Bacolod

City of Bacolod Dakbanwa sang Bacolod Lungsod ng Bacolod
Official seal of City of Bacolod Seal
Nickname(s):  City of Smiles Football City of the Philippines
Map of Negros Occidental showing the location of Bacolod City.
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas (Region VI)
Province	Negros Occidental
Districts	Lone District of Bacolod City
Barangays	61
Incorporated (town)	1770
Incorporated (city)	June 18, 1938
Government
• Mayor	Evelio Ramos Leonardia (NPC)(2007-2010)
• Vice Mayor	Jude Thaddeus Sayson (2007-2010)
• Congress	Monico Puentevella (2007-2010)
Area
• Total	161.45 km2 (62.34 sq mi)
Elevation	21.7 m (71.2 ft)
Population  (August 2007)
• Total	499,497
• Density	2,657.6/km2 (6,883/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6100
Area code	34
Website	www.bacolodcity.gov.ph

For the municipality in Lanao del Norte, see Bacolod, Lanao del Norte. For the Philippine Navy ship, see BRP Bacolod City (LC-550).

Bacolod City is the capital and largest highly urbanized mid-size Philippine city of the province of Negros Occidental. Having a total of 499,497 inhabitants as of August 1, 2007, it is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region. It is notable for its MassKara Festival held during October. Known for being a relatively friendly city, it bears the nickname "City of Smiles." Bacolod City recently topped a survey by MoneySense Magazine as the "Best Place to Live in the Philippines".

History

The city's name is derived from the Hiligaynon word bakolod – meaning "stonehill" – since the settlement was founded in 1770 on a stony, hilly area, now the district of Granada.

Due to Muslim raids in 1787, Bacolod was transferred towards the shoreline. The old site was called Da-an Banwa, meaning "old town".

In 1894, by order of Governor General Claveria, through Negros Island Governor Manuel Valdevieso Morquecho, Bacolod was made the capital of the Province of Negros. Bernardino de los Santos became the first gobernadorcillo and Fray Julian Gonzaga the first parish priest.

Main article: Negros Revolution

The success of the revolution in Bacolod was attributed to the low morale of the local Spanish detachment, due to its defeat in Panay and Luzon and to the psychological warfare waged by Generals Aniceto Lacson and Juan Araneta. In 1897, a battle in Bacolod was fought at Matab-ang River. A year later, on November 5, 1898, the Negrense "Revolucionarios," armed with knives, bolos, spears, and rifle-like nipa stems, and pieces of sawali or amakan mounted on carts, captured the convento where Coronel Isidro de Castro y Cisneros, well-armed cazadores and platoons of civil guards, surrendered. Two days later, on the 7th, most of the revolutionary army gathered together to establish a Provisional Junta and to confirm the elections of Aniceto Lacson as president, Juan Araneta as war-delegate, as well as the other officials.

On March 1899, the American forces led by Colonel James G. Smith occupied Bacolod, the revolutionary capital of the Provisional Republic of Negros.

By virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 326, enacted by the National Assembly, Bacolod was made a chartered city on October 19, 1938.

In World War II, Bacolod City was occupied by Japanese forces on May 21, 1942. The Japanese commanding general seized the Mariano Ramos Ancestral House, home of the first appointed Presidente Municipal of Bacolod, which served as the seat of power and a watchtower over city. The city was liberated by joint Filipino and American forces on May 29, 1945. It took time to rebuild Bacolod after liberation. The city's public markets and slaughterhouses were rebuilt during the administration of former mayor Vicente Remitio from 1947 to 1949.

On February 20, 1981, Pope John Paul II visited Bacolod City as part of his historical first journey to Asia.

Geography

Bacolod City is located on the northwestern coast of the Province of Negros Occidental. It is bounded on the northwest by the town of Talisay; on the east by the City of Silay; on the east and southwest by the town of Murcia; on the southwest by the City of Bago; and in the west by the Guimaras Strait. The global location of Bacolod City is 10 degrees, 40 minutes 40 seconds - north and 122 degrees 54 minutes 25 seconds - east with Bacolod Public Plaza as the benchmark.

Bacolod has a total land area of 16,145 hectares, including straits and bodies of water and the 124 hectare reclamation area; and is composed of 61 barangay (villages) and 639 purok (smaller units composing a village). It is accessible by sea through the ports of Banago; the BREDCO Port in the Reclamation Area, and the port of Pulupandan. By air, it is accessible through the Bacolod Airport, which is approximately three (3) (four is counting from the Lagoon) kilometers away from the center of the city.

Bacolod is ideally located on a level area, slightly sloping as it extends toward the sea with an average slope of 0.9 percent for the city proper and between 3 to 5 percent for the suburbs. The altitude is 32.8 feet or 10.0 meters above sea level with the Bacolod City Public Plaza as the benchmark. Bacolod has two pronounced seasons, wet and dry. The rainy season starts from May to January of the following year with heavy rains occurring during the months of August and September. Dry season starts from the month of February until the last week of April.

Economy

Business Process Outsourcing

Bacolod City is the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub of the Western Visayas Region of the Philippines. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys, Teleperformance and TeleTech.

Language centers for Foreigners

Language centers catering to foreigners, like Koreans, are a popular business venture in the city. These centers give instruction in the English language and other related subjects. Universities and colleges in Bacolod also offer English language instruction for foreign students who currently reside in the city.

