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Negros Oriental or Oriental Negros?

Province’s name change confuses many

By Alex Pal
Visayas Bureau
Last updated 05:23pm (Mla time) 04/22/2007

DUMAGUETE CITY — Since the provincial government passed a resolution in 2004 changing the name of the province from Negros Oriental to Oriental Negros, not a few people have been confused.

Gov. George Arnaiz pushed for the new name to make the province distinct from Negros Occidental.

Negros Oriental, he said, was always confused with the other Negros province, especially by people in Manila.

Some historical documents also used the name Oriental Negros to refer to the province, Arnaiz said. He pointed to the carved script on the capitol building to stress his point: “Province of Oriental Negros.”

“Besides, the acronym for Negros Oriental, NO, sounds negative. Oriental Negros, or ON, on the other hand, sounds better,” the governor said.

The provincial government has been urging everyone, including media, to use “Oriental Negros.”

Even President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved of the name change, congratulating the “province of Oriental Negros” during a visit in March 2005.

“It actually sounds better,” Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe commented on the initials of the Oriental Negros Provincial Police Office. “One PPO” projected an image of a united police force, he said.

But from a distance, Rep. Emilio Macias II (second district), who is on his last term of office, was not pleased. “There is no reason at all to change the name of the province. If they want to be known as a separate province from Negros Occidental, they can always strive to excel in many areas,” he said.

Macias, a former governor, said the change would mean that a law must be passed in Congress. Even without congressional action, the provincial seal had been altered to project the new name.

The lawmaker continues to refer to the province by its old name. Whenever he would be introduced as the congressman from the second district of Oriental Negros during speaking engagements, Macias would make it a point to say the name “Negros Oriental” many times to drive home his point.

In a recent candidates’ forum where he spoke as a gubernatorial candidate, Macias intentionally mentioned “Negros Oriental” three times in one sentence.

This conflict has placed journalists in a bind when writing stories, until some thought of a way of resolving it.

“When we’re with Governor Arnaiz, we refer to the province as Oriental Negros. When we are writing about Congressman Macias, we say Negros Oriental,” said Glynda Descuatan, area manager of SkyCable, who enjoys good rapport with both politicians.

In February, while on a trip to Balanan Lake in Siaton town with an NBN 4 production crew to interview Macias, Descuatan asked a tourist guide to buy a t-shirt at the market to replace the “Oriental Negros” proudly emblazoned on his apparel. “[Macias] won’t like it if he sees you wearing that,” she advised him.

True enough, Macias spent some time insisting that the province’s name change was illegal during the interview.

During last week’s candidates' forum at the Quezon Park, Arnaiz, who is running for Congress, avoided referring to the province by name, until he was asked about it.

“You know,” he began, “this has caused many disagreements between me and Congressman Macias. But now, we finally have come to an agreement!”

Everyone’s eyes lit up in anticipation. Arnaiz declared: “We have agreed to disagree.”

A status quo may be prevailing at the moment until the governor finally hands over power to his successor in June. If Macias ends up being the new governor, you can be sure “Oriental Negros” will be back to “Negros Oriental.”