areas, the lower aquifers are located more than 20 meters below
the ground surface. According to the Provincial Water Supply, Sewerage and Sanitation Sector
Plan of Negros Occidental (2000), deep well areas cover approximately 75 percent of the
province, widely distributed in the surroundings of northwestern volcanoes and the central part of
the province.
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Spring is a natural outlet of groundwater at the ground surface. The province has 997 developed
springs categorized into Level II and Level III water supply. Such springs emanate from
volcanoes and mountains in the northwestern and southern parts of the province.
The major source of surface water in the province are Himogaan, Sicaba, Malogo, Napilas, Bago,
Binalbagan, Hilabangan and Sipalay Rivers. According to National Water Regulatory Board
(NWRB), 67.4 percent of the surface water use is registered for irrigation and 27.8 percent of
water rights were registered for industrial use.
Natural Points of Interest
Other natural points of interest noteworthy to mention are describe below. These natural points of
interest are given attention because of their aesthetic beauty, historical importance and ecological
value.
Bagacay Cave – Located at Barangay Bagacay, Calatrava, some 8 kilometers from the town
proper of Calatrava. Bagacay Cave is accessible by foot after a 40 to 60 minute hike. It is famous
for its mat-weaving history dated as far back as the Second World War. This cave is now a tourist
attraction in Calatrava.
Kevin‟s Reef – Kevin‘s Reef is a submerged reef found at the off-shore of the sea-side town of
Toboso. It has an area of about 80 hectares submerged to about 2 fathoms (12 ft.) deep. The reef
can be accessed via a 10-minute pump-boat ride. Aside from being a divers‘ haven, the reef serve
as an ecosystem for the marine life in Toboso where fishing is one of its main source of income.
Mainit Hot Spring – The hot spring is located in Barangay San Isidro, Toboso, about 12
kilometers from the town proper. It is a tourist attraction in Toboso.
Kampanoy Cave – The cave is located at Barangay Gen. Luna, Toboso, some 5 kilometers from
the town proper. Once inside the cave, one can see a feature of a large dome-cathedral. The cave
used to be mined for guano and rock phosphate but now it is a tourist attraction particularly those
that do cave adventure.
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Dalisun Falls – This historical and magnificent waterfall at Sitio Vergara, Barangay Bug-ang,
Toboso, cascades down from a height of about 250 feet. Japanese treasures were supposed to
have been found at the top of the waterfall, thus making it as one of the tourism attraction in the
locality. It also provides the water for potable and domestic needs of Toboso.
Tamlang Cave – The cave, located at Barangay Tamlang, Escalante used to be the hide-out and
headquarters of the Filipino guerilla forces in the north during the Second World War. Stalactites
and stalagmites in all forms and sizes, cave pearls and diamond rays are imbedded in the cave and
50 other caves in Escalante City.
El Sueño Island – Located about 2 kilometers to the east of Barangay Washington, Escalante
City with an area of about one hectare and is accessible by foot during low tide. It is a coral island
with little vegetation that is partly visible during high tide and is an ideal dive site. Fisheries also
abound in the island as El Sueño is an important marine ecosystem in Escalante City.
Isla Puti – Isla Puti which means ―white sand‖ appears to be a large reef-island with some
thriving vegetation found on its two-hectare area. The island is an ideal place for a day‘s trip
from the main village of Bagong Banwa, Escalante City for coastal recreation. The island just
like the rest of the islands in Escalante City is a valuable marine ecosystem in the city where
fisheries is a major economic activity.
Patag Valley – The valley of 315.16 meters above sea level is located at the foot of Mt. Silay.
After the landing of Americans in 1945 for the liberation of Negros, some 6,000 soldiers of the
Japanese Imperial Army fled and took refuge in this mountain for their last stand. Presently, the
area still abounds with concrete bunkers, foxholes and tunnels used by the Japanese. It is now
one of the major agri-eco-tourism site of Silay City.
Mambukal Resort – Situated at Barangay Minoyan, Murcia, Mambukal Resort has an elevation
of roughly 274.32 feet above sea level at the northwestern foot of Mt. Kanlaon. It boasts of its
pristine environment, hot springs, bats, and seven waterfalls. It also serves as a gateway for
trekkers to Mt. Kanlaon. Most endemic flora and fauna have been preserved in the resort. Areas
surrounding Mambukal are target for natural resource rehabilitation and protection.
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Guintubdan Campsite – Located in Sitio Guintubdan, Barangay Ara-al, La Carlota City,
Guintubdan Campsite is a small village with an elevation of 750 meters above sea level at the
western foot of Mt. Kanlaon. The place is also an ideal jump-off point for trekkers to the Mt.
Kanlaon summit.
Enchanted Lake Linao – The lake is located in Barangay Bato, Hinigaran, some 10 kilometers
from the town proper. It is famous for the tale of the giant ―Kugtong‖, a local fresh water fish
locals say eats carabaos that drinks or bathe in the lake. It is also a source of irrigation water for
agriculture. Freshwater fisheries also abound in the lake.
Calatong Forest - The 1,000 ha-Calatong forest is one of several limestone rainforest fragments
in southwestern Negros Island. It has an elevation ranging from 20-270 m above sea level. The
site is about 90 percent limestone rocks and 10 percent soil and several caves. Calatong Forest is
home to the threatened Philippine Bare Back Fruit Bat and a major watershed of Sipalay City.
Ubong Point – Ubong Point is found near the once timber town of Hionoba-an, the last town in
the south of Negros Occidental. Ubong Caves are actually three different caves. Two of the
caves have a dry entrance, while one is accessible only from the sea. The caves with dry
entrances are easy to visit. The third cave, which is accessible from the sea is a little different.
The entrance of the cave is widened by the sea and forms a huge and impressive portal. The cave
behind is accessible only with small fishing boats or by swimming, but swimming is not
recommended as the sharp rocks and the waves often cause bad injuries. Because of its
inaccessibility this cave and its speleothems are in the best state of all three caves. The caves
played a role during World War II, when the Philippines were occupied by the Japanese. The
American Forces landed near Hinoba-an and used the town as their island headquarters. The
submarine USS Gledgeon landed at Ubong Point and occupied Ubong Cave as command post.
The cave was used to supply guerillas with food and arms. The caves are named after their
location, Ubong Point, which is a peninsula on the west coast of the island near the former timber
town Hinoba-an.
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3.1.3. Main Geological Features of the Province
The geology of the province is considerably affected by the volcanic activity of Mt. Kanlaon, the
latest explosion of which was in 2006. The erosion of sediments from the higher lands and the
violent eruptions had filled up the portions of the western and southern parts of the province. The
mudflow carried soil materials into the Guimaras Strait.
The rock units in the province are classified into three main groups based on the geologic ages. In
geologic age these are: the Miocene and Older Systems, the Plio-Pleistocene Series and Recent
Deposits or the Holocene Series.
The soil of the province is generally considered to come from two distinct origins. The western
portion, largely influenced by the proximity of the seacoast, is of coralline origin while the
southern and western parts are of volcanic origin. Silay fine sandy loam, Silay clay loam,
Guimbala-on clay and Fara-on clay are the predominant types of soil which have been considered
well-suited to the growing of the province‘s major crop, sugarcane. Also prevalent are Bago clay
which are favorable for rice and corn culture.
3.1.4. Mineral Resources of the Province
The province is rich in mineral deposits and some areas have soil formations with potential for
mining. Minerals which abound in the province are copper, comprising the biggest bulk, as well
as gold, silver, manganese and molybdenum. The biggest deposit is in the City of Sipalay where
two major mining firms are located. Non-metallic minerals for agricultural and industrial use
including construction materials are also abundant in the province. These include rock phosphate,
dolomitic and agricultural limestone. There are also the sand, gravel, boulders and aggregates
that are used for construction purposes.
Most non-metallic minerals are abundant in the northernmost areas in the province such as
Toboso, Calatrava, Escalante City, Sagay City and in Ilog. On the other hand, two major mining
firms operate in southern Negros Occidental. These are Philex Gold Philippines, Inc. in Hinoba-
an and Maricalum Mining Corporation that mines copper in Sipalay City.
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3.1.5. Climate of the Province
Negros Occidental has two pronounced seasons, the wet and the dry. The dry season is from late
December to early parts of May for northern Negros Occidental and from November to May for
southern Negros Occidental. The rainy season starts in June in Northern Negros Occidental,
reaches its peak in September and ends in October. The southern areas of the province experience
rainy season starting June, attain its peak in August and level off towards the dry season. The
northern monsoon prevails during the dry season while it is the southwest monsoon that
dominates during the rainy season.
In terms of agro-climatic zones, the province can be divided into four zones:
Zone A. This includes cities of Talisay, Silay, Victorias, parts of Cadiz & Sagay, Escalante and
municipalities of E.B.Magalona, Manapla, Toboso, and parts of Calatrava. This is a moderately
high rainfall area due to its geographic position which is easily affected by the northeast and
southwest monsoon. The dry season is not distinct and lasts for only 2-3 months (March-May)
and relatively wet for the rest of the year. The crop growing period spans 8-9 months.
Zone B. This zone covers parts of San Carlos City, parts of Don Salvador Benedicto,
Himamaylan City, Kabankalan City, and the whole of Candoni, Sipalay City, Hinoba-an, Bago
City, Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, La Carlota City, La Castellana, Moises Padilla,
Pontevedra, Hinigaran, Isabela, Binalbagan, Ilog, and Cauayan. These areas have a distinct dry
and wet season. The dry season lasts about six months (late December to May). Some rainfall
occurs especially in December to February due to the prevailing northeast monsoon. The length
of crop growing period is 5-6 months.
Zone C. This includes parts of San Carlos City, parts of Calatrava, Bacolod City, Murcia, and
parts of Don Salvador Benedicto. This is a transition zone between Zones A and B. There is no
distinct dry and wet season but it is characterized by a relatively low annual rainfall.
Zone D. This covers the mountain range of Cadiz City, Sagay City, Himamaylan City,
Kabankalan City, Candoni, Sipalay City and Hinoba-an. This is a high rainfall area due to induced
cloud formation given the high elevation (500 meter +) and cooler temperature. Temperate crops
such as cabbage, baguio beans and coffee are grown throughout the year.
Highest recorded rainfall in the province occurred in the months of May to November.
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3.2. Land Use Potentials, Constraints and Development-Related Issues
3.2.1. Land Classification
More than 68 percent of the total land area (792,607 hectares) of Negros Occidental is considered
Alienable and Disposable (A & D) while the rest are Classified Forest Land (31.82%).
The 6th
congressional district occupies the largest portion of land in the province at 32.50 percent
of the total land area of Negros Occidental, followed by the 5th congressional district at 15.99
percent while the 4th
congressional district occupies the least land area at 9.38 percent only.
Correspondingly, the 6th congressional district has the biggest portion of the A & D lands at 24.66
percent followed by the 5th
congressional district which occupies 17.95 percent. The 3rd
congressional district has the least A & D lands at 11.73 percent of the total land area of the
province.
Moreover, because it has the biggest area, most of the Classified Forest Lands are found in the 6th
congressional district. The 1st congressional district is the second biggest where forest areas
occupy 18 percent of its total land area and where the North Negros Natural Park is located.
Among LGUs, Hinoba-an has the largest forest land in the province at about 28,000 hectares
followed by Cauayan and Sipalay City. All three LGUs are located in the 6th district. On the
other hand, Kabankalan City has the largest A & D lands in the province at more than 54,000
hectares followed by Cadiz City at 38,000 hectares and Bago City at about 36,500 hectares.
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Table 8. Land Classification, by Municipality/City and Congressional District
Source: LEP- FMS, DENR 6
Location Total Land
Area (Ha.) Alienable &
Disposable (Ha.)
Forest Land (Ha.)
Total Classified
Negros Occidental 792,607.00 540,385.62 252,221.38 252,221.38
Bacolod City 15,610.00 15,610.00
1st DISTRICT 124,256.00 78,633.21 45,622.79 45,622.79
Calatrava 43,960.00 30,179.00 13,781.00 13,781.00
Escalante City 12,500.00 11,116.00 1,384.00 1,384.00
Don Salvador Benedicto 17,056.00 5,796.00 11,260.00 11,260.00
Toboso 12,340.00 11,289.21 1,050.79 1,050.79
San Carlos City 38,400.00 20,253.00 18,147.00 18,147.00
2nd
DISTRICT 101,900.00 82,732.82 19,167.18 19,167.18
Cadiz City 51,650.00 38,030.00 13,620.00 13,620.00
Manapla 11,290.00 10,896.80 393.20 393.20
Sagay City 38,960.00 33,806.02 5,153.98 5,153.98
3rd
DISTRICT 91,997.00 63,416.94 28,580.06 28,580.06
E.B. Magalona 11,332.00 6,267.00 5,065.00 5,065.00
Murcia 28,455.00 17,808.00 10,647.00 10,647.00
Talisay City 17,340.00 10,620.00 6,720.00 6,720.00
Victorias City 13,390.00 10,585.00 2,805.00 2,805.00
Silay City 21,480.00 18,136.94 3,343.06 3,343.06
4th
DISTRICT 74,393.00 69,695.00 4,698.00 4,698.00
Bago City 40,210.00 36,559.00 3,651.00 3,651.00
La Carlota City 13,732.00 12,685.00 1,047.00 1,047.00
Pontevedra 11,250.00 11,250.00 -
Pulupandan 2,300.00 2,300.00 -
San Enrique 2,100.00 2,100.00 -
Valladolid 4,801.00 4,801.00 -
5th
DISTRICT 126,801.00 97,023.75 29,777.25 29,777.25
Binalbagan 18,540.00 10,388.75 8,151.25 8,151.25
Himamaylan City 38,420.00 25,435.00 12,985.00 12,985.00
Hinigaran 16,080.00 16,080.00 -
Isabela 17,740.00 13,710.00 4,030.00 4,030.00
La Castellana 21,651.00 18,224.00 3,427.00 3,427.00
Moises Padilla 14,370.00 13,186.00 1,184.00 1,184.00
6th
DISTRICT 257,650.00 133,273.90 124,376.10 124,376.10
Candoni 19,170.00 6,971.00 12,199.00 12,199.00
Cauayan 51,990.00 25,886.50 26,103.50 26,103.50
Hinoba-An 42,410.00 14,543.90 27,866.10 27,866.10
Ilog 28,170.00 14,395.50 13,774.50 13,774.50
Kabankalan City 72,640.00 54,605.00 18,035.00 18,035.00
Sipalay City 43,270.00 16,872.00 26,398.00 26,398.00
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3.2.2. Land Suitability
According to the DA-BSWM (Map 10), Negros Occidental is suitable to rice paddies, cultivated
annual crops, perennial tree and vine crops, production forest, forestry plantation,
fishponds/mangroves because of its varied land topography and soil characteristics.
Rice paddies and cultivated annual crops are suitable in central and northern Negros Occidental.
Thus, most of the areas are planted to rice and sugarcane. The Bago River Irrigation System
(BRIS), the biggest irrigation system in the province, provides irrigation to more than 13,200
hectares, mainly rice (12,777 hectares) and sugarcane (500 hectares). Fishponds/Mangroves are
also best suited in the central and northern part of the province. Both crops and fisheries are
mostly located in areas with less than 3 percent slope. In areas with about 18 percent slope (i.e.
Calatrava, Toboso and Escalante City), perennial tree and vine crops are also suitable.
In southern Negros Occidental and the far north of the province, where 18 percent and higher
slopes abound, forestry plantations, production forest and perennial tree and vine crops are highly
suitable. On the other hand, cultivated annual crops are best grown in areas with less than 18
percent slope.
The province has a potential of 100,000 hectares for irrigated rice production area. Present
irrigation development status, however, shows that less than 50 percent are being developed with
available areas for expansion. Practically all areas planted to sugarcane can also be planted to
corn. Almost all kinds of vegetables are already being produced in the low lands with the
proliferation of hybrid and all-season vegetable varieties.
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3.2.3. Protection Areas
Protection lands in the province includes all protection land categories as follows: National
Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS), Non-NIPAS, areas prone to hazards, other
environmentally constrained areas, and Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones
(SAFDZ)
a. National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Areas
Areas proclaimed, designated or set aside by law, presidential decree, presidential proclamation or
executive order as a national park, game refuge, bird and wildlife sanctuary, wilderness area, strict
nature reserve, watershed, mangrove reserve, fish sanctuary, natural and historical landmark, or
protected and managed landscapes and seascapes including virgin forests.
The Sagay Marine Reserve consists of 32,000 hectares of marine waters in Sagay City,
was declared as a protected area in June 1995 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No.
592. Initially started with the Carbin Reef, which has an aggregate area of 200 hectares,
it has expanded in 1990 to cover Maca Reef, Maca Shoal and Panal Reef. Also known as
the Sagay Marine Reserve (SMR), it was established in 1978 to preserve and maintain a
highly productive, biologically diversified, and ecologically balanced marine ecosystem
through community-based management.
It has watchtowers in Carbin and Maca Reefs equipped with solar-powered lights and
surveillance equipment to assist fishermen navigating at night as well as to strengthen law
enforcement activities. The sanctuary, with its coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds,
is the main reason for the lucrative fishing industry in Sagay City.
Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP), with a land area of 24,577.6 hectares of rainforest
and verdant vegetation sliced from the cities of Bago, La Carlota, San Carlos and
Canlaon (in Negros Oriental) and the towns of Murcia and La Castellana, was proclaimed
as a protected area through Presidential Proclamation No. 1005 on May 8, 1997. Mt.
Kanlaon is one of the mountain ranges found in the heart of Negros Island. One of the
country‘s 13 most active volcanoes, Kanlaon is the highest peak in central Philippines at
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an elevation of 2,435 meters above sea level, the most dominant and attractive feature of
which is its active summit-crater.
Mt. Kanlaon was declared a National Park by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 721
on August 8, 1934; among the very first areas declared as such after the National Park
System was institutionalized in 1932. It was later proclaimed in 1997 as a protected area
under the category of a Natural Park, following the present system of classification. Rare
endemic species such as the Bleeding Heart Pigeon and the Negros Fruit Dove can be
found in this park, which makes bird watching a prime attraction. Other birds include
woodpeckers, bulbuls, babblers, warblers and flycatchers. The Guintubdan Nature Camp
in La Carlota City is one of the best take-off points in climbing Mt. Kanlaon.
Another component of the NIPAS is the former North Negros Forest Reserve, declared as
the North Negros Natural Park (NNNP) through Presidential Proclamation No. 895 on
August 15, 2005. NNNP is, so far, the largest protected area in Western Visayas and the
second in the Visayas Island, with a total land area of 80,454.50 hectares covering five
component cities and five municipalities.
Among the various forested areas of Negros Island, it has the largest remaining forest
cover estimated at 22,288.80 hectares. Being part of the Bago River Watershed, NNNP is
the main source of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses of towns and cities
in the northern part of Negros Occidental.
NNNP constitutes several ecosystems that serve as important habitats to assorted wildlife
species, many of them endemic to the Negros-Panay Bio-geographic Zone, and mostly
considered as threatened. Among the threatened mammal species found in the NNNP are
the Philippine Spotted Deer and the Visayan Warty Pigs. Some 44 percent of the 140
bird species recorded in the area are known to be found only in the Philippines. Among
them are the Visayan Hornbills, Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeons, Visayan Flower Picker
and Blue-Nape Parrot. The area is also noted for its diverse floral composition, especially
the dipterocarp species of trees.
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The Bago Watershed Forest Reservation (BWFR) lies in the northwestern portion of
the Negros Island within the province of Negros Occidental. It falls within the
jurisdiction of eight local government units comprising four cities (Bago, San Carlos, La
Carlota and Talisay) and four municipalities (Murcia, Don Salvador Benedicto,
Pulupandan and Calatrava). As a whole, the watershed covers an aggregate land area of
94,325.37 hectares.
The BWFR occupies 66 percent or 61,926 hectares of the entire Bago watershed while
Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park and North Negros Natural Park cover an area of 13.7 percent or
12,872 hectares and 19 percent or 18,102.7 hectares, respectively. It was declared as a
protected area on June 28, 1990 under Presidential Proclamation No. 604.
The Ilog-Hilabangan Watershed covers an area of 10,211 hectares. It has an influence
area of about 5,520 square kilometers including 15 local government units in both the
Negros Occidental and the Oriental Negros provinces affecting more than a million
populace. It was declared as a protected area on June 28, 1990 under Presidential
Proclamation No. 602. The Ilog-Hilabangan River Basin is the 11th largest river basin in
the country and is the largest in Negros island.
b. Non-NIPAS areas
Non-NIPAS are areas with outstanding physical and aesthetic features, anthropological
significance, and biological diversity but are not yet included under NIPAS. These include areas
with elevation > 1,000 meters and slope > 50%. It also covers mangrove forests, buffer strips,
freshwater swamps and marshes and eroded river banks.
Non-NIPAS with elevation > 1,000 meters areas are also located in the NIPAS declared
areas (Map 11). These would include Mt. Mandalagan, Mt. Silay and the upper portion
of Mt. Kanlaon.
Non-NIPAS with slope > 50% are found in the upland portions of Silay City, Talisay
City, Murcia, DSBenedicto, San Carlos City, Isabela, Binalbagan, Himamaylan City,
Kabankalan City, Cauayan, Candoni, Sipalay City and Small area of Hinoba-an.
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These areas are watersheds and forest lands which are quite significant ecosystem for the
lowland community in terms of water and remaining endemic flora and fauna in the
province.
Danjugan Island is the largest of the Bulata Islands in Cauayan, Negros Occidental,
whose white sand beaches and underwater world rich in marine life makes it a favorite
destination of foreign and local diving enthusiasts and conservationists. Managed by the
Philippine Reefs and Rainforests Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PRRCFI), this 1.5
kilometer-long and half-kilometer-wide island is comprised of lush tropical forest, five
lagoons, beach and mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs. PRRCFI regulates
the influx of visitors to Danjugan in consideration of the island‘s carrying capacity at any
given time.
In February 2000, the national government has declared the surrounding fringing reefs
around the island as the Danjugan Island Marine Reserve and Sanctuaries – the first of its
kind in Negros Occidental and the first marine protected area in the country developed
and managed by the private sector. The DENR, Department of Agriculture, the
Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development and the University
of the Philippines recognized Danjugan Island in 2001 as the ―Best Managed Reef‖.
c. Areas Prone to Natural Hazards
Negros Occidental is prone to various natural hazards like typhoon, tsunami, volcanic activity,
flooding, earthquakes as well as El Niño or prolonged dry season. Based on the report of the
Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council of the province, 31 cities and municipalities (excluding
Bacolod City), all 31 LGUs are under threat of typhoon and flooding, earthquake and El Niño
phenomenon. A total of 28 cities and municipalities are prone to landslide. Of the two major
volcanoes in the province, Mt. Kanlaon and Mt. Mandalagan, only Mt. Kanlaon has a history of
activity. During volcanic eruption, airfall tephra and ballistic projections could affect La
Castellana and to some extent, portions of Pontevedra, Isabela, San Carlos City, La Carlota City,
Murcia, D.S. Benedicto and Moises Padilla .
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There are fault lines are following the north-east direction affecting Himamaylan City, Candoni,
Ilog, Kabankalan City, San Carlos City, Calatrava and Toboso. Twenty-six cities and
municipalities located in coastal areas are prone to strong wave action.
The greatest damage to agriculture, infrastructure and private property was in 2008 when typhoon
Frank devastated many of the provinces in Western Visayas, including Negros Occidental. Total
damage to agriculture reached P289 million, infrastructure – P71 million, property – P14 million.
Total persons affected were more than 100,000 with 22 casualties.
Several areas of the province particularly those nearby stream, rivers and coastal areas are prone
to liquefaction. Liquefaction1 is the process that leads to a soil suddenly losing strength, most
commonly as a result of ground shaking during a large earthquake. Liquefaction will most likely
to occur in sands and silts and quite loose in the ground. Such soils do not stick together the way
clay soils do and they are below the water table. When an earthquake occurs the shaking is so
rapid and violent that the sand and silt grains try to compress the spaces filled with water, but the
water pushes back and pressure builds up until the grains ‗float‘ in the water. These areas are
located near the coastal areas of Silay City, Talisay City, Bacolod City, boundary of Pulupandan
and Bago City, San Carlos City, Kabankalan City and boundaries of Sipalay City and Cauayan.
Soil subsidence may occur near the coastal areas of Talisay City and Bacolod City. In
Kabankalan City, possible soil subsidence may happen along Ilog-Hilabangan River. Soil
subsidence is the sudden sinking or gradual downward settling of the earth's surface with little or
no horizontal motion. Subsidence may be caused by natural geologic processes, such as solution,
thawing, compaction, slow crustal warping, or withdrawal of fluid lava from beneath a solid crust;
or by man's activity, such as subsurface mining or the pumping of oil or ground water
(Wikipedia).
The only area declared as ancestral domain in Negros Occidental is the Damutan Valley in the
municipality of Hinoba-an. Worth mentioning is barangay Carol-an in Kabankalan City which is
1 Fact sheets compiled and distributed by the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand, March 4, 2011
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recognized by the city government as their ancestral domain however, as of this writing, it has not
yet been conferred with the NCIP and the DENR for its official declaration.
Table 9. Hazard Assessment Profile in Negros Occidental
HAZARDS LGU‟S Under
Threat Total LGU‟s
% LGU‟S under
Threat
1. Landslide 28 31 90 %
2. Flood 31 31 100%
3. Typhoon 31 31 100%
4. Earthquake 31 31 100%
5. Volcanic Eruption 8 31 26%
6. El Niño 31 31 100%
Source: PDCC, Negros Occidental
Table 10. Cost of Damage of Calamities and Hazard in Negros Occidental
INDICATORS 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Damage to Agriculture (PhP)
287 M 95 M 58 M 15 M 15 M 13 M 10 M 289 M 15 M
Damage to Infra-structure
(PhP) 108 M – 27 M – – 5 M 5 M 71 M –
Damage to Property (PhP)
395 M 95 M 85 M 10 M 10 M 10 M 10 M 14 M 10 M
Families Affected (PhP)
73, 846 15, 960 12, 288 3, 524 5, 576 3, 200 22, 584 20, 901 18, 896
Persons Affected (No.)
397,375 85, 881 64, 291 32, 740 33, 246 16, 000 112, 920 103, 566 84, 408
Relief Assistance (PhP)
7.3 M 1.4 M 0.5 M 0.622 M 0.421 M 0.288 M 2.032 M 1.8 M 1.626 M
Human Casualty (No.)
58 18 8 8 7 4 5 22 6
Source: PDCC, Negros Occidental
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Fig. 6. Mt. Kanlaon Volcanic Lava Flow Hazard Map
Fig. 7. Mt. Kanlaon Pyroclastic Flow and Lahar Hazard Map
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d. Other Environmentally Constrained Areas
Other environmentally constrained areas are those not mentioned in previous discussion but needs
attention and probably, protection.
Difficult Area for Ground Water
Some areas of the province are not suitable for well development. The areas categorized
as difficult for ground water availability largely consist of rock formations older than
Miocene epoch. Ground water availability in the aforesaid rocks is very low and water is
rarely released in the opened rock fractures.
About 25 percent of the provincial area are classified as difficult areas to exploit
groundwater, in which the volcanoes and the mountain system exist. These are located in
the northwestern and southern portions of the province.
The water quality problem in deep wells includes ironic groundwater and saline water
intrusion. Saline water intrusion problem is predominant in Ilog, Bago City,
EBMagalona, Manapla and Toboso. High ironic content areas are found in Kabankalan
City, Isabela, Murcia and Cadiz City.
Severely Eroded Areas
The municipality of Don Salvador Benedicto, which used to be a forest area, is severely
eroded. The rapid removal of forest trees has greatly affected the retention of natural soil
cover. Since the area is mountainous and rolling, soil run-off and erosion are usual
phenomena during heavy rains. Other areas that are severely eroded are the upland
potions facing the coastline of San Carlos City, Calatrava, Toboso, Escalante City,
Cauayan and Sipalay City. There are also spots of severely eroded areas on the upland
areas of Silay City, EB Magalona, La Carlota City and Bago City. Most severely eroded
areas are found at the foot hills of non-NIPAS areas (Map 11).
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e. Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones (SAFDZ)
SAFDZ refers to the areas within the Network of Protected Areas for Agricultural and Agro-
industrial Development (NPAAAD) identified for production, agro-processing and marketing
activities to help develop and modernize, with the support of government, the agriculture and
fisheries sectors in an environmentally and socio-culturally sound manner (RA 8435 - AFMA)
Some areas classified as SAFDZ have varying degrees of conversion restrictions. Administrative
Order 20 provides that “all irrigated lands, irrigable lands already covered by irrigation projects
with firm funding commitments, and lands with existing or having the potential for growing high-
value crops so delineated and included within the SAFDZ shall not be converted for a period of
five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act: Provided, however, that not more than five percent
(5%) of the said lands located within the SAFDZ may be converted upon compliance with existing
laws, rules, regulations, executive orders and issuances, and administrative orders relating to
land use conversion” (RA 8435).
Most of the large irrigated areas are located in the 4th
, 5th, and 6
th congressional districts of the
province. Only Murcia covers a large portion of irrigated lands in the 3rd
district with Victorias
and EB Magalona having a smaller hectarage of irrigated lands relative to Murcia. DS Benedicto
and Calatrava have large irrigated areas in the 1st district. Thus, conversion from agricultural
lands (SAFDZ) into non-agricultural use such as residential or commercial is highly regulated and
evaluated thoroughly by the LGU and the Provincial Land Use Committee (PLUC).
These irrigated areas are largely planted to rice, vegetables, high value crops and sugarcane.
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Table 11. Irrigation Development in Negros Occidental
Local Government
Unit Irrigation Service
Area (Ha) Local Government
Unit Irrigation Service
Area (Ha)
Bacolod City 94.95
District 1 District 4
San Carlos City 237.00 Bago City 9,487.03
Calatrava 782.00 Pulupandan 225.60
Toboso 120.00 Valladolid 3,041.25
Escalante City 50.00 San Enrique 879.20
DS Benedicto 614.32 Pontevedra 300.00
La Carlota City 387.00
District 2 District 5
Sagay City 454.66 Moises Padilla 1.251.50
Cadiz City 483.47 La Castellana 646.76
Manapla 29.00 Isabela 577.00
Hinigaran 102.50
Binalbagan 1,100.00
Himamaylan City 1,006.53
District 3 District 6
Victorias City 314.00 Kabankalan City 674.28
E.B. Magalona 200.00 Ilog 528.84
Silay City 40.00 Cauayan 972.00
Talisay City 169.00 Candoni 261.50
Murcia 744.74 Sipalay City 926.65
Hinoba-an 390.27
Grand Total 27,091.05
Source: NIA; OPA, Negros Occidental
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Fig. 8. Ground Water Availability Map
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4. ECONOMY
4.1 Economic Structure
4.1.1 External Context of the Local Economy
The total family income in the province is P43,604 million, based on the Family Income and
Expenditures Survey, 2000. This is 38 percent of the total family income of Region VI of
P114,428 million or the highest in the region. The biggest source of income is other service
industries with P18,135 million, followed by agriculture with P10,285 million.
Of the total income of households in Region VI of P114,428 million, Negros Occidental accounts
for P43,604.17 million or 38 percent of the total. Iloilo province comes next in terms of total
family income with P40,600.80 million or 36 percent of the regional total. Guimaras province
ranks last with only 1.82 percent. Compared with other provinces, the total family income of
households derived from agriculture accounts for 8.99 percent of the total family income of
households in the region. Other than agriculture, the province also accounts for large share in
community, recreational and personal services and also in other service industries.
Fig. 9. Overall Distribution of the Regional Economy
Figure 6.
Overall distribution of the regional economy
Aklan
7.22% Antique
7.32%
Capiz
10.05%
Guimaras
1.82%
Negros Occ.
38.11%
Iloilo
35.48%
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Total family income of households of Negros Occidental derived from agriculture accounts for
48.63 percent of the total family income in the entire region. Likewise, other service industries
which accounts for 40.28 percent have contributed much in the total family income in the region.
Other service industries account for 41.59 percent of the total family income of households in the
entire province, followed closely by agriculture with 23.59 percent. Other businesses or
industries account for relatively small shares. (refer to FIES for definition of other service
industries)
Among the provinces, Negros Occidental accounts for the biggest share of agriculture in the total
provincial economy (23.59 percent). On the other hand, agriculture in Guimaras accounts for
only 8.76 percent of the total provincial economy.
Table 12. Data Matrix: Total Family Income (P Million) by Household Head, by kind of
Business/Industries, 2000
Province
Kind of Business/Industry
Agricul-ture
Manufac-turing
Construc-tion
Mining
& Quarry-
ing
Whole-
sale &
Retail
Community, Recreational & Personal
Services
Transpor-tation,
Storage & Commu-nication
Services
Other
Service Indus-tries
Not Defined
Total
Aklan 1,336.50 155.11 22.88 - 697.15 251.00 181.10 3,271.08 2,350.21 8,265.90
Antique 1,959.12 26.95 - - 614.04 57.66 94.32 2,432.98 3,196.19 8,381.26
Capiz 2,491.26 99.14 - - 574.94 279.43 468.20 4,856.99 2,719.22 11,489.18
Guimaras 182.85 14.25 8.69 - 231.06 - 51.83 950.73 647.57 2,086.98
Iloilo 4,894.56 759.43 309.85 26.73 3,563.46 852.17 1,276.66 15,375.35 13,542.66 40,600.80
Negros Occidental 10,284.99 622.20 148.23 10.53 2,811.34 1,239.92 822.81 18,135.43 9,528.72 43,604.17
Region VI
21,149.28 1,677.08 489.65 37.26 8,491.99 2,681.05 2,894.92 45,022.56 31,984.59 114,428.38
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4.1.2 Patterns of Industry Concentration and Specialization
In terms of patterns of industry concentration, we can say that Negros Occidental placed more
focused on agriculture (48.63 percent) and the service industries (40.28 percent) being ranked first
in these two sectors. Iloilo dominated the rest of the industries to include manufacturing,
construction, mining and quarying, wholesale and retail, and community, recreational and
personal services at 45.28 percent, 45.28 percent, 71.74 percent, 41.96 percent, and 41.96 percent,
respectively.
