• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The provincial government of Negros Occidental maintains its declaration that the 29th Panaad sa Negros Festival will remain “apolitical” as it did not invite any candidate running for national position during its opening ceremony Monday afternoon.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that most of the local officials were expected to attend the activity to support their respective local government units (LGUs).
“That in itself can be considered campaigning but they have a right to be here,” Lacson said.
The provincial government bans the display of campaign materials at the Panaad sa Negros Festival site in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City during the celebration which will run until March 30.
Charina Magallanes-Tan, this year’s festival director, said they have introduced a new twist for those planning to visit the festival site, the “Stamp and Snap”, where participants can have a chance to win a unit of iPhone 16.
“This will encourage visitors to go and visit the different LGU booths. Participants will be given like a passport which will be stamped in the LGU booths that they will visit. Then there will be a raffle,” Tan said. “This is aimed to encourage traffic in the LGUs”.
Lacson said the booth of San Carlos City has been converted into a museum to highlight the city’s culture.
“Income from the food is now secondary for the city,” the governor said.
Lacson said that he has appealed to the LGUs regarding the pricing of food being served in the festival site.
“If they want to sell, they have to compete with the others even if it means lowering their prices,” he said. | GB
