Bacolod

Introduction

Bacolod, nicknamed The City of Smiles is a friendly city filled with smiling faces in Western Visayas. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidental and is the second most populous city in the Visayas after Cebu City.

Geographically, Bacolod is in the northwestern coast of the island of Negros, bounded on the north by the city of Talisay, on the east by the town of Murcia, and on the south by the city of Bago. To its west is the Guimaras Strait, which serves as a natural border to neighboring Western Visayas.

Bacolod started as a small settlement by the riverbank known as Magsungay early in the Spanish colonial period. It was not established as a town until about 1775 after the settlement was attacked by a datu, with the villagers transferring to a hilly area named Bacolod. Over the years, Bacolod was opened to agriculture and industry, inviting migration and expansion back towards the sea.

Bacolod was then declared capital of Negros Occidental in 1889 when the province of Negros was separated into two, with the other being Negros Oriental. It was then upgraded from a municipality to a city in 1938 by the 1st National Assembly of the Philippines, during the American colonial period.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Population

The Bacolod of today is a highly urbanized city, with a population of about 562,000 people as of the 2015 census by the Philippine Statistics Authority, representing a 1.79 percent increase from the 2010 population of about 512,000 people. The population density was 3,500 per square kilometer.

Local Culture

Bacolod is most known for its people’s warm nature. Bacolod is popular for its MassKara Festival, which runs through October and culminating at the fourth Sunday of the month. The festival started as a way to create a better atmosphere in Bacolod in 1980, as the city suffered from the Don Juan tragedy where a vessel collided with a tanker, leading to 750 lost lives. The masks worn during the festival helps Bacolod live up to its moniker ‘The City of Smiles,’ signifying that its people will triumph over any hardship.

The MassKara festival is now one of the major tourist attractions of the Philippines, filling the streets of Bacolod with street performances, beauty pageants, carnivals, food festivals, music concerts, and so much more.

Let this Bacolod City map be your guide on your next trip.

Economic Background

The city of Bacolod is considered as the third-fastest growing economy in the Philippines in the information technology and business process outsourcing industries. It has received recommendations from the Department of Science and Technology’s Information and Communication Technology Office and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines as the best location in the Visayas for BPO activities. Bacolod was also declared in 2013 by the DOST as a Center of Excellence for IT-business process management operations, joining a prestigious group composed of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and the Clark Freeport Zone.

Major names in the BPO industry have set up shop in Bacolod, including Convergys, Teleperformance, iQor, and Transcom. Showing the importance of BPO companies in Bacolod’s economy, a 2-hectare portion of the 4-hectare Paglaum Sports Complex was partitioned in 2012 for the construction of the Negros First CyberCentre, which is a provincial government-owned IT-BPO Outsourcing Hub with a Php 674 million budget.

(Photo via Philnews)

Employment outlook

Colliers International Philippines, in its Q1 2018 Provincial Property Market reports, also noted that Bacolod remains a preferred location for outsourcing operations, with voice BPO companies in continuous expansion while knowledge process outsourcing companies are considering the city as a potential location outside of Metro Manila. However, Colliers said that Bacolod’s talent pool would need to scale up if it wants to attract the interest of more KPO companies.

Office and commercial space

Colliers expects most office demand in Bacolod until 2020 to come from call centers, as well as KPO firms that provide financial technology, software engineering, and health information management services. The research firm expects office supply in the city to reach 128,500 sq.m. by 2020, which is a 20 percent increase compared to supply in 2017, and also forecasts vacancy maintaining at 4 percent to 5 percent per year to 2020.

Average office rental rates in Bacolod meanwhile is expected to increase by about 2% to 4% annually over the next few years, due to the sustained demand from both BPO and traditional companies.

Future projects and infrastructure

(Photo via Sunstar)

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas – Bacolod Extension Office

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is constructing a 5,000 sq.m. property at the city’s reclamation area to offer improved services, particularly involving currency management, financial inclusion, and financial and economic awareness.

(Photo via Wikimapia)

Provincial Administration Center

The government is allotting Php900 million pesos on the construction of a new Provincial Administration center, a 16,000 sqm lot located in front of the National Bureau of Investigation-Bacolod building.