Capiz ranked third in agriculture and other service industries and fourth in manufacturing and
construction. Aklan, where tourism is strong due to the presence of Boracay, ranked fifth in
agriculture and fourth in other services in the region but ranked third in manufacturing,
construction, wholesale & retail, community, recreational & personal services and transportation,
storage, communication services. Guimaras consistently ranked last, being a small province,
compared to other larger provinces in the region.
Table 13. Joint Probability Shares of Family Income (%) by Household Head by Kind of
Business/Industry, 2000
Province
Kind of Business/Industry
Agricul-ture
Manufac-turing
Construc-tion
Mining &
Quar-rying
Whole-sale
& Retail
Community, Recrea-tional
& Personal Services
Transpor-tation,
Storage &
Commu-nication Services
Other Service Indus-tries
Not Defined
Total
Aklan 1.16 0.14 0.02 - 0.61 0.22 0.16 2.86 2.05 7.22
Antique 1.71 0.02 - - 0.54 0.05 0.08 2.13 2.79 7.32
Capiz 2.18 0.09 - - 0.50 0.24 0.41 4.25 2.38 10.05
Guimaras 0.16 0.01 0.01 - 0.20 - 0.04 0.83 0.57 1.82
Iloilo 4.28 0.66 0.27 0.02 3.11 0.75 1.12 13.43 11.84 35.48
Negros Occidental
8.99 0.54 0.13 0.01 2.46 1.08 0.72 15.85 8.33 38.11
Region VI 18.48 1.46 0.43 0.03 7.42 2.34 2.53 39.35 27.96 100.00
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4.1.3 Basic Sectors and Corresponding Industries
Region VI‘s economy still rely to a larger extent in agriculture and the service industries. Negros
Occidental and Antique provinces have an almost similar percentage of family income
specializing in the sector of agriculture at 23.59 percent and 23.38 percent, respectively. It may
be presumed that the other services industries may also be agriculture-based industries. This may
be so since vast tract of lands in the region are still into agriculture use. Sugarcane, rice and corn
are still largely planted in the region.
Table 15. Specialization: Total Family Income (%) by Household Head, by Kind of
Business/Industry, 2000
Province
Kind of Business/Industry
Agricul-ture
Manufac-turing
Construc-tion
Mining &
Quar-rying
Whole-sale & Retail
Comm-unity,
Recrea-tional & Personal Services
Transpor-tation,
Storage, Communi
-cation Services
Other Service Indus-tries
Not Defined
Total
Aklan 16.17 1.87 0.29 0.00 8.43 3.05 2.19 39.57 28.43 100.00
Antique 23.38 0.32 0.00 0.00 7.33 0.69 1.13 29.02 38.13 100.00
Capiz 21.68 0.86 0.00 0.00 5.00 2.43 4.08 42.28 23.67 100.00
Guimaras 8.76 0.69 0.42 0.00 11.07 0.00 2.46 45.56 31.04 100.00
Iloilo 12.06 1.87 0.76 0.07 8.78 2.10 3.14 37.86 33.36 100.00
Negros Occidental
23.59 1.43 0.34 0.02 6.45 2.84 1.89 41.59 21.85 100.00
Table 14. Concentration: Total Family Income (%) by Household Head, by Kind of
Business/Industry, 2000
Province
Kind of Business/Industry
Agricul-ture
Manufac-turing
Construc-tion
Mining &
Quar-rying
Whole-sale
& Retail
Community, Recrea-tional
& Personal Services
Transpor-tation,
Storage & Communi-
cation Services
Other Service
Industries
Not Defined
Aklan 6.32 9.25 9.25 0.00 8.21 8.21 8.21 7.27 7.35
Antique 9.26 1.61 1.61 0.00 7.23 7.23 7.23 5.40 9.99
Capiz 11.78 5.91 5.91 0.00 6.77 6.77 6.77 10.79 8.50
Guimaras 0.86 0.85 0.85 0.00 2.72 2.72 2.72 2.11 2.03
Iloilo 23.15 45.28 45.28 71.74 41.96 41.96 41.96 34.15 42.34
Negros Occidental
48.63 37.10 37.10 28.26 33.11 33.11 33.11 40.28 29.79
Region VI 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Construction
Mining
Wholesale
Communication
Transportation
Other Services
Not Defined
Agriculture Manufacturing Construction Mining Wholesale Communication Transportation Other Services Not Defined
Series1 23.59 1.43 0.34 0.02 6.45 2.84 1.89 41.59 21.85
0
5
10
15
20
25
Aklan Antique Capiz Guimaras Iloilo Neg. Occ.
Series1 16.17 23.38 21.68 8.76 12.06 23.59
Figure 10. Share Diagram. Agriculture: Shares of Total Family Income by HH Head
Business/Industry, Region VI, 2000
4.1.4 Sectors that Account for Large Shares
The province identifies the following sectors/economic activities that account for large shares in
terms of production, income and number of jobs generated:
Figure 11. Histogram. Specialization: Shares of Total Family Income by HH Head
Business/Industry, 2000
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a. Sugar Industry
The sugar industry in Negros Occidental is the lifeblood industry of the Negrense
considering that it accounts for 60 percent of the total production of the country making it
the top producer of sugar in the country. The sugar industry of Negros Occidental, which
generated $75 million (P58 billion) in sugar exports in CY 2006 employed around 525,000
workers in the countryside.
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) reported that as of 2008, the Province of
Negros Occidental has 14 sugar mills. However, only 10 sugar mills are operating with an
average sugar production of 123,937 MT. Victorias Milling Company in Victorias City is
the largest sugar mill in the country, and the world's largest integrated sugar mill and
refinery. The area harvested in 2006-2007 slightly increased but the tonnage of cane milled
decreased. High cost of production, mill-gate prices and other factors greatly affected the
production of sugarcane.
Table 16. Cane Production, Negros Occidental, Crop Year 2004-2005 to 2006-2007
Source: SRA, Bacolod City
b. Manufacturing
The Province have major industries that provide significant economic impact in terms of
employment and investments generation. In the manufacturing sector, the two most
promising sectors that can provide greater impact in the provincial economy are the
Processed Food and the Gifts, Toys and Households Wares (GTH) sectors, with Negros
Occidental positioning itself as the Giftware and Holiday Décor Center of the country, total
investments reached to P 64,472,000 and employed 134 workers in 2000. Other industries
are garments, furniture, and metalworking.
Area Harvested (in Hectares) Gross Tons of Cane Milled (MT)
2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007
Negros
Occidental 164,455.00 164,308.00 165,058.00 11,169,736.70 11,576,869.00 9,926,590.00
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c. Trading and Retailing
Under the Services Sector, the Trading/Retailing sub-sector accounts for the largest share in
terms of employment and investments.
d.Tourism
Negros Occidental is not only known as the sugar bowl of the Philippines but is also noted
for its scenic spots, mountains and beach resorts. There are also a variety of arts and antique
shops as well as ceramics, shell and handicraft stores which are considered tourist
attractions.
Other points of interest in the province include several historical and religious landmarks.
These spots are scattered throughout the province, although some is within the city‘s
environment.
Considered as one of the major industries in the province, tourism has a promising potential
in terms of generating revenues and employment that will contribute to the local as well as
national economy of the country.
Tourist arrivals and receipts showed a fluctuating trend for the period covering 2006-2008
with 2007 indicating a downtrend which is attributed to the global crises. The CY 2008 has
a remarkable increase with 1,066,753 tourist arrivals with total receipts of P2,447,261,073.
Table 17. Location Quotients: Total Family Income by Household Head, by Kind of
Business/Industry, 2000
Province
Kind of Business/Industry
Agricu-ture
Manufac-turing
Construc-tion
Mining &
Quar-rying
Whole-sale
& Retail
Community, Recreational & Personal
Services
Transportation, Storage &
Communication
Services
Other Service
Industries
Not Defined
Aklan 0.87 1.33 0.65 0.00 1.14 1.30 0.88 0.01 1.02
Antique 1.26 0.19 0 0.00 0.99 0.29 0.43 0.74 1.36
Capiz 1.17 0.61 0 0.00 0.72 1.02 1.61 1.07 0.85
Guimaras 0.48 0.38 1.28 0.00 1.48 0.00 0.87 1.16 1.12
Iloilo 0.65 1.27 1.77 1.89 1.18 0.90 1.25 0.96 1.19
Negros Occidental
1.28 0.97 0.79 0.88 0.87 1.21 0.75 1.06 -0.78
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4.2 Potentials for Contributing to Local Economic Growth
4.2.1 Economic Based Industries
Industries that the province are relatively efficient, and have greater impact to local economic
growth:
Sugar Industry
Sugar industry remains the biggest industry in the Province, in terms of employment and
value added. Below are the major products and bi-products of sugar industry:
With the establishment of San Carlos City and Binalbagan Bio-ethanol plants and their
expected full operation, local and regional economy will greatly be benefitted in terms of
income, production and employment generation.
As one of the by-products of sugar, molasses has contributed and add-up to the income
generation of the industry because of the demand in local and national economy.
Issues/problems
The monocrop economy of the province has brought periods of crisis in the sugar industry
in the early years due to depressed prices of the commodity in the world market. From this
sad experience of over-dependence to a monocrop economy, the province has learned one
of its hardest lessons. While there are vast tracts of lands that are suitable to various uses,
production in many areas are marginal due to high cost of production inputs. This makes the
province a perennial importer of basic crops such as rice, corn, vegetable and fruits.
Coupled with this, global competitiveness has brought the sugar industry to struggle in
terms of competition in the global market.
Prospects
Sugar as the dominant industry in the province accounts for 60% of the provincial economy
which most of the populace are dependent on considering of its monocrop status. With the
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stable global market prices, plus the establishments of bio-ethanol plants, the prospects of
sustaining the positive trend of the industry have gained momentum.
The Provincial Government aggressively supports the move of sugar planters to utilize
excess sugar for the production of bio-ethanol and other bio-fuel sources in line with the
implementation of the Bio-fuels Act. The realization of this endeavor will greatly
contribute to the local and national economy
Tourism
Tourism industry holds economic importance to the national and regional development in
the country particularly in the Province of Negros Occidental. Tourists allocate income to
spend for their vacation, leisure, adventure, attendance to special events and other tourism-
related activities. There is, therefore a need to vigorously pursue the establishment and
improvement of tourism facilities and services in the various sites within the province.
Success in tourism development means increase in employment and income and generating
more revenues for public services. With these perceived benefits, Tourism Development
and Promotion has been identified as one of the priority agenda reflected in HEARTS Plus
agenda of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental
Issues and Problems
One of the issues and problems that beset the tourism sector is the inadequate tourism
promotion and institutional support. Tourism development should be based on sound
management of resources and must be sensitive to local customs and traditions. There is a
need to provide full support to tourism alliances and encourage the development and
promotion of tourism circuits within and outside the province.
Another concern that needs to be addressed is peace and order situation. The perception of
an unstable peace and order situation scare tourists away and keep them from visiting
various tourism attractions in the province. Moreover, the inadequate tourism
facilities/amenities and services need to be further enhanced to attract more visitors and
encourage then to keep coming.
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Prospects
The province is endowed with natural points of interest, historical-cultural landmarks and
heritage, and local events/festivals which are potential ―tourism winners‖. Although
sugar will remain as the major industry, tourism industry will greatly contribute to the
provincial economy. With the active support to tourism industry from the local
government units, the rich historical/cultural heritage, natural tourists‘ attractions and a
wide array of tourism products will make the province attractive for investors.
Employment
Tourism industry, considered as one of the major industries, has substantially contributed
to the local and regional economy in term of revenue and employment generation. In CY
2008, total receipts amounted to P2.4 Billion and employed huge number of local
manpower province-wide.
4.2.2 Local employment growth
Industries employing or likely to employ local labor are the following:
Manufacturing
DTI-Negros Occidental data on Business Name Registration, for a five-year period (2004-
2008) recorded an increasing trend in investment generation in the Province of Negros
Ocidental. Except for the years 2006 and 2007, there was a negative percent change in
investment of 92% in the latter year, which was brought about by the registration in the
Processed Food and Beverage sector amounting to P3.21Billion in 2006. In 2008, again,
there was a tremendous increase of investment of 367 percent compared to year 2007.
Zeroing-in on the priority manufacturing sectors, i.e., the Processed Food, Gifts, Toys and
Housewares (GTH), Garments, and Furniture & Furnishings, investments generated in the
same period were in fluctuating trend. The furniture, garments, and GTH groups recorded a
negative percent change in the years 2007 and 2008 (of which the former is the base year).
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Only the processed food sector, on the other hand, exhibited a positive change of 556% (in
the same period, 2007-2008).
Adverse effects of the economic slow-down, global competition (influx of imported-
cheaper products), and competition among local players are cited for the unfavorable
generation of investments.
Trading/Retailing
Based on the data sourced from DTI-Negros Occidental Provincial Office, investments in
trading/retailing business are characterized by an erratic trend based on the yearly
registration. However, despite the crisis, last year‘s investments has increased by 144
percent compared to 2007 recorded investments. This indicates that business owners are
more likely to venture in trading business than manufacturing because the latter cost them
much in the production inputs (which often times unpredictable). While in trading, minimal
requirements are needed to engage in business, with much focus only be given to the selling
efforts for a faster inventory turn-over and return on investment.
1. Industry Concentration and specialization (map, by-products, location)
Processed food – Mostly (at least 90%) concentrated in Bacolod City
GTH – at least 98% located in Bacolod City
2. Key support Infrastructure
Infrastructure Existing Proposed
6.1 Common Service Facilities (CSFs)
a. Food Laboratory
b. Training Center
c. Labeling and Packaging Center
Negros Occidental
Technology and Livelihood
Development Center
(NOTLDC)
- Food Laboratory for Nutritional Facts
Analysis, Shelf Life Testing and other related tests.
- Strengthen the services of NOTLDC
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4.2.3 Competitiveness and Market Share
Industries/products that are becoming more competitive and are increasing market shares
Tourism
Major Tourist Destinations
Negros Occidental is characterized by vast agricultural plains, mountain lands and some of
the country‘s lush forests. Among of its sights and attractions in the island are the inland
resorts, beach resorts, historical and cultural and various festivals of the local government
units.
Inland Resorts
Mambukal Resort is one of the resorts in the island that is famous for its sulfur springs,
leisure traits leading to the three waterfalls, mountain streams, lush valleys and hiking trails
up to Mount Kanla-on which is a perfect place for eco-tourist.
Historical and Cultural
Among the major historical and cultural attractions in the province are: The Provncial
Capitol Building, built in 1927 using the Neo-Roman architectural design. Once used as
headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army during Workd War II. It is presently the seat of
the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental. San Diego Pro-Cathedral, Silay City-
This church is one of the most beautiful modern-day churches in the country. It is the only
Pro-Cathedral outside of Metro Manila. It was build in 1920 and designed by Italian
architect Lucio Bernasconi. The Ruins of Don Mariano Lacson Ancestral House, The
Negros Museum and other historical and cultural attractions which worth visiting for in the
province.
Tourism Offerings
There are several tourism offerings and some of the recommended offerings are the scaling
of Mt. Kanlaon, waterfalls trek, Negros Sugar Tours, VMC Tours, Cultural Tours, Hofilena
Heritage House.
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Accessibility
By air, Silay City is the entry point to Negros Occidental which is 50 minutes from Manila
and 30 minutes from Cebu. There are nine daily flights to and from Manila and 4 daily
flights to and from Cebu. Negros is accessible by boat (18 hours from Manila and from
Iloilo (45 minutes) by fast ferries through Bacolod City. By land from Cebu, Bacolod is
approximately five to seven hours away and five hours to and from Dumaguete. Within the
island, the main roads are all concreted with some that are rough in selected areas. Tourist
destinations can be reached through public and private transports. There are also habal-
habal, tricycle and jeepney that provided rural transportation in going to and from tourist
destination.
Negros Occidental is not only known as the sugar bowl of the Philippines but is also noted
for its scenic spots, mountains and beach resorts. There are also a variety of arts and antique
shops as well as ceramics, shell and handicraft stores which are considered tourist
attractions.
Other points of interest in the province include several historical and religious landmarks.
These spots are scattered throughout the province, although some is within the city‘s
environment.
Considered as one of the major industry in the province, this industry has a promising
potential in terms of generating revenues and employment that will contribute to the local as
well as national economy in the country.
4.2.4 Potentials for Local Economic Growth
Bio-Fuel Industry
The bio-fuel industry is thriving in the province. The bio-ethanol plant of San Carlos
Bioenergy Inc. in San Carlos City which was inaugurated in 2009, is now operational.
Likewise, Roxol Bioenergy Corp., the bio-ethanol arm of listed sugar conglomerate Roxas
Holdings Inc. (RHI) has engaged the services of Indian-based firm KBK Chem-Engineering
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Pvt. Ltd. to build a P1-billion turnkey bio-ethanol plant next to Central Azucarera de la
Carlota in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
If all of the sugar mills in Negros Occidental go into power co-generation they could easily
produce 150 megawatts of much needed additional power for the province. So far only
three of 10 sugar firms in Negros Occidental are going into power co-generation: First
Farmers Holding Corporation in Talisay City with its bagasse bio-mass co-generation
power plant, and the ethanol plants in San Carlos City and Central Azucarera de La Carlota.
