By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Despite the recent setbacks, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said during his second State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday afternoon, August 8, the state of Negros Occidental is “good.”
In his SOPA, which was attended by key provincial officials and Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, Lacson said he wants to make the province a place of opportunity and progress for those who are willing to work for it.
He added the province gained from economic enterprises, tourism and agriculture.
In his report, Lacson revealed that the Negros First CyberCentre generated P64,329,885 from its rental revenue from January to June of this year.
The capitol-owned facility now has a 92.5 percent occupancy rate.
The Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary and catering services, which formally re-opened in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic, has collected around P9,780,741 this year, an 80 percent self-sufficiency rate.
The resort has also recorded a total of 2,309,464 same-day visitors, and 678,520 overnight tourist arrivals from 2022 to the first half of this year.
The provincial government has also collected a total of P44,230,997.50 from the extraction and utilization of mineral resources, administrative fees and the imposition of fines and penalties for violators of Governor’s Permits and Provincial Tax Ordinance from January to June 2023.
In the agricultural sector, the provincial government attained an 84 percent rice self-sufficiency level, assuring food security in the province until the end of 2023.
Lacson has also lauded the successful containment of hog diseases in the province, as he revealed that the hog mortality rate has dropped to single-digits.
He said there were days wherein they recorded zero hog fatalities.
Negros Occidental has also remained free from bird flu.
Currently, the province ranks third in goat production, fourth in hog and carabao production, fifth in poultry, and 15th in cattle production.
“Let us continue to show our country and our constituents that reliable, honest, honorable, and God-centered governance is possible in our time and our province,” Lacson said.
The governor assured the mayors and officials of the municipalities and component cities in Negros Occidental that he knows so much is being asked from them, given the challenges they currently face.
He told them that local government units and their constituents are in better hands./DGB, WDJ