The construction of the P1.03 billion Negros Occidental Convention Center (NOCC) in Barangay Guinhalaran, Silay City, will start in August.
“After 6 years of hard work and planning, construction is finally about to start,” Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said during the groundbreaking rites on Thursday morning, July 11.
The congressman was joined by Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, and Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and Regional Director Sonny Oropel during groundbreaking.
“This center will not only boost development in Guinhalaran but also support our vision of making Negros a tourism and convention hub, attracting visitors and boosting the local economy,” the congressman said.
It is located strategically near the Bacolod Silay Airport, he said.
Oropel said construction of the NOCC will start in August and is targeted to be completed in two years.
The landmark structure will be built on a 3-hectare property donated to the province of Negros Occidental by Jean Marie Gaston Locsin Wineberger, a native of Silay City, and now a resident of Oklahoma, USA, he said.
The NOCC will be a two-storey building with a total floor area of 8,640 square meters.
It is a certified green building, incorporating comprehensive and sustainability strategies to ensure efficient and eco-friendly performance throughout its entire system, Oropel said.
It can accommodate about 6,200 visitors and staff, he said.
Oropel said the project was initiated by Bacolod Mayor Benitez when he was congressman.
The project that has an initial release of P400 million will be implemented by the DPWH Negros Occidental 1st District Engineering Office and the DPWH Regional Office VI.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, in his speech at the groundbreaking rites, said “In the coming months, we will witness the transformation of this site into a state-of-the-art facility. This center will foster economic growth, create jobs, boost local businesses and tourism, and increase cultural, social, and educational events and exchanges”.
May the NOCC be the catalyst for making Negros Occidental the rising convention hub of the country, Lacson said.
Lacson thanked “Mayor Albee Benitez for initiating the landmark project, Congressman Kiko Benitez for his hard work and dedication in seeing it through to fruition, the landowners, the Silay City government for reclassifying the land from residential to institutional, and the DPWH.*