The Provincial Government aggressively supports the move of sugar planters to utilize
excess sugar for the production of bio-ethanol and other bio-fuel sources in line with the
implementation of the Bio-fuels Act. The realization of this endeavor will greatly
contribute to the local and national economy
4.3 Local Factors
Physical Resources
Access to major tourist destinations and attractions in the province has greatly improved during
the past years with a good road network in place. The new tourism highway traversing the
hinterlands of Negros Island connects San Carlos City to Bacolod City and provides tourists with
diverse attractions along the way. The road from Bacolod City to the southern part is also well-
paved allowing tourists to reach the rich diving grounds and other marine attractions found in
southern Negros. The completion and operation of the New Bacolod Airport in Silay City will
expand tourism and trading activities as well as meet the present and future air traffic needs in the
two major hubs of the region. The proposal for a bridge connecting Negros Island, Panay and
Cebu will hugely improve accessibility and economy of Negros, Panay and Cebu.
Human Resources
With the availability of skilled and trainable human resources, the increasing manpower needs of
the different sectors could be adequately addressed.
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Major Universities and Colleges
Educational has always been considered indispensable in bringing about the desired behavioral
and attitudinal changes in the population to effect socio-economic development. The far-reaching
and enduring effects of education on individual and societal growth and progress call for serious
efforts to continuously improve and promote the accessibility of our educational system to the
changes n the socio-economic spheres including the demands of development initiatives in the
most efficient and effective fashion.
In the province, there are 14 public tertiary education and 26 private education institutions
offerings various courses from 2 year course to post graduate courses. These institutions are under
the supervision of Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Knowledge Resources
Business Process Outsourcing
Bacolod City or Negros Occidental considered as the next wave areas outside Metro Manila are
encourage and by industry and government leaders to sustain their readiness and competitiveness
for the business outsourcing sector. The Commission on Information and Communications
Technology and Business Processing Association of the Philippines emphasized the need for the
indicated areas to work hard in the areas of talent development, business environment and
government support.
Beside the on-going call centers in Bacolod City, the Provincial Government leaders are
announcing the interest of Call Center investor to put up call center facilities and building beside
the PNB provincial lot.
At present, there are five major call centers operating in Bacolod City namely: Teleperformance,
Teletech, BCG Digital World and Convergy‘s.
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Capital (financial or investment resources)
Support Infrastructure
Priority Infrastructure Existing
Nature/Status Potential Constraints
Common Service Facilities (e.g.
Laboratories – Food, slaughter house)
Limited/non-
existent
Technical, financial and physical
support
Telecommunication/ISP Existing Un-optimized use of technology
Technology Development
Equipments/Facilities Limited
Technical, financial and physical
support
Banks, Financial Institutions, Loan Porfolio
Data on the operations and total resources of banks in the province show, to some extent,
indicators of the status of its economy. The growth in the number of operating banking
institutions gives insights on the pace at which business and trade grow. Statistics on total loans
show not only the volume of capital lent to the entrepreneurs, merchants, consumers, agriculture
and industrial sectors but also the rate of return of their loan investments. Indeed, the banking
sector plays a vital role in the development of productive activities of proprietors or corporate
institutions in the area. The presence and accessibility of establishments providing these services
to existing and prospective investors contribute to the realization of programs and projects aimed
at industrial and entrepreneurial advancement.
In 2007, number of banks in the province totaled 157 with deposits amounting to P44.2 billion
which comprises 44.12 percent of the total deposits in the region.
Data below shows the breakdown of financial institutions operating in the province:
Financial Institutions No. of Banking
Offices
Deposits
(In Billions)
Universal and Commercial Banks 100 P 40,302
Thrift Banks 12 2,707
Rural & Cooperative Bank 35 1,198
Total P 44.206
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Road and Bridges
The provincial road totaled to 422.74 km with 41 percent concrete, 4 percent asphalt, and 55
percent gravel. The Provincial Government also maintained 69 bridges, disaggregated as follows:
concrete – 688.72 lm, steel – 436.67 lm, bailey – 144 lm, and overflow – 512 lm.
Privately-owned and public utility vehicles are the means of transportation within the urban center
of Bacolod City. In the neighboring towns and cities, tricycle is the means of transportation. In
most parts of the province, public utility jeepneys and mini-buses are being used as the main
mode of land transport from one municipality to another. Bus lines are likewise available to
provide inter-province land transportation in the Island of Negros Occidental.
Proposed New Routes and Transport Facilities
The New Bacolod-Silay Airport Access Road is one of the major infrastructure projects in the
province that should be given priority. The project aims to provide smooth access to the new
Bacolod Airport from Bacolod City and to reduce traffic congestion at Bacolod Coastal Road,
north section, to form flexible road network and to guide and support sound urbanization of
Bacolod, Talisay and Silay Cities.
Communication
As of 2004, there were already 117 cell sites and four paging sites in Negros Occidental. For
every 100 population in the province, there are only 1.8 or almost two persons with telephone
lines as of 2006.
4.4 Summary
i. Economic Structure
In industry concentration, the top three industries of Negros Occidental that have a large
contribution in terms of production value, employment or income were identified as
follows: Agriculture, manufacturing and other service industries. While In terms of
industry specialization, other service industries dominated this sector with Negros
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Occidental ranking third at 41.69 percent with Guimaras on top of the rank followed closely
by the Province of Capiz with 42.28 percent. Antique has the bottom figure.
ii. Industries with Best and Declining Potentials
The industries with Best Potentials and declining potentials are the sugar and tourism
industry considering that the gains and failures of these industries are dependent on the
market forces of the global economy. Sugar is the dominant industry in the province and
accounts for 60% of the provincial economy which most of the populace are dependent on
considering of its mono-crop status. Tourism as a growing industry shows positive
potentials as one of the industries that contribute substantially to the local economy.
4.4.3 Local factors
The construction of the Bacolod-Silay International Airport in Silay City coupled with the
improvement of the tourism facilities and the development of the ports in the province will
definitely enhance the growth potentials of the tourism industry and other major industries that
make substantial contribution to the local economy. The emergence of the Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) Industry in the province has benefitted the Negrenses in terms of generating
employment and additional revenue. Also, the conducive business climate and the stable peace
and order situation in the province have encouraged investors to come in and put their
investments in the province.
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5. TRANSPORTATION, ACCESS AND CIRCULATION
Transportation is a key element that affects the interactions among population, economic, and
other social activities, and other resources of the province. In many cases, strategies involving
transportation projects provide important opportunities for enabling and catalyzing development.
This section will describe the access routes and facilities in the province, and indicate how these
relate to the location of urban centers and other settlements, the land and water resources of the
province, and production activities. Further, the section will also discuss the characteristics of
transportation that are usually not fully covered in individual sectoral analyses—external linkages
and internal circulation as a whole.
5.1 External linkages
Negros Occidental can be found at the central part of the Philippine archipelago and is easily
accessible through land, air and water routes.
5.1.1 Land, Air and Water Access Routes and Key Transport Infrastructure and Facilities
Access through land
Negros Occidental can be reached from Negros Oriental, its sister province and the other half of
Negros Island, through several routes. From the south, it can be reached though the Mabinay-
Kabankalan Road; from the southeast, through the Bayawan-Hinobaan Road; via the central part,
through Canlaon City-Salvador Benedicto Road; and through the coastal stretch via
Vallehermoso-San Carlos City Road. These roads are vital link between Bacolod City, the
provincial capital and the other cities of the province including Dumaguete City, the provincial
capital of Negros Oriental. The development of these inter-island road networks boosts the
island‘s trade and commerce. Population‘s access to basic services has been augmented and
tourism industry is expected to spruce up and will eventually contribute to the economic growth
through new investment and tourism opportunities, as well as boosting employment on Negros
Island.
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Access through Water
Negros Occidental which is surrounded by coastal waters is accessible by sea. The Provincial
Capital, which is Bacolod City, is an 18-hour cruise to and from Manila, 45 minutes to and from
Iloilo on fast sea craft, 2 hours from Iloilo City via Dumangas route on RORO facility. The
Banago (a private port owned by Negros Navigation Company, Inc.) and BREDCO (Bacolod
Real Estate Development Corp.) ports are the vessels‘ entry point. BREDCO Port has daily
access to Iloilo, with different shipping lines such as Super Cat, Weesam Express and Ocean Jet.
Banago Wharf is access route to Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog and Zamboanga served by
shipping line of Negros Navigation. There are 23 operational ports in the province based on
PMO-Pulupandan records, 17 are privately-operated and six are being managed by the Philippine
Ports Authority. There are nine major ports in the province, namely, Pulupandan Port, in
Pulupandan, Cadiz Port in Cadiz City, San Carlos Port in San Carlos City, Danao Port in
Escalante City, Victorias Port in Victorias City, Maricalum Port in Sipalay City and Salvacion
Port in Hinoba-an.
Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH)
The SRNH is a priority project of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo which
makes use of the Roll-on-Roll-off (RORO) services that combine land and inter-modal trunk
routes to connect all the major economic centers of the Philippine archipelago through innovative,
efficient and affordable means.
Negros Occidental is part of the SRNH route which covers 919 kilometers of land travel and 137
nautical miles of sea travel interconnecting 17 provinces and cities, namely: Oriental Mindoro,
Tagaytay/Cavite, Marinduque, Romblon, and Batangas in Luzon; Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, Capiz,
Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Cebu, Guimaras and Siquijor in the Visayas, and
Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte and Dapitan City in Mindanao.
The province is connected with other provinces in Panay Island and Cebu City in Region VII
through the roll-on roll-off system (RO-RO) of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway. Through
Dumaguete City, the province could be linked to Bohol, Cebu, Zamboanga, Dapitan and other
parts of Mindanao. The RO-RO terminals in the province are BREDCO Port in Bacolod City,
Escalante Port, San Carlos Port and Pulupandan Port.
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The Department of Public Works and Highways had undertaken improvement works at the major
alternate route in the province. Road shoulder, embankment, flood control and drainage along the
Negros Translink Eco-Tourism Highway or the Bacolod-Murcia-D.S. Benedicto-San Carlos City
were constructed. The construction of this road completes the intermodal component of the
transport system between the islands of Panay, Negros and also Cebu. A vital bridge in Cauayan
and the Bacolod South Kabankalan Road, classified as part of the north-south backbone of
Philippine‘s arterial road network as it traverses from Bacolod City to Kabankalan City on the
southern portion of Negros Occidental leading further to Dumaguete City was constructed and
widened from four to six lanes.
Access through Air
Negros Occidental is served by the Bacolod-Silay airport in Silay City, an airport of international
standard which replaced the Bacolod City Domestic Airport, in Bacolod City proper, in 2007.
The airport is located 15 kilometers northeast of Bacolod City on a 181-hectare site in Barangay
Bagtic, Silay City. The airport, could accommodate international traffic, and is expected to
become the primary gateway to Negros Island. It is one of the three airports of international
standards envisioned to serve the Western Visayas region, alongside Kalibo International Airport
in Aklan and the New Iloilo Airport in Iloilo.
Bacolod-Silay Airport is 45 minutes by air from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and 30
minutes from Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Commercial Airlines serving in the Province
are Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Air Philippines, and Zest Airways.
The total number of passengers accommodated in 2008 was recorded at 840,711, which posted an
increase of eight percent from the 2007 figure.
Being built to international standards, the Bacolod-Silay Airport is still designated as a Principal
Class 1 domestic airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. It has one primary
runway 45 meters (150 ft) wide and 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) long. The runway runs in a direction
of 03°/21°, and can currently handle aircraft as large as the Airbus A330. Further, the
construction of a 500-meter (1,600 ft) expansion of the present runway can accommodate even
larger aircraft like the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A340. The airport is equipped with an
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Instrument Landing System, making it capable of handling night and low-visibility landings. The
entire airport complex is designed to handle an excess of one million passengers and 16,715 tons
of cargo annually and consists of 21 buildings with a total floor space of 108,450 sq ft.
The Bacolod City Domestic Airport has been inactive when the Bacolod-Silay Airport started
operations in 2007.
5.1.2 Linkages and/or Facilities that should be given High Priority for Improvement
Construction of Airports in San Carlos and Kabankalan Cities
The construction of community airports in San Carlos City and Kabankalan City is a vital part of
the Transport Infrastructure Development Program of the province. With the construction of
these community airports, the two cities are envisioned to encourage more investments and
tourism traffic to the southern and northern parts of Negros Occidental.
The San Carlos City community airport was started in 2003 with the construction of the access
road and development of the airside and land site facilities. To date, San Carlos City has already
allocated a total of Php 70 Million thru its local development fund with an expended amount of
Php 55 Million and rate of accomplishment is at 23 percent.
The feasibility study for Kabankalan Airport development project was completed March 2009.
Out of the 97 hectares needed for the airport 85 were already acquired by the Local Government
12 is still to be expropriated. The province and the city of Kabankalan has initially allocated Php
75 Million for site acquisition and is still willing to appropriate additional fund for the site
development, acquisition of lots for relocation of affected households and other incidental
expenses.
With an airport of international standard in place and the construction of two airports in northern
and southern Negros Occidental, it is hoped that the vast economic potentials of the province will
finally be harnessed to its full potential. The three airports are major parts of the province‘s
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infrastructure. It will support employment generation and facilitate the fast movement of the
general public and goods, thereby fostering trade and commerce
5.2 Internal Circulation
5.2.1 Description of Internal Circulation Routes
Road and Bridges
In Negros Occidental, the provincial and national roads and bridges totaled to 1,776.21 km with
28 percent concrete, 34 percent asphalt, 37 percent gravel and one percent allotted to bridges.
Bacolod City, the province‘s capital, is accessed from the south through the Bacolod South
National Road which passes through 13 cities and municipalities, and from the north through the
Bacolod North National Road which traverses about 11 northern municipalities and cities in the
province.
Privately-owned and public utility vehicles are the means of transportation within the urban center
of Bacolod City. In the neighboring towns and cities, tricycle is the means of transportation. In
most parts of the province, public utility jeepneys and mini-buses are being used as the main
mode of land transport from one municipality to another. Bus lines are likewise available to
provide inter-province land transportation in the Island of Negros Occidental.
―Trisikad‖, a smaller version of tricycle but manually driven using a BMX bicycle proliferates in
Bacolod City and are fast growing in the urban areas of the LGUs. In San Carlos City and to
some extent in Calatrava town, a bigger adaptation of the ―Trisikad‖ using American bicycle is
predominant in these areas as a major mode of transportation. It is locally called ―Pedicab‖.
―Habal-habal‖ is a motorcycle with modified backseat and foot rest to accommodate three or four
passenger and/or baggage are plying the upland barangays of LGUs.
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Roads of importance include the Bacolod-San Carlos City National Road, Bacolod-Kabankalan-
Mabinay National Road, Bacolod-Murcia-Salvador Benedicto-San Carlos National Road. These
roads are vital links in the transport system between the islands of Panay, Negros and also Cebu.
5.2.2 Proposed New Routes and Transport Facilities
The New Bacolod-Silay Airport Access Road is one of the major infrastructure projects in the
province that should be given priority. New Bacolod (Silay) Airport Access Road project runs
parallel to and about 3-4 kms east to Bacolod Coastal road. The access road will traverse mostly
sugarcanes fields in the outskirts of Talisay and Silay Cities. It branches off to the tip of the
existing Bacolod Circumferential Road and ends at Silay-Guimbalaon road at about 500-meter
west of the new Bacolod-Silay Airport. The project aims to provide smooth access to the new
Bacolod Airport from Bacolod City and to reduce traffic congestion at Bacolod Coastal Road,
north section, to form flexible road network and to guide and support sound urbanization of
Bacolod, Talisay and Silay Cities.
Further, a sugar road is also proposed for construction along the proposed irrigation highway.
The proposed sugar road is envisioned to shorten travel time particularly transport of farm
products to market.
Negros Occidental has been proposing for a bridge that will connect Negros Island and Panay and
also connect Negros Island and Cebu. Data from PPA in 2004 showed that domestic and foreign
cargoes passing the Pulupandan seaport alone is more than 4 million metric tons almost similar
with Iloilo port. Passenger traffic from the same source showed that 3.2 million passenger uses
the Negros port. These trans-link bridges will largely improve the economy, tourism and will
provide jobs for the Visayas area thus, stabilizing peace and order in the region.
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6. INCOME, EMPLOYMENT, SERVICE ACCESS AND POVERTY
Economic growth or the lack of it directly affects employment and income. This affects
expenditures and the ability to access goods and services. If income is low, access to goods and
services may be limited to the point that basic needs are not met, resulting in poverty. Poverty, in
turn, affects the quality of production inputs and eventually economic growth itself (Guidelines on
PLPEM Vol. 2).
Poverty is measured through ―Means-based‖, lack of income necessary to consume a basic bundle
of goods and services; ―Outcome-based‖, shortfall in consumption of a basic bundle of goods and
services necessary to do basic functions; or the ―Perception-based‖, which is a subjective
valuation of the family situation.
