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BY TIFFANY ANNE TAN
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BACOLOD City – Negrenses were encouraged to wear black during Cinco de Noviembre.
The celebration on Nov. 5 of every year commemorates the liberation of Negrenses from the Spanish rule in 1898.
But 118 years later Negrenses are in another “fight” — the retention of Negros as a young island region.
A “movement” pushing for the retention of Negros Island Region will highlight the commemoration on Saturday, capitol said.
Provincial Planning and Development Officer Marlin Sanogal said they are expecting “thousands” to join the celebration and sign a manifesto urging President Rodrigo Duterte not to dissolve the region.
Wearing black will be their show of support for the retention of Region 18, said Sanogal.
Duterte was reportedly set to sign an executive order abolishing the region.
Just last week local government officials and representatives from government agencies and businesses drafted another manifesto appealing against it.
The Regional Peace and Order Council came up with a similar manifesto.
Sanogal said they encourage other sectors to draft resolutions or manifestos with the same sentiment addressed to Duterte.
On Nov. 5, 1898 Negrenses rose in revolt against the Spanish authorities in Negros Occidental headed by Colonel Isidro de Castro. The Spaniards surrendered upon seeing armed troops marching toward Bacolod.
The revolutionists led by generals Juan Araneta of Bago and Aniceto Lacson of Silay were actually carrying fake firearms consisting of “rifles” carved out of palm fronds and “cannons” made from rolled bamboo mats and painted black.
By afternoon of Nov. 6, de Castro signed the Act of Capitulation and thus ended the Spanish rule in Negros Occidental.
Every year Nov. 5 is a special nonworking day in Negros Occidental, under Republic Act 6709./PN
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