(Photo via Rediscovering Negros)

Bacolod Economic Highway

This project is targeted for completion by the end of 2022. The project is a 21.8-kilometer, 4-lane road, including 3 bridges and a 2-way bike lane, that will serve as an alternate circumferential road bypassing Bacolod’s central business district.

(Photo via PhilNews)

Redevelopment of the Bacolod-Silay Airport

The project is meant to decongest the Bacolod-Silay Airport and enhance operating efficiency, safety, and security, as well as improve passenger amenities and the airport’s networking and marketing.

The project is slated for completion by the end of 2021.

(Photo via Sunstar)

Township projects by Megaworld

Megaworld is building The Upper East in Bacolod, a Php 28-billion central business district that spans 34 hectares. The township project will host a mixture of residential condominiums, the One and Two Regis, shopping malls, mixed-use buildings, hotels, and state-of-the-art office towers, among many other structures. One of the highlights of the township is a New York-inspired lifestyle mall with several interconnected buildings, with one of those buildings to be inspired by the iconic Grand Central Station in New York City.

The Northill Gateway is another township with upscale residential villages, a mixed-use office and retail development, and leisure and recreational amenities, located on the border of Bacolod and Talisay. The township will cover 50 hectares and will have direct access to the Bacolod-Silay Airport and will be the site of the Philippines’ first Las Vegas-style ‘welcome marker’ that will greet incoming and outgoing visitors.

Public Facilities and Establishments in Bacolod

(Photo via Trover)

Schools

• University of St. La Salle
• University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos
• STI West Negros University
• La Consolacion College
• Negros Occidental High School
• Bacolod Tay Tung High School
• St. John’s Institute
• St. Joseph School- La Salle
• Jack & Jill School Homesite
• St. Benilde School Incorporated
• St. Sebastian International School
• Colegio San Agustin Bacolod

(Photo via Artmajeur Art Gallery)

Hospitals

• Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital
• The Doctors’ Hospital

(Photo via Flickr)

Tourist Spots

• Capitol Park and Lagoon
• Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center
• Bacolod Arts & Youth Sports Center
• Negros Museum
• Art District
• Lakawon Island
• Campuestuhan
• The Ruins
• Don Salvador

(Photo via Debbie Does)

Restaurants

• Delicioso
• Chicken House
• Bar 21
• Sharyns Cansi House
• Calea
• Kaisei Japanese Restaurant
• Kimstaurant Korean Restaurants

(Photo via Pinoy Adventurista Philippines)

Places of Worship

• San Sebastian Cathedral
• Redemptorist Church
• San Diego Cathedral
• Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish

(Photo via Wikimapia)

Government Agencies

• Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol
• The People’s House

(Photo via Philippine Tour Guide)

Transportation Hubs

• Bacolod-Silay International Airport
• Banago Wharf and BRECDO Port

(Photo via Mapio.net)

Malls

• Robinsons Place Bacolod
• SM City Bacolod
• CityMall
• 888 China Town Square Complex
• Centroplex
• The District – North Point

Real Estate Overview

The City of Smiles seems to be on a roll. Thanks to a booming economy, Bacolod’s real estate sector has been progressing remarkably well over the last few years and is expected to continue soaring to new heights in the next few years. With more and more property developers answering the growing demand for residential and commercial properties in and around Bacolod, the real estate landscape of Negros Occidental’s crown jewel is expected to evolve and be at the forefront of a property development boom in the Visayas.

Growth in property interest

According to data culled by Lamudi, the Philippines’ premier real estate platform, since the first semester of 2016, there has been an increasing trend among property seekers looking for potential homes in Bacolod all the way to the second semester of 2018. The average growth rate between 2016 and 2017 was somewhere between 14 percent and 15 percent, However, this average figure grew to 21.9 percent in 2018, a reflection of the increasing interest among property seekers looking for properties in the City of Smiles.

Key areas for real estate activity

Data from Lamudi show that the last quarter of 2018 had the highest volume of searches on residential properties in Bacolod. Comparing this period to 2017’s fourth quarter, there was a 50 percent increase in page views.

Similarly, in both 2017 and 2018, the most searched areas in Bacolod among property seekers were those in Alijis, Estefania, Mansilingan, Tangub, Bata, Mandalagan, and Villamonte.

