Below is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of, or have a parent who was born or raised and is closely associated with the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines (including from the highly urbanized city of Bacolod)
Arts, Culture, and Media Personalities
Dance
Maniya Barredo - Ballet Dancer, Prima Ballerina of the Philippines Georgette Sanchez - Ballet Dancer for Abcdance company in St. Potten, Austria
Fashion
Sandra Seifert - International fashion model, Philippine representative to Elite Model Look, 1st runner up Miss Earth 2009 Rafe Totengco - New York based bags and accessories designer, guest judge at Project Runway All Stars season 2 and Project Runway Philippines season 1, The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines 2002 awardee
Film and Television
Carla Abellana - Film and television actress Rey "PJ" Abellana — film and TV actor Migo Adecer - Television Actor ,StarStruck season 6 Ultimate male survivor Jai Agpangan - Film and television actress, comedian, Youtuber, 4th big placer Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4 Joj Agpangan - Film and television actress, comedian, Youtuber, 4th big placer Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition 4 Saicy Aguila - dancer, Television and film actress, Pinoy Big Brother: Season 2 housemate Christian Bables - film and television actor Analyn Barro - Television actress, StarStruck season 6 Hopeful Bernard Bonnin — film and TV actor J.C. Bonnin - film and tv actor Elijah Canlas - Award Winning Actor on Film and Television Sheryl Cruz — Actress on film and television Tisha Custodio - Television actress in the United States, best known for playing Carolyn Smith in the Disney+ series Big Shot starring John Stamos Assunta De Rossi - Film and television actress, wife of Negros Occidental’s 1st congressional district representative Jules Ledesma Monsour del Rosario - TV and film actor, Taekwondo champion, Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Rio Diaz — former beauty queen, TV host and actress Chuckie Dreyfus — Actor on film and television Kyle Echarri - Film and television actor, singer Rollo Espinos - Model, television actor, StarStruck season 5 Hopeful, Pinoy Boyband Superstar contestant Peque Gallaga — multi-awarded filmmaker, screenwriter and actor Dwight Gaston - Actor,Writer, Costume designer, member of the Art department for the 1986 Hollywood fim Platoon, by Oliver Stone, notable for playing Kuya Dwight in the long running children’s television show Batibot Lydia Gaston - Broadway theatre and Hollywood actress, known for starring as Susan Valencia in the 2022 film Easter Sunday Charles Gemora — Hollywood makeup-artist, special effects pioneer and actor Joya Genzola - Pinoy Big Brother: Unlimited housemate Charlene Gonzales — Television and film personality and former beauty queen Anthony Jennings — Film and TV star Vangie Labalan - Film and television actress Ronnie Lazaro — a Gawad Urian Award-winning Filipino film and television actor, producer and casting and art director Roger Lucero - Pinoy Big Brother: 737 - Part 2 3rd big placer Pancho Magalona — award-winning film actor Elvira Manahan - television host, actress and socialite Johnny Manahan - Film and television director, actor, talent manager, Vice President and managing director of Star Magic, Senior Vice President of ABS-CBN Corporation, Consultant for Sparkle GMA Artist Center Erik Matti — director, screenwriter, producer Chanel Morales - Film and television actress, Artista Academy Final 6 student Angel Locsin — Actress in film and television Romy Pastrana — comedian and Goin' Bulilit member under the name Dagul. AJ Perez — Film and television actor Allan K. — singer, comedian, actor and TV host Sue Ramirez - Film and TV actress Elizabeth Ramsey — comedian, singer and actress Ana Roces - Film and television actress Susan Roces — award-winning actress, nicknamed Queen of Philippine Movies, widow of Fernando Poe Jr., adoptive mother of Grace Poe Brx Ruiz - Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11 Housemate Vickie Rushton - Film and Television actress, beauty queen, Mutya ng Pilipinas International 2011, Pinoy Big Brother: All In 4th big placer Rosemarie Sonora — actress Joel Torre — actor, director and film producer
Christian Vasquez — Film and television actor, model, housemate of ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother: Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition Maggie Wilson - Film and Television actress, winner of the fifth season of The Amazing Race Asia, TV host, Binibining Pilipinas World 2007
Journalism
Alvin Elchico — Broadcast Journalist, TV/radio host Jose Jaime Espina - Journalist, co-founder of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Arsenio Lacson - Broadcast journalist, radio show host, newspaper columnist, 1st elected Mayor of Manila, Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, member of the Philippine national football team Raul Locsin — editor, publisher and founder of BusinessWorld Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient Teodoro Locsin Jr. - TV host, radio news anchor, Editor and Publisher of Today Newspaper, Executive director of the Philippines Free Press, Press Secretary, Member of the Philippine House of Representatives, 20th Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations 27th Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsín Sr. — Editor of the Philippines Free Press, Co-founder of the Free Philippines newspaper TJ Manotoc - Sports television personality, Sports commentator, Sports journalist, ABS-CBN North America bureau chief, 1st cousin, once removed of Eugenio Lopez III, the former CEO and Chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation Johnny Midnight - radio and television broadcast journalist Pablo Torre - Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, sportswriter, podcaster, and television host in the United States of America
