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image from the Philippine News Agency (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1143041

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The Provincial Integrated Water Security Program (PIWSP), launched by the Negros Occidental provincial government in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), intends to improve resilient water supply access and management of water resources and strengthen water sector governance in the province. Negrenses, especially those in the rural and remote areas with scarce water supply, will significantly benefit from this program. It will help make informed decisions in implementing strategic projects in the province's watersheds, addressing the issue of access to water.

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The Central Philippines State University (CPSU), in partnership with the local government and private agencies, has put up a solar-powered water system in several barangays in Kabankalan City to address the poorly accessible and insufficient potable water supply in areas, namely Brgy. Orong, Brgy. Camingawan, and Brgy. Tagukon. This project by the university aims to bring sustainable impacts to the lives of the people and serve as a significant mechanism to eliminate rural poverty in the countryside. It helps address and positively impact both the province's poverty and clean water problem.

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Called the “PalayAralan: Makabagong Pagsasaka sa Himpapawid”, SOA-SRA is designed to integrate all the radio programs of the Department of Agriculture about groundbreaking approaches and help optimize farm yields while reducing production cost by addressing location and season-specific constraints. This development on the existing programs of the DA positively impacts the current issue of poverty as remote areas of agriculture and farming utilize radios as their sources of information. Through this program, around 1,900 Negrense farmers had the advantage to produce more, contributing to the rice self-sufficiency level increase of the province, currently standing at 87.52%.

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The problem on the access of clean drinking water must be addressed as this is a basic necessity. The sources are already scarce in itself and is further aggravated by water pollution, water-borne diseases, climate change and deforestation.

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Negros Occidental Governor Lacson in June 2021 stated that 25% of the total population of Negros Occidental have no access to water supply and 18% have no access to sanitation services. From the Climate Risk Assessment conducted by USAID Safe Water Group, it presented that the Bago River Watershed (Bago City) is vulnerable to drought and Malogo River Watershed (Silay City) is vulnerable to flooding and landslide.

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The issue of poverty in Negros Occidental needs to be addressed due to contrasting figures between the year-end number of the province's assets in which sugarcane and agri-fishery produce are large contributing factors. Meanwhile, the sugar farmers and farmworkers are among the poorest sections of the Philippine peasantry. They receive the lowest wage rates with no benefits while doing back-breaking and hazardous work. The disparity between the earnings of the province and the rising poverty rate in the province clearly shows an unbalanced scale between the two.

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This brings about the 2 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) that I believe need to be addressed: SDG 1 No Poverty and SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation. Going hand in hand, when a family is living under the poverty line, the access to basic needs are a privilege. Especially in the rural areas of the province, the poor don’t have access to safe drinking water, leading to water-borne diseases of kids and due to the poor accessibility, they have scarce supply.

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Aerial shot of Brgy. Salong, Kabankalan City by Mark Joseph via Facebook. 

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In relation to the poverty problem in the province, last December 2021, Typhoon Odette (internationally, Rai) ravaged parts of the Visayan archipelago and Negros Occidental was brutally hit and some cities and municipalities were hit harder than the others. At least 209,809 houses were damaged during the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in Negros Occidental, the data released by the Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) last January 12 showed.

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According to the annual financial report by the Commission on Audit (COA) released last December 22, 2021, the Province of Negros Occidental was in the top 10 of the richest provinces in the Philippines with a recorded total assets of  ₱17.170 billion. This places Negros Occidental in the 6th place amongst the other provinces.

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Despite being the 6th richest province in the country, there is a high poverty incidence among population. The poverty incidence rate of the province is higher than the national figure. From the Official Poverty Statistics of the Philippines (First Semester of 2021) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the national poverty incidence was 23.7%, while it was 28.6% in Negros Occidental translating to 874,912 Negrenses who lived below the poverty threshold.

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photo from Panay News: Negros planters sell low-priced sugar. Negros planters sell low-priced sugar

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Nicknamed as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", the sugar industry is one of the biggest contributing factor to the province's economy.

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provincial government of negros occidental.

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Experience a happy blending of cosmopolitan and rustic lifestyle in Negros Occidental, the sugar capital of the Philippines and aiming to be the Organic Food Bowl of Asia.

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From the 2020 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the population of Negros Occidental was 2,623,172 people, excluding the population of the capital city, Bacolod. If Bacolod City was included, the total population is 3,059,136 people.

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and 19 municipalities:

1. Binalbagan

2. Calatrava

3. Candoni

4. Cauayan

5. E. B. Magalona

6. Hinigaran

7. Hinobaan

8. Ilog

9. Isabela

10. La Castellana

11. Manapla

12. Moises Padilla

13. Murcia

14. Pontevedra

15. Pulupandan

16. Salvador Benedicto

17. San Enrique

18. Toboso

19. Valladolid

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The province is made up of 13 cities:

1. Bacolod (Provincial capital and is governed independently)

2. Bago

3. Cadiz

4. Escalante

5. Himamaylan

6. Kabankalan

7. La Carlota

8. Sagay

9. San Carlos

10. Silay

11. Sipalay

12. Talisay

13. Victorias

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Check out the province's website at https://www.negros-occ.gov.ph!

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The Province of Negros Occidental is the half of the famous sock-shaped island, occupying the northwestern half of the island of Negros, the fourth biggest island in the Philippine archipelago. It is bounded on the north by the Visayan Sea, and on the south by the Sulu Sea.