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Through its capital, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental is only
50 minutes from Manila and 30 minutes from Cebu by air. By
sea, it is an 18-hour cruise from Manila and an hour by fast
ferries from Iloilo. It is also accessible by sea and land
trip from Cebu via Escalante City, San Carlos City and
Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. Travel from Bacolod to
Dumaguete is only 5 to 6 hours by land. Seven airline
companies, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and
Air Philippines, serve the province. Four inter-island
shipping lines call on 9 seaports of Negros Occidental
The airport
is located 6 kilometers southeast of Bacolod City. However,
a new airport of international standard is being constructed
in Silay City about 16 kilometers from Bacolod.
All cities
and municipalities are linked by an extensive road and
bridge network stretching more than 1,500 kilometers
crisscrossing the province with seven alternative scenic
routes to the nearby province of Negros Oriental. Within the
province, travel is also easy, comfortable and even
enjoyable by air-conditioned and non-aircon buses or metered
taxis. Car rental services are also available. However, the
jeepney is still the most common means of transport among
the towns and cities. For accommodations, visitors may
choose from a wide range of about 67 hotels, pension and
lodging houses and tourist inns. The better known hotels are
L’ Fisher, Bacolod Convention Plaza, Casino Filipino Hotel,
and Business Inn, Sugarland Hotel, all in Bacolod City.
The province
has adequate power and water supplies. It is currently
interconnected to the Visayas Power Grid whose main sources
of power are geothermal. Aside from its existing 170
megawatts capacity, Negros Island by the year 2006 will have
an additional 105 megawatts of locally produced power from
geothermal plants in Bago and Palinpinon, and from bagasse
co-generation facility of First Farmers Sugar Mill. Ample
water supply for household, commercial, industrial and
agricultural uses is assured by 73 thousand hectares of
proclaimed and protected major watersheds, regular rainfall
and six major river systems.
Modern
communication facilities, as well as radio, television and
newspapers, are available in the province. Most are provided
by dominant national players in the industry like PLDT,
Globe Telecom and their subsidiaries. For
television and radio, the major providers are giant network
ABS-CBN, GMA and RPN. Cable TV provides access to CNN, BBC,
ESPN and other international programs. National and
international newspapers are available on the same day of
issue in Manila.
International direct dialing, fiber optic data lines and
internet services are accessible in most areas of the
province. Also, GSM, digital and analog cellular networks
provide good coverage in Bacolod City and other areas,
including international roaming. The medical and health care
needs of the people of Negros Occidental and its guests are
presently being met by 20 government hospitals and 10
private hospitals, as well as several city and municipal
health centers, barangay health stations and day-care
centers. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel
serving these facilities are not only competent but also
very caring towards their patients.
There are
1,318 schools in the province, including 53 registered
technical schools. Of these, 158 are private schools,
including University of Saint La Salle, and University of
Negros Occidental-Recoletos. Banking and finance is likewise
a thriving industry in Negros Occidental. According to the
latest count, there are 389 financial institutions competing
for businesses in the province. 149 of these are banks.
Negros Occidental offers several advantages for those who
are doing business in the province. It is strategically
located near Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, all major
international gateways with maximum travel time of only
about 4 hours between the Philippines and its neighbors in
Asia. It is equipped with major infrastructure facilities
for easy travel and shipment of goods within and outside of
Negros.
It has
adequate information and communication facilities with
excellent connection capabilities necessary for, among
others, call center operations for business communication
and transmission of data. The province is also blessed with
abundant water supply and dependable power supply for almost
any type of business endeavor. Modern health care facilities
with competent medical professionals are available, as well
as excellent schools to care for the needs of the investor
and his family.
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Infrastructure
