By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The sales generated during this year’s 27th Panaad sa Negros Festival may breach the P20 million mark.

Negros Occidental Provincial Tourism Officer and Festival Director, Cheryl Decena, said the pavilions of the local governments in the province already have combined earnings of P14.1 million.

Last Friday, April 21, the Lin-ay sang Negros pageant, which attracted thousands of Negrenses to join the weeklong festivities, hit P4.5 million in sales, Decena said.

Records showed an estimated P2 million was earned in the festival’s first three days, from April 17 to 19.

On Thursday, April 20, the sales reached P3 million.

Decena said they may surpass the P20.2 million earned in the 26th edition of the Panaad sa Negros Festival in 2019.

The event, known as the “Festival of all Festivals” in Negros Occidental, was held for seven days until yesterday, April 23.

When the Panaad marked its 25th anniversary in 2018, it lasted for nine days.

The Panaad sa Negros Festival was conceptualized on April 30, 1993 by the provincial government and representatives of the private sector to showcase the festivals of each of the then six cities and 26 municipalities (now 13 cities and 19 towns), including Bacolod City, in Negros Occidental.

The 32 themed pavilions of each city and municipality were the major features of the festival, designed as a replica of their town or city hall, or the famous products they are known for.

“Panaad” is the Hiligaynon word for “vow” or “promise,” which came from the root word “saad.”

The festival is a form of thanksgiving to the Divine Providence and commemoration of a vow in exchange for a good life.

This year’s festivities were held for the first time after a three-year hiatus brought by the COVID-19 pandemic./With a report from PNA / DGB, WDJ