Close to 22 percent of property seekers who used Lamudi searched for potential homes in Alijis, a big jump from the percentage of property seekers who were interested in that area in 2017. Estefania, which ranked as the second most searched area among property seekers looking for homes in Bacolod last year, also saw a big jump from the 2017 figure. In 2018, almost 15 percent of those who used Lamudi searched for potential properties in Estafania compared to almost 10 percent of property seekers who were looking for homes in that area in 2017.

Although Mansilingan was popular for property search in Bacolod in 2017, it dropped to the third spot last year. Nonetheless, Mansilingan continued to be a sought-after area in Bacolod, with more than 12 percent of property seekers looking for potential homes in that area last year. Other areas in Bacolod that property seekers have searched for last year were in Barangay 10, Barangay 28, Pahanocoy, and Sum-Ag.

Land prices

As of 2018, the average price of a property in Bacolod is 5.46 million pesos while the average size is 932 square meters. In Alijis, the most searched for area among property seekers, the average price of a property is Php3.76 million, and the average size is pegged at 228 square meters. In Villamonte the average price of a property is Php28.2 million while the average size is 842 square meters.

In terms of monthly rentals, the average monthly rate for a property in The City of Smiles is Php19,934 while the average size of an area being rented out is 277 square meters.

What to Do In Bacolod

What to do in Bacolod? Never fear! This iconic city has much to offer such as heritage, nature parks and culinary delights that draw in locals and tourists alike.

Heritage Sites

Bacolod’s rich history dating back from the Spanish colonization has left it with many heritage sites and wonders scattered within the city proper and nearby areas. A great place to start learning about Bacolod’s history is at the Negros Museum located at the Provincial Capitol Complex. This institution documents the history of Bacolod’s oldest clans, and the role they had to play in shaping the city’s culture and story. The surrounding grounds of the Provincial Capitol also have other neoclassical buildings worthy of a visit for their role in Negrense history.

A spiritual site worthy of a visit, or pilgrimage, is the San Sebastian Cathedral. This church looms important in the cultural life of the city and is renowned for being built from 19th century coral stones. Another religious site in the area is the Pope John Paul II Tower. This structure commemorates the mass held by the visiting pontiff in 1981.

Shutterbugs and IG enthusiasts can also head to The Ruins in nearby Talisay. This site is nicknamed as the Taj Mahal of Negros, since it was built by Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson in memory of his beloved wife. Although it has fallen into disuse since its heyday early in the 20th century, the structures of this old mansion remain well preserved amid lush sprawling grounds excellent for a photo trip or casual stroll.

Another heritage rich site is Silay, a short drive from Bacolod City proper. Silay is home to many ancestral houses, many of which are open for public viewing and photography. These well-preserved edifices include the Balay Negrense and the whimsically named Pink House.

Natural Delights

Bacolod is within driving distance of the popular Mambukal Mountain Resort. This natural haven has gardens, caves, zip lines and other outdoor activities suitable for all ages. Not to be missed is the seven-waterfall hiking trail that allows visitors to see the mountain in its natural beauty.

Beach buffs can head to Lakawon Island, which is accessible via a trip to Cadiz City followed by a short boat ride. Lakawon Island’s resorts have different beachside activities ready for enthusiasts of sun, sand and surf. Of course, there is always the option to simply relax on this island’s picturesque beachfront. For those not wishing to venture too far from Bacolod City proper, Silay and other nearby municipalities also are home to white sand beaches and coves with their own amenities across a wide range of prices.

Food Trips

No trip to Bacolod would be complete without immersing in its luscious culinary tradition. A must-try is the famous chicken inasal. This delicious grilled dish is readily available at the restaurant hub known as Manokan Country and other local establishments in malls and shopping centers. If surf instead of turf is more to one’s liking, the seafood market at Pala Pala is a definite stop. Over here, buyers can acquire the freshest fish and other seafoods, and have them cooked at nearby eateries and restaurants.