This section will attempt to describe the income and employment characteristics of the provincial
population, the level and extent of access to basic services, and the extent of poverty in the
province.
6.1. Employment/Unemployment
6.1.1. Employment/Unemployment Rate
Negros Occidental‘s employment rate had a positive increased from 87.1 percent in 2000 to 93
percent in 2003 with an average annual rate of 1.99 percent for the four-year period. The
province ranked sixth in terms of employment in Region VI in 2000 but showed a remarkable
improvement in the ensuing years, ranking 3rd
in 2003 with the province of Capiz ranked 1st. The
province‘s employment rate was higher than the region by 1.7 percent in 2003.
6.1.2. Historical Trends
Unemployment rate in the province was the highest in 2000 at 12.9 percent while regional
unemployment rate was at 11.1 percent. The province of Capiz had the lowest rate of
unemployment at 5.6 percent in the same year followed by the province of Guimaras with 7.3
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percent. Nevertheless, unemployment in the province had a down trend from 2000 to 2003 at
12.9 percent to 7 percent, respectively. Negros Occidental ranked 3rd
lowest unemployment rate
(7%) compared to other provinces in the region and is lower compared to the regional
unemployment rate of 8.7 percent.
Table 18. Employment/Unemployment Rate, 2000-2003
Area Employment Rate Unemployment Rate
2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003
Region VI 88.9 88.7 91.2 91.3 11.1 11.3 8.8 8.7
Aklan 87.7 89.7 90.9 93.6 12.4 10.4 9.1 6.4
Antique 89.1 86.6 90.9 82.3 10.9 13.4 9.1 17.7
Capiz 94.4 94.2 93.9 94.5 5.6 5.8 6.1 5.5
Guimaras 92.7 89.6 88.0 90.8 7.3 10.4 12.0 9.2
Iloilo 89.8 86.6 89.3 88.9 10.2 13.4 10.7 11.1
Negros Occidental 87.1 90.0 92.2 93.0 12.9 10.0 7.8 7.0
Source: NSO (RSET 2007)
6.2. Family Income
The total family income of the Province of Negros Occidental has increased from P23.8 billion in
1994 to P31.6 billion in 1997 with a slight decrease in 2000. The 2000 total family income of the
province was 14 percent share of the total family income of the Philippines and 24 percent of the
total family income of Region VI. In the region, the province with highest total family income in
2000 was Iloilo, followed by Negros Occidental, Capiz, Antique, Aklan and Guimaras. The
annual average growth rate of Negros Occidental from 1994 to 1997 was 10.7 percent but
incurred a negative growth rate from 1997 to 2000 with 0.40 percent. Almost all the provinces in
the region as well as the whole country were affected by the Asian economic slowdown in 1997.
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In terms of average annual family income, Negros Occidental registered an increase of 20 percent
in 1997 from its 1994 level with an annual average growth rate of 6.5 percent. However, for the
period 1997 to 2000, it registered a lower family income growth rate of 9.2 percent or an average
annual growth rate of 3.1 percent. During this period, the Province ranked last in terms of
average family income and average annual growth rate, while Iloilo and Guimaras ranked 1st and
second, respectively in the average family income category. The 2000 average family income of
the province was P73,923.00 or 51 percent of the average family income of the country. While
the annual regional figure was P109, 600 or 67 percent as compared with the province of Negros
Occidental.
Table 19. Total & Average Family Income, Region VI, by Province, 1994, 1997, 2000
Area
Total No. of Families Total Family Income (‘000) Average Family Income
(‘000)
1994 1997 2000 1994 1997 2000 1994 1997 2000
Philippines 12,754,944 14,192,462 15,269,655 1,060,709,593 1,748,060,769 2,199,431,875 83,161 123,168 144,039
Region VI 1,133,399 1,249,979 1,211,732 72,625,996 108,460,218 132,805,985 64,078 86,770 109,600
Aklan 81,243 89,135 86,466 5,717,576 7,779,360 8,609,265 70,376 87,276 99,568
Antique 91,295 98,329 92,247 3,870,298 8,161,827 8,755,803 42,706 83,005 94,917
Capiz 125,715 140,999 131,121 5,893,481 12,394,520 13,022,037 46,880 87,905 99,313
Iloilo 289,321 290,481 291,472 17,036,113 24,317,609 32,095,069 58,883 83,715 110,114
Guimaras - 24,692 26,091 - 1,827,289 2,638,452 - 74,003 101,125
Negros Occidental
420,918 466,808 422,175 23,824,288 31,586,381 31,208,300 56,601 67,665 73,923
Source: NSCB (RSET 2001 & 2007)
Meanwhile, the Real Per Capita Income in the Province declined drastically in 2000. The Real
Per Capita Income in 1994 was P12,256.00, P12,320.00 in 1997 and only P11,723 in 2000. For
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1994, the province ranked second in this category but ranked sixth in 1997 and 2000. This would
mean that the Negrense families could buy less compared to families of four provinces in the
region.
Table 20. Real Per Capita Income/Province (1994, 1997, 2000)
Province Real Per Capita Income (in Php) 1994, 1997 & 2000
1994 Rank 1997 Rank 2000 Rank
Aklan 14,239 1 16,806 1 13,134 5
Antique 9,289 6 16,718 2 16,304 2
Capiz 9,399 5 15,206 4 13,706 4
Guimaras 12,070 4 14,440 5 16.072 3
Iloilo 12,071 3 15,678 6 11,723 1
Negros Occ. 12,256 2 12,320 6 11,723 6
Source: NSCB (CIF 2007)
6.3 Social Services
6.3.1. Health
1. Hospital Bed-Population Ratio
The Province of Negros Occidental had a bed to population ratio of 1:1,588 in 2005.
In Region VI, almost all the provinces have an unmet need of bed-population ratio with the
present ratio of 1:3,025 populations. The Province of Negros Occidental is in the process
of completing the requirements in upgrading the Teresita Jalandoni Provincial Hospital
from a second level hospital to a tertiary level hospital by increasing its number of bed
capacity from 100 beds to 200 beds. It will also upgrade its facilities and equipment.
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2. Doctor-Population Ratio
There are 30 licensed hospitals in Negros Occidental in 2005, 20 of which are government-
run hospitals and 10 are privately-owned hospitals. There were no additional licensed
hospitals recorded in 2006 and 2007. The province has a total of 19 municipal health
offices and 12 city health offices and 528 barangay health centers.
The existing provincial doctor-population ratio is 1: 20,000 the same with the national
standard of 1:20,000 populations.
3. Percent of Infants with Low Birth Weight
For 2006 and 2007, the Province of Negros Occidental had been consistent in having the
most number of low birth weight infants with 5 percent of all live births having a weight of
below 2500 grams. These groups, like any other preschoolers, should be given appropriate
interventions such as complete newborn care, exclusive breastfeeding, complete
immunization, growth monitoring, newborn screening and micronutrient supplementation.
Vitamin A deficiency is still a serious health problem affecting the children in Negros
Occidental. The 1998 National Nutrition Survey by FNRI revealed that Vitamin A
deficiency affected 48.2 percent of preschoolers aged 6 months to 5 years which was even
higher than the regional and national prevalence of 40.9 percent and 38 percent,
respectively. The Vitamin A deficiency prevalence in Negros Occidental, in fact, is the
highest in Western Visayas. Vitamin A supplementation coverage among the preschoolers
in the province (FHSIS, 2007) was 89.84 percent which is below the national target of 95
percent. The municipalities with very low coverage were Toboso (73%) and Hinigaran
(77.6%) while the municipalities with higher coverage than the national target are
Victorias City, Silay City, Murcia, La Carlota City, Isabela, Moises Padilla, Ilog and
Cauayan. Only 11.14 percent among the high-risk children who are underweight and
prone to getting infectious diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia and measles were given high
dose of Vitamin A capsules.
The same survey also showed that iron deficiency anemia affects 30.8 percent of the
preschoolers which is slightly lower than the regional and national prevalence of 32.1
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percent and 31.8 percent, respectively. The Provincial Nutrition Council (PNC) with funds
from the Provincial Government usually procures only 10 percent of the total requirement
for iron supplementation of the preschoolers. There were children given iron syrups but
these were not reflected in the FHSIS since there was no reporting system to capture this
information.
Another strategy to prevent iron deficiency secondary to heavy worm burden was regular
deworming being integrated during the Garantisadong Pambata Program since 2006, yet,
only 63.72 percent of the preschoolers were given deworming tablets in 2007 while only 4
percent of pre-schoolers were given the same in 2006. The low coverage in 2006 was
attributed to the delayed arrival of deworming drugs and some resistance among the health
workers in giving the drugs without stool examination.
Health record shows that out of 149,328 weighed children aging 0-7 years old, 8.54
percent were below normal, 89.71 percent are normal, and 0.86 percent were above
normal. The data also shows that the malnutrition rate in Negros occidental has been
decreasing for the past three years.
The Province has ensured the accessibility of public health services to the people through
the provision of quality health care and gives focus and priority to health services.
Among the provinces in Region VI, Negros Occidental has the least number of
underweight children while Antique suffers the highest rate of underweight children.
4. Crude Birth Rate
The crude birth rate of the province in 2007 is 18.98 per 1,000 population, which is a ratio
of 6:1,000 population. This is lower than the national rate of 25 per 1,000 population.
North Central ILHZ has the highest Crude Birth Rate (CBR) at 22.64 per 1,000 population
followed by D‘BESTCA at 20.73 and CASAMA at 18.47 per 1,000 population.
There are 6 Inter-Local Health Zone (ILHZ) in Negros Occidental, which are as follows:
1. D‘BEST CA ILHZ – Don Salvador Benedicto, Escalante City, San Carlos City,
Toboso and Calatrava
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2. CASAMA ILHZ – Cadiz City, Sagay City, and Manapla
3. North Central ILHZ – Victorias City, E.B. Magalona, Silay City, Talisay City and
Murcia
4. MIDLAND ILHZ – Bago City, Pulupandan, Valladolid, San Enrique, Pontevedra
and La Carlota City
5. South Central ILHZ – Himamaylan City, Binalbagan, Isabela, Moises Padilla, La
Castellana and Hinigaran
6. South Negros ILHZ – Candoni, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Cauayan, Kabankalan City and
Sipalay City
5. Morbidity: Rates by Leading Causes
Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) (993) and Acute Lower Respiratory Infection
(ARTI) and Pneumonia (800) topped the ten leading causes of morbidity in Negros
Occidental in 2007. This was followed by influenza, (584) diarrhea, (664) bronchitis,
(360) hypertension, (317) TB/PTB, (233) urinary tract infection, (189) acute gastroenteritis
and parasitism (113) URTI and ARTI registered 22,964 cases and pneumonia registered
18,941 cases.
The causes of morbidity are perceived to be the result of poor environmental sanitation,
unsafe drinking water, unhealthy lifestyle or poor health habits. Six of the 10 leading
causes are communicable diseases. Only hypertension, parasitism, acute gastroenteritis
and urinary tract infection are non-communicable diseases.
The leading causes of infant morbidity (FHSIS, 2007) in Negros Occidental were acute
lower respiratory infection and pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea,
bronchitis, influenza and acute gastroenteritis. All of these are infectious yet preventable
diseases.
6. Mortality
For several decades, pneumonia has led the top causes of mortality in the Province
followed by hypertensive cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the heart and all types of
cancer. In 2006, hypertensive vascular diseases have overtaken pneumonia as the leading
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cause of mortality implying an increasing influence of lifestyle in the health burden of the
province. Of the ten leading causes of mortality in 2007, only three cases are infectious in
nature, namely, pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and Septicemia, while the rest,
cardio-vascular, cancer and kidney diseases are lifestyle-related diseases which are
considered to be preventable. This implies a double burden of having to address both
infectious and lifestyle-related diseases.
Infant deaths from 2006 to 2007 decreased in North Central and Midland ILHZs while
under five deaths decreased in South Central ILHZ only. For 2007, the under five deaths
were highest in South Negros ILHZ (2.39) and lowest in Midland ILHZ (1.20). Infant
deaths were highest in D-BESTCA ILHZ (6.49) and lowest in Midland ILHZ (2.41).
Pneumonia remains the leading of cause of infant morbidity in the province. Other causes
include URTI, diarrhea, influenza and bronchitis.
7. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
The Province has a Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 39 in 2007 which is below the
national benchmark of 100 per 100,000 live births. MMR In 2006 was 32, 41 in 2005 and
45 in 2004, which shows that for the last three years there is a minimal decrease in
maternal mortality cases.
Hypertension in pregnancy, uterine atony and postpartum hemorrhage are among the
leading causes of maternal mortality in the province. Other causes of maternal deaths are
complications related to pregnancy occurring in the course of labor, delivery, and
postpartum. These include placental retention, and septicemia; all of which could have
been prevented with complete prenatal care.
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6.3.2 EDUCATION
Literacy Rate
The Province of Negros Occidental posted the third highest literacy rate of 91 percent in Western
Visayas in 2004. The highest is Iloilo followed by Aklan, Capiz and Antique.
On the other hand, Western Visayas placed sixth in the whole country in terms of literacy rate
with 92.8 percent after National Capital Region with 99 percent, Ilocos Region with 97.4 percent,
Central Luzon, Bicol Region and Southern Tagalog.
The functional and simple literacy rates of all cities/municipalities were very high. Almost all of
them reached 90 percent. This shows that both pupil and students learn very well in school.
Although the province of Negros Occidental has a good performance in terms of literacy there is
still a need to sustain and maintain the educational facilities in the far flung areas of the province.
However, recent data based on key performance indicators reported by the DepEd Central office,
8 of the bottom 40 school divisions in the Philippines are in Western Visayas. These include the
divisions of Roxas City in Capiz, and the 7 divisions in Negros occidental (Cadiz, Silay, Bago,
Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, Sagay and San Carlos).
The Department of Education should advocate their Alternative Learning System to sustain the
high literacy rate
To complement with the measures of education, the province of Negros Occidental implemented
the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program (NOSP) which includes Pagkaon Scholarship for
children of marginal farmers and fisherfolks; District Education Scholarship for children of all
deserving indigent families, Vocational/Technical Scholarship, among others. Full scholarship is
provided to grantees of the program.
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Elementary Cohort Survival Rate
For the last five years from SY 2003- 2008, the cohort survival rate of the province was below 80
percent. Correspondingly, 20 percent of the elementary pupils did not graduate in the SY 2007-
2008. Of the six (6) Dept. of Educ. School Divisions in Negros Occidental, Cadiz City division
has the highest cohort survival rate. Low cohort survival rate were observed in the Division of
San Carlos City (47.41), Division of Kabankalan City (58.75), Division of Negros Occidental
(56.02), and La Carlota City (76.31). The most common reasons for low elementary cohort
survival rate are poverty which forced children to be absent from school to work to augment the
family income, the attitude of parents towards education, and poor health of school children.
In Western Visayas, the cohort survival rate in SY 2007-2008 was only 62.21 percent
compared with that of the province‘s accomplishment of 80 percent. Nevertheless, the DepEd
should continue to advocate to all parents to give priority to their children‘s education and prevent
child labor by implementing Food-for-School programs of DSWD as well as regular physical
check-up of school children.
Secondary Cohort Survival Rate
In SY 2007-2008, the total cohort survival rate of the province for secondary education was only
77 percent. It shows that 23 percent of the students have not graduated in SY 2007-2008. The
common reason of low cohort survival rate in the secondary education is because of economic
situation of the household that these children are required to earn a living to augment the family
income.
The regional data on cohort survival rate for SY 2006-2007 was only 60.61 percent compared
with the province‘s 77 percent. DepEd has increased the number of its integrated schools to
accommodate free secondary education especially the poor.
Classroom-Student ratio on elementary
In the effort of the government to provide more adequate educational facilities and services, the
classroom-pupil ratio in the elementary government schools has improved from 1:34 in SY 2004-
2005 to 1:32 in SY 2008-2009. This means that one (1) classroom accommodates 32 pupils,
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which is still within the national standard ratio of 1:40. This means that there are still enough
classrooms for elementary students in Negros Occidental.
In Region VI, classroom-pupil ratio is 1:30 in school year 2008-2009.
Classroom-Student ratio in Secondary
The classroom-student ratio in government secondary schools has not been improving
significantly from SY 2004-2005 (1:50) to SY 2008-2009 (1:49). It is even higher than national
standard ratio of 1:45. Although the difference of 4-5 students per room is not very physically
significant, there is still a need to construct more classrooms for secondary level. This is so if
there will be higher cohort survival in the elementary in the future.
In Region VI classroom-pupil ratio is 1:46 in SY 2008-2009. This means that the situation in
Negros Occidental may be true to all provinces in the Region.
Completion Rate Elementary
The data shows that the division of Cadiz City in school year 2008-2009 has the lowest
completion rate at 42 percent compared with other divisions in the province, followed by San
Carlos city with 45.26 percent; Negros Occidental division with 53.80 percent; Kabankalan with
56.76 percent; Bago with 66.80 percent; and La Carlota with 75.49 percent.
