The Negros Oriental government will be launching the “Garbo sa Kabisay-an” Tourism Roadshow that will open new markets for the province’s culture, heritage and arts.

Woodrow Maquiling Jr., executive director of the Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism Board, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday the tourism campaign will be traveling to different parts of the province to showcase local artists, distinct individual and shared cultures and beliefs, and even “forgotten” or unknown heritage.

For starters, the province will stage a grand opening night of the tourism roadshow on Monday night at the capitol forecourt here, he said.

In collaboration with Silliman University’s College of Performing and Visual Arts, participating contingents will be presenting their respective songs, dances, and festival performances, he added.

The groups to be performing are Silliman University Festival Choir, Silliman University Dance Troupe, Sandurot Festival Contingent (Dumaguete City), Yagyag Festival Contingent (Sibulan), Pasayaw Festival Contingent (Canlaon City), Kabilin Dance Troupe (Negros Oriental State University), Kahayag Dance Company, Orchestra Sin Arco (Silliman University), Katrina Saga (Soprano), Hacienda Lopez Banda Kawayan (Vallehermoso) and Royalty (Hip Hop Dance Champion Buglasan 2022).

Also to be featured are the Jia Yi School Children’s Choir (Taiwan) and the Loboc Children’s Choir (Bohol).

A special part of the program will be the performance of a 100-member orchestra put together by Silliman to play the province’s official song, “Garbo (Pride in Cebuano)”, in honor of the late songwriter and composer Mamerto Villegas, Maquiling said.

A posthumous award will be given to Villegas, he added.

Maquiling, who is concurrent chair of the Negros Oriental Provincial Tourism Council, said the “Garbo” roadshow will be the start of more events to ramp up the tourism industry in Negros Oriental in response to Governor Manuel Sagarbarria’s vision to bring in more visitors and investors to the province.

“It was actually the governor who asked me to resurrect the Garbo tourism roadshow exchange program, which we had implemented several years ago in Dumaguete City, when I was still the tourism officer then,” he said.

Maquiling said they brought the roadshow to the different barangays in this capital city which became a hit, and now they will be expanding to the entire Negros Oriental. (PNA)