Negros Occidental History

and Culture
The term “Ilonggo” now refers to the people and the culture
of the Malay race identified with Iloilo, Guimaras Island, and
Negros Occidental, the western part of Negros island, which
is separated from Panay by the Guimaras Strait.
However, Negros Occidental’s four northern
municipalities of Escalante, Calatrava,
Toboso, and San Carlos are predominantly
Cebuano speaking, originally settled by
Boholano and Cebuano.
(https://ourislandsourpeople.wordpress.com/ilonggo/)
According to a creation myth, the original name
of Negros was “Bugras” or “Buglas,” meaning “a
slice” or “to cut off,” because the island was
severed from its mother island of Panay by an
angry god. (Pigafetta (ca. 1525) 1906 vol 33:379-80.)
Magellan’s chronicler, Pigafetta, in
1521, referred to the island as
“Panilongo, where black men like
those in Ethiopia live.”

His descriptive statement, “where

black men live,” already foreshadows
the name that the Spanish colonizers
would eventually give the island of
Negros.
(https://www.yodisphere.com/2022/09/Ilonggo-Hiligaynon-Culture-
History.html)
The term “Hiligaynon” is said to be a
hispanized contraction of the phrase
“manog-ilig sang kawayan,” ‘bamboo
floaters’, meaning people whose
occupation was to float bamboo poles
downriver to sell as building
materials.  Early Spanish documents
refer to the people as Yligueynes and
their language as Hiligueyna
The island of Negros was
accidentally found, not
discovered, by the Spaniards
in 1565. While Miguel Lopez
de Legaspi was resting in his
temporary base in Bohol, he
sent a reconnaissance party
to visit the other islands
nearby. The expedition
commanders were Esteban Rodriguez, Juan Aguirre and Fr.
Diego Herrera, Augustinian priest.
The guide and interpreter was a Bornean
merchant called Tuasan. He was captured
by the Spaniards on their way to the
Philippines. The expedition was able to
reach the island of Buglas where they met
the shoreline villagers who could be
Malays. The Spaniards were told that
there were many black people living in
the hills.
The expedition was also able to reach the other shoreline villages within
Buglas. The Spaniards were ambushed by the black natives in the
village known as Tanjay. That was the story found in the History of
Occidental Negros written by historian Modesto Sa-onoy.
In their report to Legaspi, Rodriguez and Aguirre
mentioned the presence of an island with black
people, "los negros," referring to the Aetas who
ambushed them in Tanjay. They knew that the
island was Buglas but because of that Tanjay
incident, they called it "isla de los negros" or "Isla
de Negros."
REPUTATIONS OF ILONGGOS
• An Ilonggo, in the past, was also known to be "tikalon" or
braggart, although this trait was more aptly associated with the
Ilonggos in Negros Occidental. This was mainly due to the boom
in the sugar industry that greatly benefited the sugar-producing
municipalities of Negros and created a crop of wealthy
hacienderos and professionals. Of course, this was before the
sugar crisis in the 1970s.
An Ilonggo is also known to be liberal spender and not "kuripot".
He loves to flaunt his affluence and he tends to outdo himself and
muddle his budget to ensure that visitors have the best of the
famous Ilonggo hospitality.
But, ironically, an Ilonggo is notoriously conservative or
"segurista" when it comes to business venture. This will explain
why for some time, in the 1980s and 1990s, there were more
banks in Iloilo City than in Cebu City. An Ilonggo tends to keep
his money in banks rather than invests them in risky business.
An Ilonggo is known to be a peace-loving person. As much as
possible, he tries to avoid conflicts. But, a word of caution, never
provoke an Ilonggo to anger because he also has the reputation as
"tam-an kaisog". When already angry, and convinced that he is
right, he will fight to the death.
An Ilonggo, in both Panay and Negros, is generally charming and
he smiles a lot and will enjoy to the utmost socials and festivals.
This will explain why an Ilonggo will always find a basis or
rationale for celebrating. This is also the reason why Bacolod has
been dubbed as the "City of Smiles.“
SUGARLANDIA
Palihug…………..
 Para……..
Lugar……..

Akon
sencillo?
1730 the Spaniards introduced coffee in the country. The first coffee tree was planted by a Franciscan friar in Lipa, Batangas, and it
was a variety from Mexico, one of the top producers of coffee worldwide. Later on, Augustinian friars named Benito Varas and
Elias Nebreda planted the coffee plant around Batangas, like Tanauan, Taal, San Jose, Lemery, and Ibaan.

