The Provincial Government of Negros Occidental recognized the Negrense World War II woman veteran and the 2024 Outstanding Taxpayers of the Province during the Pasidungog 2025 awarding ceremony held on Friday December 12, as part of the annual Negros Day celebration.
Governor Egenio Jose Lacson, together with Board Members Arthur Marañon and Bambi Depasucat, led the awarding ceremony held at the Capitol Social Hall, a post of the Negros Occidental Facebook page said.
Rosita Tabacug Mayang, a World War II veteran, was recognized as Outstanding Negrense Woman, represented by her niece, Mayriam Mayang Arellano.
The Top 10 Real Property Taxpayers for 2024 under the Corporate Category were Negros Island Solar Power Inc., BISCOM, North Negros Biopower, Inc., Victorias Milling Company, Inc., Tanduay Distillers, Inc., Asian Alcohol Corp., Jobeco Agro-Industrial Corp., South Negros Biopower, Inc., Rabagus Ventures, Inc., and Philippine Spring Water Resources.
Meanwhile, the Individual Category awardees were the Estate of Buenaventura M. Colmenares of Hinigaran; Rose Marie Biron of E.B. Magalona; Patrick Miguel Montilla of Isabela; Rafael Abello of Isabela; Afeline Curmi of Candoni; Eduardo Aguilar of Hinigaran; Teotimo Ballesteros, Jr. of Toboso; Vicente Lovina of Moises Padilla and Pontevedra; Renato Lacson of Manapla; and Roselyn Java Cordova of E.B. Magalona.
The awarding was originally scheduled for November 5 as part of the Cinco de Noviembre celebration but was rescheduled due to recent typhoons that affected the province, prompting the declaration of a State of Calamity.
In his message, Governor Lacson expressed his gratitude to the awardees, emphasizing that their honest and consistent fulfillment of tax obligations enables the provincial government to invest in essential public services that uplift the lives of Negrenses.
“Taxation is often discussed in terms of numbers—collections, revenues, and percentages,” Governor Lacson said. “But behind these figures are real stories: the discipline and commitment of business owners, families, individuals, and corporations who align their success with the public good. These are the stories we honor today.”
The Negros Day celebration commemorates November 5, 1898, when thousands of Negrenses courageously staged a coordinated, bloodless revolt against Spanish rule.
Led by General Juan Araneta of Bago and General Aniceto Lacson of Talisay, the revolutionaries ingeniously used fake weapons—rifles carved from nipa stalks and cannons made of painted bamboo mats—to deceive Spanish forces into surrendering.
This historic event came to be known as the Bloodless Revolution, symbolizing the bravery, unity, and ingenuity of the Negrense people.*