Literature Adelina Gurrea — journalist, poet and playwright in Spanish Doreen Fernandez - writer, food columnist, cultural historian Elsa Martinez Coscolluela — award-winning poet, short-story writer, and playwright Gilbert Luis R. Centina III — prize-winning poet and author Luis T. Centina Jr. - author, guerrilla leader in the United States Army Forces in the Far East Alex Lacson — writer, lawyer and philanthropist
Music Valfer Javellana Alo - singer, rapper, former member of boyband Alamat Carlos Balcells - Bass guitarist for rock band The Dawn Noven Belleza — It's Showtime Tawag ng Tanghalan grand winner Jose Mari Chan - Singer and songwriter, has the no.1 and no. 2 best-selling albums in the Philippines Bobby Enriquez — jazz pianist in the United States Conchita Gaston - International Mezzo Soprano and Opera singer Jaya — Soul Diva and Asia's Queen of Soul
Kuh Ledesma — Singer, Actress, one of the first filipino pop artists to perform a concert at Carnegie Hall, Her U.S. debut album, Precious reached the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Jazz Charts, Appeared in the 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously with Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver, she was married to Luis Quirino Gonzales, grandson of Elpidio Quirino, the sixth President of the Philippines Francis Magalona — Former actor, TV host, master rapper and also VJ on Channel V Philippines and MTV Philippines Diomedes Maturan - Singer, Tawag ng Tanghalan Grand Champion Kim Ng - member of South Korea based boy band Hori7on Gerard Salonga - conductor, composer, and arranger for classical music, film, television and popular music, Assistant conductor Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Resident conductor for the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
National Artists of the Philippines
Larry Alcala - National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts, Cartoonist and Illustrator known for his cartoons; Slice of Life, Mang Ambo, and Kalabog en Bosyo Nunelucio Alvarado - National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts, Painter Teodoro Hilado - National Artist of the Philippines for theater, Father of Lighting design in Philippine theater, lighting technician, theater director Agnes Locsin - National Artist of the Philippines for dance, choreographer
Leandro Locsin - National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture, Architect of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Philippine International Convention Center and Istana Nurul Iman the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei and the seat of power of the government of Brunei
Theater
Cocoy Laurel - Singer, Theater and film actor
Lea Salonga -Theater and Film Actress, Singer, 1st Asian Actress to win a Tony Award, Laurence Olivier Award winner, two time Grammy Award nominee Eduardo Varela Sicangco — scenic designer costume designer and illustrator for Broadway theater, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Virginia Opera, television and film, he was part of the art department for The Forbidden Kingdom which starred Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michael Angarano
Visual arts Alfredo Alcala — comic book artist for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, Inkpot Award winner, an honor bestowed annually by Comic-con International, Inkwell Awards winner
John Becaro - illustrator and visual artist Alfonso A. Ossorio — abstract expressionist artist, many of his art is held in the permanent collections of major institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, both of which are in New York City, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. His most famous work, the Angry Christ Mural is a midcentury modern and cultural landmark in the Philippines and has been featured in international publications Life Magazine and National Geographic
Athletes
Basketball
Harold Alarcon - College basketball player Manuel Araneta Jr. - member of the Philippine men’s national basketball team that competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, father of the First Lady of the Philippines Liza Araneta Marcos wife of Bongbong Marcos the 17th President of the Philippines Francis Arnaiz — Former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for Toyota Super Corollas and Barangay Ginebra Kings Nonoy Baclao — Professional basketball player who plays for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the Philippine Basketball Association. He also played for the Philippine Patriots in the ASEAN Basketball League and as a collegiate player for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP SJ Belangel - Professional Basketball player Jeffrei Chan — Professional basketball player who plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association and member of Gilas Pilipinas in the 2014 FIBA World Cup Miguel Corteza - Professional basketball player Rudy Distrito — Retired Professional Basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association Boyet Fernandez — Current head coach of the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA D-League and San Beda Red Lions in the NCAA. Former head coach of the now defunct Sta. Lucia Realtors in the PBA and UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP Reynel Hugnatan — Professional basketball player who plays for the Meralco Bolts in the Philippine Basketball Association Noli Locsin — Retired basketball player who spent most of his career for the Ginebra San Miguel franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association Jeff Manday - Professional basketball player Kib Montalbo - Professional basketball player, SEA Games silver medalist LA Revilla — Professional basketball player for Mahindra Enforcer in the Philippine Basketball Association Raul Soyud - Professional basketball player Martin Urra - Asian Games Gold Medalist for Men's Basketball, Member of the Philippine Men's National Basketball team that competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics Byron Villarias - Professional basketball player James Yap — Professional basketball player who plays for the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in the Philippine Basketball Association and a former member of the Philippines national basketball team