Brewed coffee
There is unanimity in saying that the Ilonggo language is
melodious or sing-song style and the speaker of the language is
soft-spoken. In fact, non-Ilonggos are pointing out that it is quite
difficult to predict an Ilonggo emotional state because one cannot
be certain of the latter's temper. An Ilonggo may still speak in a
soft voice even though he is already fuming mad.
Negros Occidental (Hiligaynon: Negros Nakatundan; Cebuano
: Kasadpang Negros; Filipino: Kanlurang Negros), also known
as Occidental Negros or Western Negros, is a province located in the 
region of Western Visayas, in the Philippines. It occupies the
northwestern half of the large island of Negros, with Negros Oriental
 comprising the southeastern half. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the
Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's 
sugar output.
Negros Occidental faces the island-province of Guimaras and the
province of Iloilo on Panay Island to the northwest across the 
Panay Gulf and the Guimaras Strait. The primary spoken language is 
Hiligaynon and the predominant religious denomination is Roman
Catholicism. Bacolod City is the capital, seat of government and the
most populous city of the province, but is governed independently as a
highly urbanized city. With a population of 2,497,261 inhabitants, it is
the most populated province in Western Visayas, the second most-
populous province in the Visayas after Cebu and the 8th most-populous
province of the Philippines.
Negros was originally known to the natives as "Buglas", meaning "cut
off" in old Hiligaynon. When the Spaniards arrived in April 1565, they
named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found. Two
of the earliest native settlements were Binalbagan and Ilog which later
became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were 
Hinigaran, Bago, Marayo (now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now 
Himamaylan) and Candaguit (now a sitio of San Enrique).
• Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later
transferred to Himamaylan. Bacolod finally became the capital in
1849. The island was divided into Negros Occidental and 
Negros Oriental in 1890. The two provinces were briefly united as an
independent Republic of Negros with Bacolod as the capital on
November 27, 1898. It became a protectorate of the United States
until 1901, when the republic was dissolved, with the two provinces
annexed back to the Philippines
During the succeeding decades between 1901 and the 1930s, Negros
Occidental and Negros Oriental were both under Insular Government of
the United States of America as with the rest of the nation and later
under the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
Economic growth continued especially with Philippine sugar having a
part of the US market. The socio-economic lives of the island of Negros,
from the 1950s up to the late 1980s, depended as before, mainly on
the sugar industry.
During World War II, both Negros provinces were invaded by Imperial
Japanese forces, resorting many residents to flee to the inland
mountains. Negros Island was liberated by combined Philippine &
American troops with the local Negrense guerillas attacking the
Japanese on August 6, 1945. The 7th, 73rd, 74th and 75th Infantry
Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were established from
January 3, 1942 to June 30, 1946 and the 7th Infantry Regiment of the
Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944 to June 30,
1946 at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Occidental. They
started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military
Operations in Negros from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial
forces.
Global sugar prices dropped during the 1970s and 1980s, which
negatively impacted the production of sugar in the island. Quality of life
and sugar production were intertwined, so lower production meant
lower quality of life for thousands that relied on the industry for
sustenance and financial stability. The province saw a dangerous spike
in the percentage of malnourished infants which was as high as 78%.
Negros Occidental's problem on malnourished infants gained global
prominence among the press in 1985, as they ran covers on both, local
and international newspapers. During the 1970s and 1980s, atrocities
against peasants were committed, with one such harrowing example
being the Escalante Massacre. Negros del Norte was created from
Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986, but its creation was declared
unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and was immediately abolished on
August 18, 1986.
• Towards the end of 1987, after the successful overthrow of the
Marcos regime, the overall economic situation started to show a
positive upturn. The campaign for agricultural diversification had been
gaining momentum, paving the way for more landowners to invest in
prawn and fish farming, seafood catching, raising of livestock and
high-value organic produce such as fruits and vegetables, as well as
other cash crops. Investments' upswing became apparent by 1988.
The participation of the industrial sector accelerated the consumer-
led economic growth and development manifested with the increase
