ILOILO CITY — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is projecting that the economy of Western Visayas is poised to lose P379 billion once Negros Occidental and its capital city of Bacolod separates from the region.
A TRUCK carrying sugarcane in Silay City, Negros Occidental province. (Tara Yap)
“Negros Occidental and Bacolod City comprise about 40 percent of our economy,” said Marlene Y. Alviar, chief statistical specialist of PSA-6.
In 2022-2023, the Gross Domestic Regional Product (GRDP) of Western Visayas was worth more than P1 trillion.
“We will no longer be worth P1 trillion when there’s a Negros Island Region,” said Alviar at the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas here organized by the Philippine Information Agency-6.
PSA-6 data showed the economy of Negros Occidental province was worth P246.39 billion while Bacolod City was valued at P132.81 billion.
Negros Occidental contributed 25.8 percent to the regional economy while Bacolod City's was 13.9 percent.
“That’s a big contribution to the economy,” added Alviar.
Negros Occidental contributed a large chunk in the production of key agricultural products in Western Visayas such as sugarcane, corn, and rice.