In Western Visayas completion rate in SY 2007-2008 is 62.51 percent of which Iloilo province
got the highest completion rate, followed by Antique, third Aklan, fourth Capiz and fifth Negros
Occidental.
Completion Rate Secondary
Division of Bago City has the lowest completion rate of 49.50 percent, followed by Cadiz City
with 51.90 percent, San Carlos City with 57.46 percent, La Carlota with 66.15 percent and
Kabankalan with 68.20 percent.
In Western Visayas, Aklan has the highest completion rate in SY 2007-2008, followed by Negros
Occidental, in third Antique, in fourth Iloilo and in fifth, Capiz.
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Drop-out Rate for Elementary
Regional data shows that from 2007 to 2009, Negros Occidental has the highest drop-out rate at
3.06 percent, second is Antique, third Iloilo and 4th Capiz.
In Negros Occidental, San Carlos City School Division has the highest drop-out rate of 5.66
percent for SY 2008-2009 followed by the Division of Negros Occidental with 3.09 percent,
while division of Cadiz City ranked third. Unfortunately, some of the divisions have no data
submitted.
Data also shows that drop-out rate for the Division of San Carlos City is consistently high for the
four consecutive school years covering 2005-2006, 2006-2007 and 2008-2009. Compared with
other school divisions, these figures represented pupils who dropped-out from school because
most of them were working in the sugarcane field during milling season.
Drop-out Rate – Secondary
Data for Region VI shows that Negros Occidental is among the highest drop-out rate of 7.21
percent in school year 2007-2008. This is followed by Capiz at 6.75 percent, Iloilo at 6.41
percent, Antique at 4.73 percent and Aklan at 4.39 percent.
In Negros Occidental, for school year 2008-2009 Cadiz City ranked no. 1 in terms of drop-out
rate in secondary level at 9.13 percent followed by the division of Bago City (6.81%), La Carlota
(6.73%), Kabankalan (6.55%) and San Carlos City (6.23%) while some divisions were not able to
submit their data.
Number of Teachers
The teacher-pupil ratio in the public elementary schools decreased from 1:35 in SY 2004-2005 to
1:34 in SY 2008-2009. Based on the national standard of teacher-pupil ratio which is 1:34 to
1:20, the province is within the expected ratio. Furthermore, the secondary school teacher-student
ratio has decreased from 1:41 in SY 2004-2005 to 1:35 SY 2008-2009 which is lower than the
national standard ratio of 1:40 to 1:45.
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Enrolment in Elementary
Enrolment in the elementary schools has reached 371,580 in SY 2008-2009, with 98 percent
enrolled in government school, 369,949 in 2007-2008 and 370,624 in 2006-2007. Variances in
elementary school enrolment for the last three school years are not significant.
Negros Occidental has the highest enrollment in the Region compared to Aklan which has an
enrollment of 76,323; Antique has 78,344; Capiz has 88,523 and Iloilo‘s elementary enrolment
was 223,061 in school year 2008-2009.
Enrolment in Secondary Schools
The number of students enrolled in secondary schools in SY 2008-2009 reached 162,165, 85
percent of which were enrolled in government schools. In 2007-2008 enrolment reached 163,732
and 162,310 in 2006-2007. Again, there is no significant difference in the secondary enrolment
for the past three school years.
Negros Occidental is the second highest enrollment in secondary schools in the Region compared
to Aklan which has an enrollment of 33,666; Capiz at 46,514 and Antique at 35,789. Highest
secondary enrolment is Iloilo at 223,068 in school year 2008-2009.
Comparative figures for elementary and secondary enrolment show that only about 44 percent of
elementary graduates enroll in the secondary level. However, in Iloilo, almost 100 percent of
elementary graduates would attend secondary schools.
Number of Teachers
The teacher-pupil ratio in the public elementary schools decreased from 1:35 in SY 2004-2005 to
1:34 in SY 2008-2009. Based on the national standard of teacher-pupil ratio which is 1:34 to 1:20,
the province is within the expected ratio. Furthermore, the secondary school teacher-student ratio
has decreased from 1:41 in SY 2004-2005 to 1:35 SY 2008-2009 which is lower than the national
standard ratio of 1:40 to 1:45.
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6.3.3 Housing
Housing is a special concern, particularly for physical planning because it occupies the largest
portion of the built-up land. Many of these informal settlers also occupy disaster-prone areas such
as flood-prone area.
In the Province of Negros Occidental, unplanned and informal settlements have flourished
especially in the cities of Bacolod and other component cities. A lot of people from the interior
towns and migrants from other provinces flock to these cities or municipalities in search for
greener pastures resulting to the urban blight, breakdown in basic services and deterioration of
urban environment, especially in the housing areas. Many of these informal settlements are
located in disaster-prone areas such as creeks, riverbanks and foreshores.
In general, providing housing is not a problem of supply but a problem of affordability, by which
the cost of land and housing is no longer within the reach of the informal settlers.
However, there are many factors and ways that could alleviate their current situation such as
direct and indirect subsidies in the cost of land and land development, construction and financing.
Government subsidies also have some assistance in various forms, the purpose of which is to
provide security of land tenure to the informal settlers in ways that entail the least dislocation.
Example of these are projects such as Slum Upgrading Program, Gawad Kalinga, Relocation sites
to dislocated settlers and many others.
Number of Households
The number of households in Western Visayas, increased to 1.21 million, or by 107 thousands
from 1995 figure of 1.10 million. The average household size decreased slightly to 5.12 from the
1995 figure of 5.22 persons.
The number of households in Negros Occidental increased to 503,663 or by 38,234 from 1995
figure computed at 465,429. The average household size slightly increased to 5.32 from 1995
figure of 5.2. This means that for every 100 households, the number of members increased by 12
persons.
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Occupied Housing Unit
Of the 493,996 occupied housing units, 95.68 percent are single detached, 1.56 percent are
duplex, 0.70 percent are multi-unit residential, 0.18 are commercial/industrial/agricultural, and
0.03 are institutional living quarters.
6.3.4. Security
The total crime volume in 2008 is lower at for the period registered at seven hundred thirty
incidents compared with 2007 at 439. Of these incidents, 439 were index crimes and 291 were
non index crimes. Compared to last year 2007, crime volume reached a total of seven hundred
ninety one (791) incidents; four hundred fifty eight (458) were index crimes while three hundred
thirty three (333) were non index crimes.
Comparatively, crime volume decrease by sixty one (61) incidents or 7.71 percent. The 2007
figure shows that these were index crime and non index crimes. In 2008 index crimes decreased
by nineteen (19) incidents or 4.14 percent, while non index crimes decreased by forty two (42)
incidents or 12.6 percent.
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The average monthly crime rate (AMCR) for 2008 registered at 2.80 person per 100,000
population which is notably lower by 0.24 compared to last year 2007 with 3.04.
The adoption of the community-Oriented Policy System and the DILG‘s community safety
program Barangay at Pulisya Laban sa Krimen are distinct efforts towards the collaboration
between the LGU‘s and the police force in keeping the community secured. Both programs are
anchored on the importance of the barangay tanods and members of anti-crime CVO‘s as force
multipliers that are primodial to the effectiveness of the governments peace and order efforts.
More significantly, the presence of policemen in the barangay to act as barangay tanod
supervisors is an initiative aimed at reinvigorating and empowering the barangay tanods into a
competent auxillary public safety force.
The downtrend in crime incidents could be attributed to the strict enforcement of checkpoints and
police visibility as part of crime prevention measures. The province of Negros Occidental is
relatively peaceful compared to other provinces in the country as there were no incidents of
kidnapping, bank robbery or violent acts of terrorism committed.
The actual police to population ratio is 1:1586 in 2008 lower compared to the national standard of
1: 1,000.
Number of firemen and fire trucks/ City/Municipality
The province of Negros Occidental has a total of 253 firemen. The ideal firemen population ratio
is 1:2000 and with the present scenario, the province still need 107 firemen to serve the entire
population.
Of the 31 cities/municipalities only Salvador Benedicto has no fire truck to serve the population
in case of fire. Under RA 6975 which provides that, the Bureau of Fire Protection shall establish
at least one fire station with adequate personnel equipment in every city/municipality.
Fire prevention programs and other disaster preparedness programs shall be implemented and
information drive be conducted.
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6.4 Utility/Infrastructure Services
6.4.1 Water and Sanitation
Out of 32 cities/municipalities in the province, 17 are served by water districts, the rest are LGU
managed local water facilities. The different water districts and waterworks make 68, 675 service
connections in the Province, including Bacolod City. Sipalay City Water District charges the
highest cost for water among the water districts at P279 per 10 m3 followed by Binalbagan at
P215 and Silay City at P200. On the other hand, La Castellana Water District charges the least at
PhP70 per m3 followed by La Carlota at P110 per m
3.
Households with access to safe water supply reached 444,290 comprising 95 percent of the total
actual households of 467,305 as per report of the Provincial Health Office in 2008. Households
with access to level I water supply has reached to 47.78 percent, down from 50.04 percent in
2007. The decrease could be attributed to the number of households with access to; level II water
supply and level III water supply. Access to Level II increased from 21.79 percent in 2007 to
22.50 percent in 2008. Level III water supply increased by 24.79 percent of households, slightly
up from 24.01 percent in 2007.
Households who have sanitary toilets and satisfactory garbage disposal reached 84 percent while
79 percent comprise of households with basic sanitary facility.
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6.4.2 Power
The power requirement in Negros Occidental is supplied mainly by the Palinpinon Geothermal
Power Plant in Negros Oriental. The power is being transmitted by the National Power
Corporation to 32 cities and municipalities through the three electric cooperatives: VRESCO,
NOCECO and CENECO. The total number of households with electric connections reached
354,519, including that of Bacolod City. The three electric cooperatives distributed a total of
771,491 mw of electricity in 2008, registering an increase of three percent (3%) from the 2007
distribution of 744,999 mw. Service connections in 2008 by type of consumer reached 329,492
which is five percent (5%) higher from the 2007 connections of 312,978. Fifty percent (50%) is
used by residential connections, 21 percent by industrial connections, and the rest is used for
street lights, irrigation and other connections.
Other power sources include the Northern Negros Geothermal Plant supplying the areas of Bago
City and Murcia in Negros Occidental has already been opened by the Energy Development
Corporation. Presently, EDC is expanding its wells within the buffer zone of the Mt. Kanlaon
Natural Park to generate more geothermal power and is expected to be fully operational in 2011.
Rural electrification projects are being implemented province wide through the initiatives of the
Electric Cooperatives, National Electrification Administration and Local Government Units.
Off-Grid Power Generation. The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, through the Asian
Development Bank, has initiated the Renewable Energy and Livelihood Development Project for
the Poor, or RENEW Project that began in 2004 and that was completed and made operational in
July 31, 2008 to reduce poverty in off grid areas of Negros Occidental. The executing agency for
the project is the Department of Energy while the implementing agency is WinRock International.
The project that will tap renewable energy to provide sustainable livelihood systems for the poor
operates in 11 communities in Negros Occidental and benefits 1,200 families. Hybrid renewable
energy systems that use biomass and solar power for fish drying have been established in Sipaway
Island, San Carlos City and Molocaboc Island in Sagay City.
Three micro-hydro systems at 34 kilowatts each are also being established in Sitio Balea,
Barangay Laga-an, Calatrava; Sitio Vergara and Magtuod in Brgy. Bug-ang, Toboso and Brgy.
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Baclao, Cauayan, to boost agri-based livelihoods. Communities can also avail of loans for
installation of household connections and other relevant projects.
Alternative Fuels/Bio-fuel. San Carlos Bio-Energy Inc. in San Carlos City has been inaugurated
by PGMA in 2009 and its bioethanol plant is now operational. Likewise, Roxol Bioenergy Corp.,
the bioethanol arm of listed sugar conglomerate Roxas Holdings Inc. (RHI) has engaged the
services of Indian-based firm KBK Chem-Engineering Pvt. Ltd. to build a P1-billion turnkey
bioethanol plant next to Central Azucarera de la Carlota in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
If all of the sugar mills in Negros Occidental went into power co-generation they could easily
produce 150 megawatts of much needed additional power for the province. So far only three of 10
sugar firms in Negros Occidental are going into power co-generation: First Farmers Holding
Corporation in Talisay City with its bagasse bio-mass co-generation power plant, and the ethanol
plants in San Carlos City and Central Azucarera de La Carlota.
The Provincial Government aggressively supports the move of sugar planters to utilize excess
sugar for the production of bio-ethanol and other bio-fuel sources in line with the implementation
of the Bio-fuels Act.
6.4.3 Drainage/Flood Control
Negros Occidental has seven major rivers namely: Himogaan River in Fabrica, Sagay City,
Sicaba River in Cadiz City, Malogo River in Victorias City, Bago River in Bago City, Binalbagan
River in Binalbagan, Ilog-Hilabangan River in Ilog and Sipalay River in Sipalay City. Of these
seven major rivers, Ilog-Hilabangan is considered to be the most flood-prone and highly
destructive. It has an influence area of 2044 km2 and a discharge of 4499 m
3.
The province aims to construct an irrigation highway tapping all seven major rivers whose total
discharge is estimated at 9,989 million cubic meter. The irrigation highway will serve as catch
basin for most water run-off and other excess water controlling flash floods, thus, preventing
further soil erosion and pollution in the coastal areas. This project may also be a source for
hydro-power, industrial and domestic water needs.
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6.4.4 Solid Waste Management
To ensure the protection of public health and environment, the province institutionalized an active
Provincial Solid Waste Management Board with functions to plan and implement programs of the
province on solid waste management. A 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan in accordance
with Republic Act 9003, known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, will be
formulated. The plan shall contain all the components provided in Section 17 of this act.
Out of 31 component cities and municipalities, 22 of which, has already prepared their 10-year
Solid Waste Management Plan. The Provincial Government is looking into the establishment of
an engineered type of sanitary landfill in selected areas/LGUs. Putting up this type of sanitary
landfill requires substantial resources, thus, the Province is planning to adopt the cluster-scheme
approach. The City of San Carlos, having its sanitary landfill fully operated, is willing to cater
LGUs in the 1st Congressional District while the cities of Sagay and Kabankalan with their
sanitary landfill facilities having launched recently, are expected to cater LGUs in the 2nd
and 6th
districts, respectively. Other LGUs are still on open dumpsite facility.
On the other hand, almost all component cities and municipalities in the Province have already
formulated their Safe and Closure Rehabilitation Plan (SCRP) except for Calatrava, San Enrique,
Isabela and Candoni.
In general, the Plan outlines a new framework of solid waste management in the Province and this
will basically address future waste management needs. It will reduce the volume of the solid
wastes flow through the implementation of waste reduction and recycling program. The Plan will
now serve as the basis for the Province‘s solid waste management for the next several years.
Proposed Solid Waste Facility of Bacolod City. The City of Bacolod intends to construct and
operate a sanitary land fill at a 7-hectare site in Purok Acacia, Barangay Felisa which is
approximately 9 kms from the center of the city. The sanitary landfill is part of the City‘s
integrated Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Project. On March 3, 2010, the
Sangguniang Panlungsod of the city approved a resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign the
contract between the City and the contractor for the design and build a sanitary landfill. The
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contract price is Php 32,899,636.99 and target completion is 180 calendar days from receipt of
notice to proceed.
6.5 Other Services and Facilities
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office has been promoting the well being of
women and children, youth, senior citizens, person‘s with disabilities and victims of disasters. As
of 2007, the disaster victims reached a total of 22,533 families or 112,665 persons who were
given relief assistance and rehabilitation services. One of the facilities provided is the core shelter
unit and a total of 732 units were constructed since 2000.
As of 2008, there are 1,602 Day care Centers serving a total of 63,420 pre-school children. From
2007, there is an increase of 41 DCCs in 2008; the number of pre-school enrollees increased by 3
percent from 61,305 to 63,420.
Out of 31 LGU‘s, 25 have Senior Citizens Centers serving 53,100 registered senior citizen
members as of 2007. There is a decrease of 32 percent in the number of registered members from
2006 to 2007.
Based on the survey conducted in 2007, there are 3,102 households of Indigenous People (IP) in
the province. Classified according to tribes, are ata negrito in Isabela, Bukidnon in Salvador
Benedicto, and Magahat in Hinobaan
To help uplift the indigenous peoples‘ social and economic condition the province through NCIP
provided livelihood projects and other programs and services.
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6.6 Poverty
Traditionally, poverty is defined as ―the minimum amount of income below which a person
cannot attain a predetermined bundle of goods and services, as deemed necessary for the
fulfillment of certain basic consumption needs or minimum basic needs‖
The new concept of poverty today is redefined as not simply the lack of material resources, but
also the absence of capabilities, opportunities, and power that will allow an individual to fully
assume his/her role as a member of the community.
The annual per capita poverty threshold in 2006, or the amount required to be spent to satisfy the
nutritional requirements and other basic needs of an individual is P13,975.
The province ranked number 5 in terms of poverty incidence among families in Region VI.
Poverty incidence of families notably decreased by 10.2 percentage points from 41.6 in 2000 to
31.4 in 2003. Poverty incidence of population also increased by 2.5 from 39.5 in 2004 to 42.0 in
2006.
