For many years now, the Buglasan Festival, also known as the Festival of Festivals, has been the highlight of the year for Negros Oriental.
This event enables all local government units and people in the Province to celebrate this major tourist attraction.
Buglasan, of course, comes from the word Buglas, the old name of Negros Island, and derived from a type of grass which was abundant in these parts.
However, the mountains dividing Negros island gave our Spanish rulers great difficulty then in governing the entire island, let alone to travel from one side of the island to the other. This prompted the creation of the two provinces, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental on Jan. 1, 1890.
For over a century, both Provinces, despite their being twins, were far apart. They each spoke a different language, developed different cultural traits, and even developed biases against each other.
It was the road network that linked the town of Mabinay of Negros Oriental with Kabankalan City of Occidental in the 90s that spurred closer ties between the two Provinces. That opened up many opportunities for business and cultural exchanges. Gradually, the barriers gave way to friendships.
Now, the two Provinces are taking this relationship to the next level through the Negros Island Region. With the new region slowly taking shape, starting with the opening of the Department of Foreign Affairs field office in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental and Occidental are celebrating the essence of the Buglasan Festival.