in sales of consumer goods and by-products. Today, Negros Occidental
remains one of the most progressive and largely developed Philippine
provinces, in large due to the profits from the sugar industry, but also
due to economic diversification in other fields.
• In May 29 of 2015, Negros Island Region was formed when Negros
Occidental and its capital was separated from Western Visayas and
transferred to the new region along with Negros Oriental, when
President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015.
But it was abolished on August 9, 2017 when President 
Rodrigo Duterte revoked Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 through the
signage of Executive Order No. 38, citing the reason of the lack of
funds to fully establish the NIR according to Benjamin Diokno, the
Secretary of Budget and Management, reverting Negros Occidental
back into Western Visayas.
• Negros Occidental is located in the western side of Negros Island, the fourth
largest island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 7,802.54 square
kilometres (3,012.58 sq mi). If Bacolod City is included for geographical purposes,
the province has an area of 7,965.21 square kilometres (3,075.38 sq mi). The
province is approximately 375 kilometres (233 mi) long from north to south. It is
bounded by the Visayan Sea in the north, Panay Gulf on the west, Negros
Oriental province and Tañon Strait on the east and Sulu Sea on the south. Negros
is basically volcanic, making its soil ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent of all
arable land in the island region is cultivated.
• The north and western parts of the province are largely composed of plains and
gentle slopes. A mountain range lines the eastern part of the province, forming
the basis of the border with Negros Oriental. Kanlaon Volcano, which is partially
located in Negros Oriental, rises to a height of 2,465 m (8,087 ft) and is the
highest peak in the Visayas.
• The population of Negros Occidental in the 2015 census was 2,497,261
people, with a density of 320 inhabitants per square kilometre or 830
inhabitants per square mile. If Bacolod City is included for geographical and
statistical purposes, the total population is 3,059,136 people, with a density
of 384/km2 (995/sq mi).
• Most residents are of either pure or mixed Austronesian heritage, while the
minority have foreign/mixed ancestry (i.e. Chinese or Spanish). Residents of
Negros are called "Negrenses" (or less often "Negrosanons"). Negros
Occidental is predominantly a Hiligaynon-speaking province by 84%, because
of its linguistic ties with Iloilo. However, cities and towns facing the Tañon
Strait are Cebuano-speaking by only 16%, due to their proximity to the
island-province of Cebu. Sagay City and surrounding places, which are facing
both Iloilo and Cebu, speaks a hybrid language composed of Hiligaynon and
Cebuano. Filipino and English, though seldom used, are widely spoken and
used on both sides of the island for educational, literary and official
purposes.
• Negros Occidental is the second most-populous province in the Visayas after Cebu, having
the second largest number of congressional districts and the 7th most-populous (4th if
highly urbanized cities and independent component cities are included in the population
of corresponding provinces) in the Philippines based on the 2015 Census. As of 2010, the
population of registered voters are 1,478,260.
• Religion
• Christianity is the predominant religion in the province with Roman Catholicism as the
largest singular denomination by 85.71% (The Roman Catholic Dioceses of Bacolod, San
Carlos & Kabankalan) of the population. The remaining Christian faiths are usually divided
by various Protestant faiths such Aglipayan Church with 10% of the population making it
the second largest Christian group in the province, the Iglesia Ni Cristo and Members
Church of God International also having a significant presence, while Baptist, Methodist,
Church of Christ of Latter Day saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day
Adventist and other Evangelical Christians are also present in the province in a minor
percentage. The rest of the non-Christian population are adherents of Islam and
Buddhism.
• Culture, arts and people
• Negros Occidental has long been a center of culture and arts; the wealth
brought about by the sugar industry made sure that the Negrense 
principalía enjoyed an above-average standard of living.
• Silay City, to the north of the capital of Bacolod City, nicknamed the
"Paris of Negros", is the cultural and artistic center of Negros Island
Region. It has 30 heritage houses declared by the national historical
institute, most notable of which is Balay Negrense; it is also the
hometown of National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture 
Leandro Locsin and international mezzo-soprano Conchita Gaston.
• This blossoming in art was due to the economical importance of the area
during the Spanish era, Negros became probably the most hispanized
and pro-Spanish area, due to the enormous investments of Spain in the
sugar business.
• Another famous treasure of Negrense art heritage can be found in 
Victorias City, within the confines of the Victorias Milling Company in its
chapel is the world-famous mural of the Angry Christ, painted by artist