Western Visayas is one among the only four regions that had successfully reduced its poverty
incidence in 2006. However, it also continued to have the highest number of poor families. It
accounted for 9.1 percent of the total number of poor families in the country, 0.8 percentage point
lower than the region‘s share in 2003.
Based on the National Statistic Coordination Board (NSCB) poverty Mapping/ Municipal Level
Small Estimates for 2001 reveals that three municipalities were on the alarming situation namely;
Moises Padilla,Manapla, and San Enrique, Himamaylan City is in worse situation 19 cities/muns
in better situation and Isabela in best situation other has no data.
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Figure 12. Poverty Incidence Map of Negros Occidental
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Table 20. Local Service Standards
SERVICES STANDARD
SOCIAL SERVICES Education and Culture
Elementary Education
Classroom 1 per 40 pupils
Teacher 1 per 40 pupils
Library
Separate building or room, well, lighted,
ventilated, free from noise, accessible and centrally located
Teacher-librarian 1 per 500or less pupils
Full and part-time teacher-librarian 1 each per 5001-1,000 pupils
Full-time librarian & part-time teacher-
librarian 1 per 1,000-2,000 pupils
Full-time librarian 1 for every additional 1,000 pupils
Secondary Education
Classroom 1 per 40-45 students
Teacher 1 per 40-45 students
Library
Separate building or room, well lighted,
ventilated, free from noise, accessible, and centrally located
Librarian/Teacher-Librarian 1 per enrolment of 500 or less students
Full-time librarian Additional 1,000 students
Sports and Recreation
Municipality Park 1 park with a minimum of 5,000 sqm area per 1,000 population and maximum walking distance
of 100-150 meters
Sports and Athletics
Public playfield/athletic field with a minimum of
0.50 hectares per 1,000 inhabitants
1 sports facility per barangay
Natural Environment Area
Presence of natural, undisturbed and scenic areas
suitable for recreation, with scientific and
ecological significance consisting of forest, water resources and other land forms
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Table 20. Local Service Standards (continuation)
SERVICES STANDARD
Health
Medical and allied personnel
1 Government Physician per 20,000 population
1 Public Nurse per 20,000 population
1 Rural Health Midwife per 50,000 population
1 Government Dentist per 50,000 population
1 Rural Sanitary Inspector per 20,000 population
1 Barangay Health Worker per 20,000 HH
1 Barangay Nutrition Scholar per barangay
1 Health Educator per 50,000 population
Primary Hospital 10 bed capacity
Secondary Hospital (Prov./District) 25- 50 bed capacity
Medical Transport
Ambulance 1 per LGU
Service Vehicle 1 per LGU
Protective Services
Police Force 1 Policeman per 1,000 population (Urban)
1 Policeman per 1,000 population (Rural)
Fire Protection Service
1 Fireman per 2,000 population
14 Firemen per fire truck
1 Fire Truck per 28,000 population
Jail Services 1 Jail per LGU
Welfare Services
Women‘s desk
Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs
Day Care Center/Feeding Center
Rehabilitation Center (for victims of
drug abuse, vagrants, victims of
disasters, calamities, child abuse, etc.)
Adult Community Program
1 per LGU
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Table 20. Local Service Standards (continuation)
SERVICES STANDARD
Environmental Protection
Solid Waste Management 100% collection and disposal
Pollution Control Absence of air, water and industrial pollutants
100% free from toxic and hazardous substances
Public Buildings and Facilities
Municipal Hall/Prov‘l. Capitol
Socio-Cultural Center
Museum
Barangay, Municipal and City Halls
Presence
ECONOMIC SERVICES
Infrastructure Services and Existing Road Network
Provincial Road
Provincial Road connecting all component
municipalities and cities (except island
municipality)
Municipal Road Municipal Road connecting major clusters of
population to the town proper
Feeder Road (Barangay road, rural road, or
farm-to-market road)
Connecting all barangays to municipal or
provincial road
Water Supply (Municipality)
Level I
Point source (such as rain collector, wells and
springs generally for rural areas where houses
are scattered too thinly to justify a distribution system)
Level II
Communal faucet system generally for rural
areas where houses are clustered densely enough
to justify a piped distribution system to a number
of households. Piped system with individual connection in urban areas, with average output of
150 liters per person per day.
Sewerage Services (Municipality) Existence of functional sewer system. Absence
of stagnant water formation
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Table 20. Local Service Standards (continuation)
SERVICES STANDARD
Market and Slaughterhouse
Accessible from all directions and through all modes of transportation; site located in urban
area; Standard Sections and Facilities:
Wet Section
Semi-wet section
Dry goods section
Storage facilities
Eateries
Parking space
Running water
Proper lighting
Proper ventilation
Drainage
Treatment plant or settling pond
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7. LAND USE AND PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK
This section describes the existing land uses in the province and identifies an integrating physical
framework for future development.
7.1 Existing land use, trends and potential expansion
7.1.1. Existing land use
The 792,607-hectare land of Negros Occidental is mainly utilized for: production, protection and
built-up or settlement use, with most or 84 percent of the land utilized for production. Production
lands are categorized into crop lands (rice, corn, mango, banana, other food crops, sugarcane,
coconut, coffee, and other industrial crops and grasses/shrubs); fishponds; industrial development
areas; tourism; and production forest.
More than 13 percent of the land in the province are protection land where Mt. Kanlaon Natural
Park, North Negros Natural Park, Bago River Watershed and Ilog-Holabangan River Watershed
are located. Most of these areas have more than 30 percent slope. Mangrove areas are also
included in the protection use zone.
More than 2 percent or 17,257 hectares remaining land are used for built-up or settlement use.
These areas are usually found along the coastline. Bacolod City, the capital city, occupies the
bigger bulk of built-up and settlement areas. Population density is also higher in this major urban
center being the center for trade and commerce in the province. Notably, there are settlements or
built-up areas found within forestland, occupying 4,095 hectares.
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Source: DA ,DENR/RPFP
Table. 21. Area Distribution of Existing Land Uses, CY 2003 (Ha)
LAND USE TYPE Area
I. Production Land Use 668,771.24
1. Crop Lands 519,001.25
1.1 Rice 62,503.00
1.1.1 Paddy Irrigated 38,969.00
1.1.2 Paddy Non-Irrigated 16,620.00
1.1.3 Upland 6,914.00
1.2 Corn 30,638.00
1.3 Mango 4,368.00
1.4 Banana 9,300.00
1.5 Other Food Crops 830.00
1.6 Industrial Crops 128,410.00
1.6.1 Sugarcane 90,320.00
1.6.2 Coconut 35,830.00
1.6.3 Coffee 1,967.00
1.6.4 Other Industrial Crops 293.00
1.7 Grasses/Shrubs 282,952.25
2. Fishponds 11,318.00
2.1 Within A&D 5,856.00
2.2 Within Forestland 5,462.00
3. Industrial Development Areas 405.00
4. Tourism 200.00
5. Production Forests 137,786.99
5.1 Rangeland for Grazing 0.00
5.2 Industrial Tree Plantation 10,465.38
5.3 Community Based Forest Management 19,654.95
5.4 Integrated Social Forestry 23,321.09
5.5 Regular Reforestation and Other Development Projects 5,486.20
5.6 Other Land Uses 78,859.37
5.6.1 Ancestral Domain Claims 3,889.53
5.6.2 Civil Reservations 2,119.00
5.6.3 Military Reservations 0.00
5.6.4 Naval Reservations 0.00
5.6.5 Communal Forest 1,093.00
5.6.6 Open Access 71,757.84
II. Protection Land Use 106,638.43
1. NIPAS Areas 104,877.06
1.1 Natural Park 22,600.00
1.2 Forest Reserve & Other Forest Land for Forest Purposes 71,445.00
1.3 Watershed Forest Reserve 10,832.06
2. Non-NIPAS Areas 1,761.37
2.1 Mangroves 1,761.37
III. Built-Up Areas 17,257.33
1. Within A&D 13,162.00
2. Within Forestland 4,095.33
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7.1.2. Trends
Several factors have cause changes in the physical landscape and land use of the province. These
contributing factors include the increasing population growth rate and density, especially in urban
areas. Population density has increased from 323/km2 in 2000 to 363/km
2 in 2007. This means
that there are 40 more people in a given area in 2007 than seven years ago. Population growth
rate of the province have been increasing and almost half a million people were added in the last
twelve years. The increasing population has put tremendous pressure to the limited physical
resources of the province and has encouraged encroachment in environmentally-critical and
protection areas.
The rapid conversion of prime agricultural lands to other uses is another factor that causes the
change in land use. Some landowners convert their agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses
because of financial and operational issues, particularly in those areas covered by the Agrarian
Reform Program. Most of these prime agricultural lands are being converted to residential and
commercial subdivisions.
The establishment of major infrastructure projects like sea ports and airports has spurred
development in many areas of the province. To accommodate these developments, many LGUs
updated their comprehensive land use plans, reclassifying agricultural lands to non-agricultural
uses. Increased access has also encouraged many cities and municipalities to update their CLUPs
to accommodate requests for lands for non-agricultural uses such as housing, commercial and
industrial uses. As of 2010, eight LGUs have already updated their CLUPs and the rest are in the
process of completing the updating of their land use plans and their comprehensive development
plans. Updating of CLUPs will pave the way for the reclassification and eventual conversion of
agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses.
Below are the land use changes observed in the province since 1990:
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Table 22. Land Use Changes, 1990-2007, Province of Negros Occidental (to be filled-up)
1990 2007 % Changes (1990-2007)
Agricultural Use
Non-Agricultural Use
Other Land Uses
Total
7.2 Physical framework
In this section, a framework to guide future physical developments and the location of PPAs in
the province is derived. The framework is composed of several proposed general components
(settlements, production, protection, transport/other infrastructure) that relate vertically to similar
regional (RPFP) and local (CLUP) plans.
The framework is the product of integrating and reconciling the previous components of the plan
environment. By definition, it sets the physical parameters by which future growth and
development, including identified PPAs, can take place.
7.2.1. Initial Settlement Growth
Considering the existing land uses as against the existing settlement hierarchy and expansion
trends will help us assess the future land and space requirements of the province. There is a need
to delineate approximate future settlement and built-up areas based on the demand for land i.e.
how existing settlements are expected to grow and expand geographically.
Map 25 shows primarily the built-up expansion areas that are foreseen by the province based on
the analysis of the various factors discussed in 7.1.2 (Trends). Apparently, Bacolod City will
continue to expand its built-up areas in the north and south periphery including the northern
boundary of Bago City.
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From Talisay City to Victorias City, new built-up areas will be developed along the main artery as
areas surrounding the New Bacolod Airport in Silay City are also developed. These
developments of built-up areas will be the trend along the main highway of the province both
from south to north. Except for the 3rd
district, alliances among LGUs have already been formed
to initially to address management of common natural resources such as, coastal resources.
However, these LGU alliances will expand to address emerging issues on urbanization, housing,
solid waste management, and other social and economic concerns.
The establishment of an Export Processing Zone for Negros agribusiness in Sagay City coupled
with a new sea port for roll-on roll-off vessels and a community airport in San Carlos City will
promote economic activities from Victorias City to San Carlos City, which is expected to cause a
surge in the opening of new areas for built-up and settlement zones. The possibility of a nautical
bridge connecting Negros Island to Panay Island through E.B. Magalona town has stirred interest
among land owners in the area. Demand for reclassification and conversion of lands along the
main highway is inevitable.
The construction of a community airport in Kabankalan City and the development of Sipalay City
and Hinoba-an as tourism areas will boost the economy of the 6th district. With the continuous
improvement of the road network in the district, there will be influx of both local and foreign
tourists in the southern part of Negros Occidental including investors. Thus, new growth areas in
Kabankalan City and Sipalay City would likely emerge.
As computed, estimated amount of new settlement land requirement to accommodate additional
population between 2000 to 2010 is 136 hectares.
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7.2.2. Initial Settlements and Protection Land Use
The objective of this section is to check if the likely areas of growth and expansion as identified in
Map 25 are in conflict or not with the supply of land as defined by identified protection areas. If
there are conflicts then these should be eliminated or minimized by modifying the results in initial
settlement growth framework accordingly - by trying to avoid expansion into the protected areas
and/or minimizing the impact of expansion into protected areas.
In Negros Occidental, existing and potential land use conflicts are derived as a result of map
analysis, observations and extracted from CLUP of cities and municipalities:
1. All 25 coastal LGUs are prone to coastal flooding, storm surge and coastal erosion.
2. Some of the built-up areas of the following LGUs are flood prone to wit: Kabankalan City,
Himamaylan City, Hinigaran, Pontevedra, San Enrique, Silay City, Talisay City, Manapla,
Cadiz City, Victorias City
3. Sipalay City, Kabankalan City, Bago City, Murcia, San Carlos City, D.S. Benedicto are
LGUs where some of its built-up zones are inside protected watershed areas
4. There are four potential LGUs namely: Isabela, Kabankalan City, Bago City, Murcia
wherein some of their existing and expansion built-up zones are located in protected forest
areas
5. La Castellana and Moises Padilla have built-up areas which are affected by potential
volcanic eruption
6. One major fault line traverses the major growth center of Kabankalan City
7. Sagay City and the municipality of Manapla are found along major rivers thus, relatively
prone to flooding.
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Given these land use conflicts, policies are identified that would mitigate or prevent future land
use conflicts. These may include the following:
1. Mainstreaming of disaster risk management in development and land use planning and in
the development investment plan portfolio.
2. Strict implementation of buffer zones establishment along river easement and coastlines by
LGUs and DENR through co-management scheme.
3. Allowable activities that have minimal impact on environmental quality of protected areas
will be identified and enforced through forest land use plan, coastal zoning or water use
plan among others.
4. Increase public awareness on values of protection areas and disaster preparedness.
8. Increase public participation in conservation and disaster mitigation efforts in their
communities.
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7.2.3. Overall Physical Framework
The overall physical framework incorporates the land use and other physical requirements of
other sectors with the results of step B to derive an overall physical framework plan.
Settlements Framework
Metro Bacolod
Bacolod City is the highly urbanized capital, communication, trade and service center of the
Province of Negros Occidental, one of the twin provinces of Negros Island in the cluster of the
Visayan Islands in the heart of the Philippine Archipelago. Bacolod is bounded in the northwest
by the cities of Talisay; in the northeast by Silay and Victorias; in the east and southwest by the
town of Murcia; in the southwest by the City of Bago; and in the west by the Guimaras Strait.
Bacolod has an upbeat local economy and unlimited opportunities for trade and investments
because the city is home to a high percentage of the Philippines top 20 corporations. It is
acclaimed as the Most Business Friendly City in the Philippines in 2007 by the Philippine
Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The city has an effective maintenance of clean and green
surroundings as evidenced by a HALL OF FAME AWARD as the Cleanest and Greenest Highly
Urbanized City in the Philippines. It has a low percentage of illegal settlers and a systematic
traffic planning that offers the luxury of driving through the wide roads in a highly urbanized
center.
Bacolod City is now considered as the Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing
hub of Western Visayas with the presence of 8 major call centers. It has a stable peace and order
condition where incidence of crime is low and there is high police visibility and a crime solution
of 97 percent.
The concept of Greater Bacolod Area was never materialized in the last 15 years when it was
conceptualized. Apparently, Bacolod City seem to develop by itself as evidenced by the various
expansion of built-up and commercial zones within the city.
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Metro Third
A newer concept being floated among planners is the METRO THIRD Alliance. The idea is to
bring in all LGUs within the 3rd
district to form an alliance for natural resource management,
economic development and waste management. Bacolod City is invited to join the alliance. This
model is becoming more of a reality because of the new airport located in the 3rd district of the
province. Secondly, the practicality of coming up with a common solid waste disposal facility
and system. Finally, the remaining LGUs that do not have an alliance for coastal resource are
Talisay City, Silay City, E.B. Magalona and Bacolod City.
Other Urban Centers
Kabankalan City
As the growth center in the south and gateway to Negros Oriental, Kabankalan City has growth
by leaps and bounds. The presence of urban supermarkets (Gaisano Malls, Lopues Value Store,
Libra Mart) and national fast food chain such as Jollibee shows the fast development of the city.
The construction of its community airport and the development of the southern Negros Occidental
as tourism hub of the province makes Kabankalan as the urban center in the south.
Victorias City, Sagay City, San Carlos City
These three cities are the three fastest urbanizing city in northern Negros Occidental. Aside from
the existing sugar mills in these localities each one has its own distinct land mark.
Victorias City is famous for its Victorias Milling Company. However lately, with the
construction of its Victorias Gymnasium, it is now home of the Philippine Basketball Association
in Negros Occidental.
Sagay City with two sugar mills and the infamous Insular Lumber Company now boast itself with
its Sagay Marine Reserve, New City Hall, Museo Pambata and Export Processing Zone.
San Carlos City with its Sipaway Island and Clean Sea Port is now home of the first Ethanol Plant
in the province. They are also making grounds for a call center in the city.
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Protection Framework
Negros Occidental has around 7 percent remaining forest. These forests are found in the NIPAS
areas such as Mt. Kanla-on Natural Park, North Negros Natural Park and the two watershed areas
of the province. Other than in the upland, another NIPAS area is Sagay Marine Reserve and other
non-NIPAS but equally critical protected areas such as Danjugan Island and the various marine
sanctuaries in the coastal areas of the province.