Of course, no food trip to Bacolod can be finished without a visit to Calea, one of the city’s favorite patisseries. Calea is famous for its cakes, which are great for both “for here” dining as well as a pasalubong to bring home. Enthusiasts of native delicacies such as cassava, palitaw and the melt in your mouth napoleones dessert can readily have these from Quan Delicacies. Quan has multiple outlets throughout the city proper. Other must-visit shops include the C Café and Felicia’s, which also offer specialty cakes, breads and other pastries

There is much to see and do in the City of Bacolod for both tourists and locals alike. It is no wonder that this city is not only well beloved by the Negrense, but has become iconic on the Philippine map. The city’s sights, sounds and culture are reasons to come and visit, and more importantly, reasons to stay.

Popular Neighborhoods

(Photo via Booking)

• Alijis
• Estefania
• Mansilingan
• Tangub
• Bata
• Mandalagan
• Villamonte

Gone are the days when “Bacolod City” referred only to downtown. Today, the popular neighborhoods in Bacolod include the city suburbs, each of which has a unique character.

Bacolod City Proper

Much of Bacolod’s politics, commerce, and cultural life are located in the city proper. The provincial capitol building complex is located here, as well as many other government offices. The city proper is also a favoured site for business establishments such as malls and commercial towers as well as other developments including schools and hospitals.

Important heritage and cultural sites such as the Negros Museum and the San Sebastian Cathedral are also situated in the heart of Bacolod City. A number of heritage houses and homes such as the Gaston Museum are also scattered around downtown. The city is also the cradle of the Negrense culinary tradition, for here are favorite dining establishments such as the inasal restaurants and grills along La Salle Avenue, as well as patisseries such as Calea and C Café. The latter establishments are also favoured spots for shopping for pasalubong to bring home to Manila and other cities.

Bacolod City is also deemed an important jump-off point for accessing the rest of Negros Occidental. Transportation here can be acquired headed to the suburbs, or to the further off city of Cadiz. Bacolod City proper can be accessed by both air and sea thanks to the modernized airport and harbour within the city limits. These conveniences have also greatly supported the hospitality industry, leading to the rise of accommodations ranging from the 5-star hotel L’Fisher to budget hostels such as Hotel Sea Breeze and Northwest Inn.

Bacolod City proper comes most alive during the annual Masskara Festival. This city-wide feast is a celebration of artisanship and revelry, with many establishments participating in the pageants and parades of masks. The Masskara Festival is open even to tourists and is a must-see for anyone becoming acquainted with the diverse cultures of the Visayas provinces.

Talisay

Just adjacent to Bacolod City Proper is Talisay. Although it is governed separately from the city proper, Talisay’s history and tourism link it inextricably to its neighbour. Thus alongside the nearby city of Silay, Talisay is still considered as part of Metro Bacolod on most maps.

Located in Talisay are The Ruins, a popular site for photography enthusiasts and IG bloggers. This picturesque park surrounding the shell of an old mansion draws not only locals but day trippers and visitors from all around the region. Talisay is also popular for its family-friendly leisure spots. These include The District – North Point shopping mall by Ayala Malls, and the Campuestohan Highland Resort. Both places offer a wide variety of facilities for shopping, hiking, playing and relaxing that are great for visitors of all ages.

Silay

Just past Talisay is Silay, the northernmost suburb of Metro Bacolod. Like Talisay, it is considered a separate city geopolitically. Silay is the place to be if one wants to be surrounded by all things vintage and heritage. Notable sites in Silay which are popular for visitors and locals alike include the Balay Negrense and the Pink Museum. These two heritage houses showcase local collections of handicrafts and artworks, and also give visitors a glimpse of life in the iconic bahay na bato homes dating back from the Spanish colonization. Silay is also popular for the El Ideal bakery, the oldest establishment of its kind in the city. Local delicacies such as piaya are available here, and are also popular pasalubong for visitors.

Since Silay is just adjacent to Cadiz, it is an excellent jump off point to Lakawon Island, a beach paradise located a short boat ride away from Cadiz. Silay has its share of natural wonders such as the view deck on Lantawan View or the Pulang Tubig Waterfalls park.

The popular neighborhoods of Metro Bacolod are proof that urban development need not be confined solely to the urban centers. The mingling of past, present and future in these areas gives Bacolod its character, and make it a wonderful place to visit and live in.