Alfonso Ossorio, a scion of the Ossorio family who owned the mill.
• The Negrenses' joie de vivre is manifest in the various festivals all over
the province, foremost being the famous MassKara Festival of Bacolod,
Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota, Bailes de Luces of La Castellana and
Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos. These and other local festivals are
featured during the Pana-ad sa Negros Festival staged every April at the
25-hectare tree-lined Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. Dubbed as the
"Festival of Festivals", Pana-ad brings together the 13 cities and 19
towns in a showcase of history, arts and culture, tourism, trade,
commerce and industry, beauty and talent as well as games and sports.
• Negros Occidental is rich in structures and buildings that are remnants
of a once affluent lifestyle. The Palacio Episcopal (1930), San
Sebastian Cathedral (1876), and the Capitol Building (1931) are
popular landmarks. In most towns, steam locomotives that used to
cart sugarcane from the fields to refineries attract steam-engine
enthusiasts from all over the world. There are also impressive
churches all over the province, both built recently and during the
Spanish era.
Bacolod City has been christened as a Philippine "football city" for its
patronage of the sport in the country. A few members of the Philippine
football team are from Negros: most notable is goalkeeper Eduard
Sacapaño, a native of Bago City; Tating Pasilan and Jinggoy Valmayor of
San Carlos City; and ace striker Joshua Beloya of Bacolod.
• Aside from hosting sporting events Negros Occidental has produced
many of the nation's finest athletes, particularly in boxing. The likes of
1923 World Flyweight boxing champion, Francisco Guilledo a.k.a.
Pancho Villa, current WBO minimum weight champion Donnie Nietes,
1970's WBA world junior lightweight champion Ben Villaflor, all hail
from Negros Occidental.
• It is also notable for producing Olympiads, Silver Medalist Mansueto
Velasco in the 1996 Summer Olympics, his brother Roel Velasco who
in turn won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Peculiar Negrense characteristics
the haciendas passively, through their isolation and actively through various policies
restricted communication between insiders and outsiders, controlled the movement of
the workers and established a comprehensive patron-client nexus between the workers
and the hacendero/miller. This made them into a near exclusive social world to its
members, defining their individual and collective self-imagination, a process that
significantly facilitated control and domination by the hacienda/milling central owners. II
The study shows, that the fundamentals of control and domination are provided by non-
violent practices and structures: economic sanctions and rule by law. While being non-
violent, the threat to any non-compliant poor individual is significant. In an environment
where no alternatives to employment on the haciendas or sugar mills of one of the
oligarchs exist, where wages are hardly enough to secure subsistence, where most of
the workers are indebted to their employers and live on hacienda territory, the threat of
dismissal is existential. Likewise it is easy for the powerful to rule by law, deliberately
making up cases against the deviant poor, who may then be put in investigative custody
for prolonged times, threatening their and their families’ economic survival.
(Domination in Negros Occidental: Variants on a Ruling Oligarchy, Peter Kreuzer )
• Negrense are regarded as affectionate, generous, fun loving
people who enjoy the finer things in life.  As a labor force,
however, Negrenses are highly motivated, educated, skilled,
trainable and entrepreneurial individuals.
 Manokan country for the experience of eating chicken the
Bacolodnon’s way — with some garlic rice drizzled with chicken oil,
a sawsawan of toyo, calamansi, and sinamak, or spicy vinegar with
garlic, ginger, and chili peppers, all eaten with their bare hands. They
also love a big bowl of cansi, a soup dish with a tinge of sourness that is
made from beef, bone marrow, and batwan, a fruit indigenous to the
area.

piaya and napoleones, a light flaky pastry filled with custard and topped

with sugar icing. Several dessert cafes and restaurants also await, with
native delicacies such as inday-inday, a sticky rice cake with grated
coconut and muscovado, and kalamay hati, coconut milk and brown
sugar stirred into a sticky and sweet paste. When it comes to sweets,
Bacolodnons know what they’re talking about.
• Valenciana, paella, lechon, batchoy, siopao
• Citizens of Iloilo and Bacolod love good company, good ambiance,
and a good meal. For this reason, their get-togethers usually last for
hours, with dinners sometimes extending until past midnight. They
love to catch up with old friends and keep themselves updated, which
is easy when everyone knows everyone else. Like their food, the
Spanish influence is still strong in their way of life. They enjoy naps in
the afternoon called siestas, and are devout, prayerful, and family-
oriented. 
References
https://alchetron.com/Negros-Occidental
https://www.hsfk.de/fileadmin/HSFK/hsfk_downloads/prif112.pdf
https://ourislandsourpeople.wordpress.com/ilonggo/