Presently, rehabilitation and protection programs and activities are in place in these protected
areas. The Environment Code of the province provides for the policies particularly encroachment
in protected areas. Bantay Bukid Brigade and the Task Force Ilahas should be strengthened as
environment police and guardian of our forest.
Public awareness should be enhanced in the protection and rehabilitation of protected areas both
upland and coastal.
As a matter of policy, zoning ordinances should be strictly followed and land use standards fully
implemented i.e. buffer zones and embankments.
The various alliances for coastal resources should be strengthened and expanded to address other
concerns of the LGUs to include waste management, environmental issues, social and economic
concerns.
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Production Framework
Agriculture
Negros Island is envisioned as the organic food capital of Asia. The provincial government is
looking forward that by the end of the planning period, 10 percent of agricultural farms of the
province has converted into organic agriculture. To ensure and assess the extent of meeting
the 10 percent target, the provincial government with the cooperation of the LGUs established
organic villages all over the province.
Thus, the twin provinces in Negros created the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and
Rural Development Program in 2005. The program aims to counter the ill-effects of
chemical-based agriculture, ensure food security, support conservation of biodiversity, and
assist government in its poverty alleviation efforts.
Agriculture of Negros Occidental will become diversified with sugarcane as the main crop
and livestock as complimentary industry. Livestock is also a main component of organic
agriculture. Rice and corn (feed corn) sufficiency is a target of the province. Negrenses will
be taught to eat more fruits and vegetables for healthy foods thus, production of these
commodities are encouraged. This will be done through information, education and
communication. This will also be integrated in school curricula. Religious groups will also
be tapped in promoting this novel program. Roots crops as alternative to rice and flour are
being researched by the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Root crops are agricultural
commodities that uses very little chemicals or none at all.
Support facilities such as rice and corn grain centers will be established to support the organic
agriculture program. Triple A abattoirs will also be constructed for the livestock industry and
the Export Processing Zone so it can pass international quality standards.
Fisheries
Negros Occidental aims to regain back its status as a net exporter of fishery products by 2013.
With the organic stand of the province, its fisheries will also be cultured and grown under the
organic standards.
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Coastal Fisheries Resource Management (CFRM) Program will also be given importance and
priority. Marine sanctuaries and fishery reserves will be established to preserve breeding
areas and improve fish population. Sanctuaries will also become tourism attraction in the
province.
Energy
The need for an alternative source of energy for the increasing demand in the province has
pushed the provincial government to decide on renewable energy as its primary source as it is
environment friendly and does not need to import its energy source. These include water,
biomass, wind, solar, ethanol, jatropha, bio-gas among others. Coal and other power source
may also be considered as long as it meets the environment and health policy of the province.
Tourism
The province of Negros Occidental is famous for its nature tourism or its ecological tourism.
Recently, it has also developed its agricultural tourism as a result of its organic farming
policy.
Mambukal Resort is the tourism flagship of the province. The resort lies 1,200 feet or about
366 meters above sea level and serves as a gateway to the Mount Kanlaon Volcano. Its Land
Area is over 23.6 hectares, Mambukal is blessed with numerous beautiful natural resources.
A huge mountain stream, fed by several water channels, flows down in a series of seven falls
and flows through the center of the resort, feeding the swimming pools and boating lagoon.
The resort has an ideal location for viewing decks or, for more great encounters with nature,
the Canopy Walk with its hanging bridges. You can also challenge yourself on the Rock
Climbing Wall or the Slide for Life.
There also other LGU initiated tourism sites and activities. Tourism development should
conform to proper zoning and sound and sustainable development that must be sensitive to
local traditions, culture and customs. The PLUC ensures that proper compliance to land
regulatory measures and zoning ordinances are followed.
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Mining
Large scale mining companies used to operate in the province but these were closed due to
financial and labor problems. Should the mining industry be revitalized, environmentally-
sound and socially-acceptable mining practices will be promoted. Environmental protection
and ecological integrity of mining firms in all stages of mining operations should be given
utmost consideration. Mining laws shall be strictly enforced.
Industry
Most industries in the province are agri-based or resourced-based industries. Heavy and
highly-pollutive industries are welcome but not encourage.
The province encourages the LGUs to zone their respective areas in accordance with actual
and potential land uses. Built-up/settlements should be guided by the local comprehensive
development and land use plan based on the suitability, existing and potential industry needs,
support infrastructures and environmental impacts. Industrial developments should also be
inconsonance with the policy of the province in terms of environmental protection and
conservation, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and healthy practices.
Situating of industries should be guided by the objective of a market-oriented dispersal
strategy and a common objective as exemplified by the alliances of LGUs. Industries should
be able to developed new growth centers and economic zones.
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Transport/Infrastructure Development Framework
It is inevitable that with the present trend, the provincial economy will continue to grow and
inflate. Pressure from the increasing populace for transport facilities, buildings, roads, bridges,
power, water, food, shelter, etc. will be overwhelming.
Basic infrastructures are basis of investors to come into the province. So it‘s a ―chicken or egg‖
scenario. Government shall always support business and its populace.
The provincial will always support the LGUs in providing their infrastructure needs as long as it
is with the standard of zoning and land use plan.
The provincial government has laid out its plan for an irrigation highway to support the domestic,
industrial and agricultural water needs of the LGUs. It also has a dual purpose of being a source
of power for hydro-electricity.
Construction of sanitary landfills is being laid in the table by LGUs as the cost is way below the
financial capacity of most LGUs. The existing alliances are already in the drawing tables as to
come up with common land-fills, jointly financed by LGUs. This is being encouraged by the
province in fact it is being initiated by the provincial government through its Solid Waste
Management Board.
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CHAPTER IV
Development Issues, Goals, Objectives/Targets
1. Development Issues and Problems
Development issues are basically problems directly related to symptoms or indicators of
development. Some issues are sector-specific while others are multi-sectoral. Sectoral-specific
issues are addressed directly while multi-sectoral issues require more than just providing technical
solutions to technical problems. Solutions may involve combinations of socio-economic, political
and military or police interventions.
Feg. 13. The planning environment, development issues/problems, strategies and PPAs.
PLANNING ENVIRONMENT
DRIVERS Population Economy
Physical Resources
SYMPTOMS Income Services Land Use
1 Development
Issues/Problems
4 Programs
Projects Activities
3 Strategies
2 Goals
Objectives/Targets
VISION
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Development issues and problems in Negros Occidental were gathered from two sources namely:
1. Assessment of the planning environment and;
2. The several multi-sectoral/stakeholders consultations conducted by the P/LPEM Core
Team. These consultations were attended by LGUs, National Agencies, Provincial
Departments/Offices, NGOs, and private institutions/corporations including the business
community.
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Table 23. Development Issues and Problems
Issues/Problems
DRIVERS
Population High Growth Rate
Early marriages
High birth rates
Large family sizes
Apparent ineffective Family Planning Program
Illiteracy rate
Physical Resources Declining forest cover (upland & Mangrove)
Degradation of watershed
Polluted river system
Limited ecosystem profiling and delineation conflicts
Degraded marine ecosystem
Unsustainable implementation of environmental laws and ordinances
Transport/Access Insufficient power supply
Insufficient water supply
Non-compliance of Water Code
Lack of Farm to Market Roads and Bridges
Lack of irrigation facilities
Limited access to Panay and Cebu
Deteriorating roads and bridges
Economy
High dependence to sugar industry
Deficit in production of most agricultural commodities
Dependence on power supply from other provinces
Limited market accessibility of farm products
Marginal production performance of CARP lands
Declining agricultural productivity due to declining soil fertility and
rampant land conversion
Limited access to credit
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Table 23. Development Issues and Problems (continued)
Issues/Problems
SYMPTOMS/INDICATORS
Income Services Low priority to disaster management
Inaccessible and unaffordable health care services
Inadequate government hospital facilities, supplies and manpower
Limited government investment for health program
No integrated disaster and epidemic management plan for LGUs
Increasing number of drop outs in elementary and High School
students / Increasing number of out of school youth
Lack of affordable housing program
Inefficient access and control of the various disadvantage sectors over
social welfare and development services and resources
Low average family income
Lack of livelihood opportunities/skills/education
Lack of capital/resources
Limited employment opportunities
High incidence of poverty
Land Use Urban encroachment on agricultural lands
Conversion of upland areas and prime agricultural land to non-food
production use such as tourism use
Boundary conflicts in some LGUs
Encroachment in protected areas
Mining malpractice
Soil erosion and landslide
Salt water intrusion
Flooding
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3. Development Goals, Objectives and Targets
Guided by the vision of the province, goals, objectives and targets are formulated to respond and
meet the gaps as identified by the various issues and problems. Goals respond to be inter-sectoral
in coverage as they respond to a general problem. An objective/target tends to focus on a single
sector. Objectives/targets are specific, can be measured, achievable, realistic, and should be
achieve with a specific time frame. Again, these goals and objectives were results of the several
consultations and group discussions of varied sectors both in the government and the private
organizations.
Goals and objectives/targets formulated here are more directly derived from symptoms since their
significance are direct and are more achievable rather than those derived from the drivers of
development.
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Table 24. Development Goals, Objectives, and Targets
Issues/Problems GOALS OBJECTIVES/TARGETS
SYMPTOMS/INDICATORS
Income / Services
Low priority to disaster
management To integrate disaster risk
reduction and climate change adaption in PDPFP
and decision making
process
To mainstream DRR in the
PDPFP and PDIP/AIP
No integrated disaster and
epidemic management plan for LGUs
Inaccessible and
unaffordable health care services
To provide accessible,
affordable, and sustainable quality health care services
for all Negrenses.
To provide Philhealth ng Masa
to indigents in the province
Conduct regular medical and dental missions to far-flung
barangays
Enhance LGU-run infirmaries
and medical facilities
Construction of additional
primary hospital in the 6th
district
Inadequate government
hospital facilities, supplies
and manpower
Upgrading of provincial and
district hospitals
Upgrading and provision of hospital facilities and
equipment
Limited government
investment for health
program
Increase government investment in health care
program by 5% annually
Increasing number of drop
outs in elementary and High
School students / Increasing number of out of school
youth
To reduce Elementary and High School drop outs and
enable children of school
going age to have access to education.
To provide incentives to
indigent parents such as ―food for education‖
Provision of free school supplies to indigent students
Provision of transportation to
far-flung students particularly in high school
Lack of affordable housing
program
To make available affordable, pro-poor,
DRR/CC adapted,
environment-compliant, well-planned housing
program
To formulate a strategic
framework anchored on multi-stakeholder/tripartite, market
based, private sector and LGU
led reforms and approaches to housing and informal settlers.
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Table 24. Development Goals, Objectives, and Targets (continued)
Issues/Problems GOALS OBJECTIVES/TARGETS
SYMPTOMS/INDICATORS
Inefficient access and control
of the various disadvantage
sectors over social welfare
and development services and resources
To improve status of
human development index
and more equitable distribution of resources
To improve life expectancy
from 67 to 75
To increase literacy from 91%
to 95%
To increase per capita income
by 3% annually
To ensure efficient access and control over social
welfare and development
services
Adequate provision of basic social services
To meet the present needs of the various
disadvantaged sectors
(elderly, father, women, youth, women, youth
children, differently-abled
persons, victims of natural
& man-made disasters, individuals & families in
especially difficult
circumstances.
Priority programs for various
disadvantage sectors
Low average family income
To increase
incomes/livelihood opportunities thus,
reducing unemployment
and poverty incidence.
Provide income generating opportunities
Lack of livelihood
opportunities/ skills/
education
Provide job fairs
Lack of capital/resources Support cooperatives and
micro-finance NGOs
Limited employment
opportunities
Provide a conducive climate for investments
High incidence of poverty Reduce poverty incidence by 3% annually
Land Use
Urban encroachment on
agricultural lands
To strictly enforce
regulations on
indiscriminate land
conversion.
Regular monitoring of PLUC
on land use compliance Conversion of upland areas
and prime agricultural land
to non-food production use
such as tourism use
Encroachment in protected
areas
Prosecute violators in protected areas
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Table 24. Development Goals, Objectives, and Targets (continued)
Issues/Problems GOALS OBJECTIVES/TARGETS
SYMPTOMS/INDICATORS
Boundary conflicts in some
LGUs
To establish and strengthen inter-LGU Land and Water
for boundary delineation.
Resolve boundary conflicts by
the end of planning period
Mining malpractice
To bring to a minimum the
degradation of the environment while
protecting communities in
disaster prone areas.
Prosecute violators of mining
laws
Soil erosion and landslide Intensify awareness of sloping agricultural technology
Salt water intrusion Eliminate indiscriminate
shallow wells
Flooding Install proper drainage system
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CHAPTER V
Strategies, Programs, Projects, and Activities
The present framework on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation has bolstered the
resolve of the province to enhance disaster management in the province. The initial action plan
for disaster risk reduction are as follows:
1. Risk Assessment Data Gathering and/or Validation/Consultations
2. Strengthening local disaster management councils
3. Mainstreaming DRR & CCA in local governance and budget
4. Massive Information Campaign
The above framework is summarized through the province‘s ―Amlig Kabuhi‖ Program whose
strategies include the following:
1. LGU‘s/ Community Participation
2. Alliance Building and Linkage Development
3. Enhanced Management Information System
4. Conduct of Risk Analysis in Hazard Prone Areas
5. Institutionalization and Sustainability
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Table 25. Strategies, Program, Projects and Activities
OBJECTIVES/TARGETS STRATEGIES PPAs
To mainstream DRR in the PDPFP and PDIP/AIP
Strengthening of PDCC by mainstreaming disaster risk
reduction and climate change
adaptation
PDCC Strategic Planning
Strengthen monitoring of
vulnerable localities and
communities
PDCC regular monitoring
To provide Philhealth ng Masa
to indigents in the province
Establish an affordable comprehensive health care
program.
Negros Occidental Comprehensive Health
Program
To conduct regular medical and dental missions to far-flung
barangays
Conduct regular Medical and
Dental Missions Medical/Dental Mission
To enhance LGU-run
infirmaries and medical facilities
Enhancement of LGU-run
infirmaries and medical facilities
Evaluation of LGU-run
Infirmaries and Medical Facilities
To construct additional primary hospital in the 6
th district
Construction of additional health
facilities in tourism expansion
areas
Hospital Construction
To upgrade provincial and
district hospitals and hospital
equipment
Capacitate health providers
Capacity Development
Program for Health
providers
To increase government
investment in health care program by 5% annually
Empower communities through
health advocacies and education.
Community
Empowerment on Health Programs
To provide incentives to
indigent parents such as ―food for education‖
Capacitate education providers Capacity Development
Incentivized education Food-for -Education
To provide free school supplies
to indigent students Provision of free school supplies
Educational Assistance
Program
To provide transportation to far-
flung students particularly in high school
Provision of transport vehicle Sakay-Aral Program
To formulate a strategic
framework anchored on multi-
stakeholder/tripartite, market based, private sector and LGU
led reforms and approaches to
housing and informal settlers.
Strategic frame-working Strategic Planning
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Table 25. Strategies, Program, Projects and Activities (continued)
OBJECTIVES/TARGETS STRATEGIES PPAs
To improve life expectancy
from 67 to 75 Life expectancy improvement
HDI improvement
Program
To increase literacy from 91%
to 95% Increase literacy
HDI improvement
Program
To increase per capita income
by 3% annually Increase per capita income
HDI improvement
Program
To provide adequate basic
social services
Provision of basic social
services Social Services Program
To prioritize programs for
various disadvantage sectors
Programs for disadvantage
sectors Social Services Program
To provide income generating
opportunities Income generating opportunities
Income Generating
Opportunities
Home-based Industries
To conduct job fairs Conduct Job Fairs Job Fairs
To support cooperatives and micro-finance NGOs
Support to cooperatives and MFIs
Micro-Finance Program
To provide a conducive climate for investments
Creation of a Business Development Board
Business Development Board
To reduce poverty incidence by 3% annually
Reduction of poverty incidence Local Poverty Reduction Program
To conduct regular monitoring on land use compliance by
PLUC
Regular PLUC monitoring PLUC Monitoring and
Evaluation
To prosecute violators inside
protected areas Prosecution of violators Bantay Bukid Brigade
To resolve boundary conflicts
by the end of planning period Resolve boundary conflicts
Alliance Building
Program
To prosecute violators of
mining laws Prosecution of violators Balas-Bato task Force
To intensify awareness of
sloping agricultural technology Intensify awareness of SALT SALT Program
To eliminate indiscriminate
shallow wells Limit shallow wells Shallow Well Program
To install proper drainage
system Installation of proper drainage Drainage Program
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013
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MAJOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
1. Rice Processing Center
2. Irrigation Highway
3. Provincial Cattle Farms
4. Hospital Construction and Upgrading
5. Food Terminal Project
6. Health Insurance Program
7. Kabankalan Community Airport
8. Hinoba-an Community Airport
9. San Carlos Community Airport
10. Translink Bridges
11. Triple A Abbatoir
12. Tourism Highway
Negros Occidental Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan, 2008 -2013
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