Negros Occidental’s Panaad Park and Stadium here is eyed to become a year-round tourist attraction, not just a venue of the province’s Panaad Sa Negros Festival every summer.

Until Oct. 16, all local government units in the province are participating in the “Masskara sa Panaad,” showcasing their respective themed pavilions with a display of their local products inside the park.

Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., who led the inauguration of the northern city’s reconstructed pavilion on Wednesday, welcomed the plan to hold regular events at the Panaad Park such as weekend markets.

“On weekends, Saturday to Sunday, it’s viable. Plus the food and everything else, you can just eat and stroll around Panaad,” he said.

Escalante said they have assigned a watchman and a caretaker for the pavilion, which they can open anytime.

At the opening of the “Masskara sa Panaad” on Monday, Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel, president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, said he has started talking with other mayors and Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson about opening the pavilions regularly.

“We have proposed this to the provincial government and the city government (of Bacolod). Verbally, they are okay with it,” he said.

Benitez said although weekly events seem ambitious, he has thought of tourists coming to Panaad Park during weekends to see all the products of the cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental in one place.

“It could be an opportunity in that way. We really want that there should be something more regular here. This is a way of showcasing the entire province,” he added. (PNA)