What Will The Summer Season Look Like in Negros This Year?

Flashback to early summer 2020, when lockdowns were imposed worldwide and paused everything. No one seemed to expect a situation where a once crowded and festive mall would close, businesses would be put to a temporary stop, airports would be less visited, and roads and highways would be like ghost towns, including Negros.

Now that we anticipate a more hopeful summer this year, Negros province and its urbanized capital, Bacolod City, are expecting a new normal set up in almost all aspects of society—from business, travel, tourism, leisure, health, and education. With this at hand, everyone has no choice but to embrace and accept that living with the virus, or the invisible enemy, is a reality that the people must adapt to and face.

Travel and tourism are just some sectors that the authorities address, especially knowing that the Philippines is a country with tourism as one of its assets because of numerous stunning and iconic tourist spots. On top of the list is the government-owned Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary, which is set to reopen this late March or early April.

The popular resort located in Murcia, Negros Occidental, has served as one of the facilities for quarantine during the onslaught of COVID-19, and just recently, the resort is undergoing the needed repairs left by the aftermath of Typhoon Odette.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said that the resort is upgrading its amenities and repairs of the employees’ barracks.

The provincial government aims to have the resort ready for this year’s summer.

Aside from the locals enjoying the resorts and hotels in Negros, tourists are encouraged to visit the province this summer and book their flights to Bacolod as Cebu Pacific launches its special PhP88 one-way base fare to all domestic destinations, including Bacolod City. Promo runs until today, and the travel period is from February 11 until July 31, 2022.

On another note, provincial economic consultant and Bacolod City mayoralty candidate Alfredo "Albee" Benitez expressed his thoughts that the city and the province, in general, is nearing its point where all residents are fully vaccinated and protected from the virus. With this continued progress, we can slowly shift from pandemic to endemic. According to Benitez, maybe after 2 or 3 months, we can now change to a state of endemic. [1]

Meanwhile, in the education sector, Western Visayas and Negros Occidental are gearing up to return the face-to-face classes as aided by the Department of Education.

DepEd assistant regional director Pedro Escobarte Jr. said they are just waiting for Negros Occidental to downgrade to Alert Level 1. If the cases continue to drop, it is anticipated that Negros Occidental will deescalate to Alert Level 1 by March.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said they would allow face-to-face classes, and this new normal setup is currently a work in progress. [2]

A summer trade fair is organized and showcased along the Bacolod City Public Plaza sidewalk from March 15 to May 15.

The Diocese of Bacolod is still appealing to the Bacolod Sangguniang Panglungsod for their request to be approved. The summer trade fair will be held along Gatuslao Street and Rizal Street to Queen City Development Bank. Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon said that the summer trade fair should comply and observe the health and safety regulations with the approval of the authorities and the city council. [3]

Visit Yoorekka Magazine for more travel and COVID-19 updates and guidelines this summer in Negros!