Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said yesterday that he expects Negros Occidental to progress by leaps and bounds in the next 10 years with the influx of investors, citing 70,000 new jobs that will come from two industries alone.

Marañon, who delivered upbeat speeches at the 116th Cinco de Noviembre rites at the Capitol Lagoon Park in the morning and at the Outstanding Negrense Award rites at the Capitol in the afternoon, said “The future is very bright for our province.”

Cinco de Noviembre is the day Negrense bluffed the Spaniards 116 years ago.

The marching revolutionist led by Gen. Juan Araneta from Bago City and Gen. Aniceto Lacson from Silay City carrying rifles carved out of nipa stalks and cannons made of bamboo mats caused the Spaniards led by Col. Isidro Castro to surrender on Nov, 5, 1898.

“More than 100 years ago our forefathers outwitted the Spaniards and won our freedom because they were united in one purpose, to throw out our colonizers,” the governor said.

Marañon said that in unity, much can be achieved for Negros Occidental, as he reiterated his call for the remaining communist rebels to lay down their arms and join government in their common battle against poverty.

“The biggest problem of our country and our province is poverty,” he said.

We cannot solve problems by killing each other, but we can do a lot united, he said.

He said many investors have been coming to the province, and pointed out that a shipbuilding firm that is opening in the eastern part of Negros Occidental soon, will create 20,000 jobs.

The IT-BPO industry in 2016 is also expected to create 50,000 new jobs in Negros Occidental alone, he added.

He pointed out that the Negros First CyberCentre in Bacolod City, to be inaugurated by President Benigno Aquino III, will initially create 5,000 jobs, not just for call center agents but in the fields of animation, medical transcription, finance, accounting and engineering.

The governor also said the provincial government is putting stress on food security, with food expected to become scarce in the future.

Many investors are looking at places in Negros Occidental where they can plant high value crops, he noted.

He said Negros Occidental, that is engaged in organic farming, has an edge, with the demand for organic food increasing by more than 20 percent annually.

The goal is to make Negros Occidental, not just the organic capital of the Philippines, but of Asia, he said.

Organic agriculture is labor intensive and we have the labor and motivated young Negrenses for it, he said.

The demand for organic food is tremendous, we can hardly meet the demand, the governor also pointed out.

More and more people are becoming conscious of their health and are shifting to organic food, as more and more diseases emerge that cannot be cured by medicine, he said.

He said the province will host its 9th Negros Organic Festival on November 19 to 24.

The governor also lauded the unsung heroes of the province, from the teachers assigned in remote areas, the policemen who keep the peace, and civil servants, to members of civic clubs who make a difference for Negros Occidental.*CPG

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