Sugar industry

Along its highways, sugarcane plantations are a typical scene. As of 2003, 7,216 hectares of the city’s 8,560 hectares of agricultural land were still planted to sugarcane. Meanwhile, 915 hectares were devoted to rice, 120 hectares to assorted vegetables, 100 hectares to coconut, 43 hectares to banana and 34 hectares to corn. The people are also engaged in livestock, fishing and pottery.

Competitiveness

According to the "Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2005" of Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Bacolod tops the list as Number One in terms of infrastructure, ahead of such other mid-size cities like Iligan City, Calamba City, and General Santos City. Bacolod also tops the list as Number One in terms of quality of life, ahead of such other mid-size cities like San Fernando City, Baguio City, Iloilo City and Lipa City. AIM also recognizes Bacolod as one of the Top Five most competitive mid-size cities together with Batangas City, Iligan City, Iloilo City and San Fernando City.

Infrastructure

Bacolod-Silay City International Airport

Main article: Bacolod-Silay City International Airport

The Bacolod-Silay City International Airport has one primary runway 45 meters (148 ft) wide and 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) long, just a bit longer than its predecessor, the Bacolod City Domestic Airport. The runway runs in a direction of 03°/21°, and can currently handle aircraft as large as the Airbus A330. Provisions for an 500-meter (1,600 ft) expansion of the present runway in order to accommodate even larger aircraft like the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A340 are in place.

Panaad Stadium

Main article: Panaad Stadium

The Panaad Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the city. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and was used for the 2005 South East Asian Games. It was the venue of the pre-qualifiers of the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship or ASEAN Cup, in which the Philippines, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Brunei and Laos participated. The stadium has a seating capacity of 15,500, but holds around 20,000 people with standing areas. It is unofficially designated as the home stadium of the Philippines national football team. Aside from the football field, it also has a rubberized track oval, an Olympic-size swimming pool and other sports facilities.

The stadium is also the home of Panaad Festival, a week-long celebration participated in by all cities and municipalities in the province held annually every summer. The festival is highlighted by merry-making and field demonstrations at the stadium. The stadium itself features replicas of the landmarks of the 13 cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental.

Bacolod Public Plaza

Main article: Bacolod Public Plaza

The Bacolod Public Plaza is one of the notable landmarks in Bacolod City the capital of Negros Occidental which is found right in the heart of down town area, very near to the city hall and right across the San Sebastian Cathedral. The plaza is a trapezoidal park with a belt of trees all around the periphery and a gazeebo/bandstand at the center. Scattered within the trees are four circular fountains.

The Plaza was constructed back in 1927 as a place for recreation, political, spiritual and cultural activities; it seems to be quite a popular site for outdoor picnic and concerts. The gazeebo/bandstand is often where the stage is located and this is quite apt since inscribed along the sides of the roofing are the names of Western musical composers like Beethoven, Wagner, Haydn, and Mozart.

The plaza is the celebrated place of MassKara Festival. It is a week-long festival held each year in Bacolod City every third weekend of October nearest October 19, the city's Charter Anniversary. Bacolod public plaza is the final destination of Masskara street dancing competitions which is the highlights of the celebration.

Capitol Park & Lagoon

Main article: Capitol Park and Lagoon

The Capitol Park and Lagoon is a provincial park located right in the heart of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. One of the landmarks of the park is the carabao (water buffalo) being pulled by a woman. This carabao is located at the northern end of the lagoon. On the other end, there is also another carabao scuplture but the figure is being pulled by a man.

There are several other attractions in the park. These include activities of the locals-jogging, aerobics, school dance rehearsals, promenaders, arnisadors, martial arts practicioners and even the relaxing and therapeutic quiteness of feeding the tilapias of the lagoon. It is well-secured and well-lighted; it is very safe to walk /stroll, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Transportation

By air

Bacolod-Silay City International Airport (ICAO: RPVB, FAA/IATA: BCD) is 15 kilometers north-east from the city. The P4.37-billion airport is capable of handling all-weather and night-landing operations. Its 2,000-meter long and 45-meter wide runway, and 678-meter by 23-meter taxiways can accommodate Airbus A320 family-size aircraft, the Airbus A330 and the Boeing 737, while the apron can hold five aircraft at any one time.

Bacolod City is 45 minutes by air from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and 30 minutes by air from Mactan-Cebu International Airport plus approximately 20 minutes of travel by land since the new airport is now located in Silay City.

By sea

The Port of Bacolod is a major seaport and has daily ferry trips to Iloilo City. There are also access routes to Puerto Princesa City, Cagayan de Oro City and General Santos City. By boat, Bacolod City is 18 hours from the Port of Manila and 45 minutes from the Port of Iloilo.

By land

Bacolod City has two main roads, Lacson Street to the north and Araneta Street to the south. The city has a good traffic plan lay-out and very seldom has traffic jams. The streets in the downtown area are one way, making Bacolod City free from traffic congestion.

By land-RORO-land, Bacolod City is approximately 3 hours from Iloilo City via Dumangas route. By land-ferry-land, Bacolod City is approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes from Cebu City via Toledo City-San Carlos City-Salvador Benedicto route. By land-RORO-land, Bacolod City is approximately 6 hours and 30 minutes from Cebu City via Tabuelan-Escalante City route.

Sports

Football

Bacolod City is the Football City of the Philippines. In 2005, the city hosted the 2005 Southeast Asian Games' football tournament at the Panaad Stadium and Paglaum Sports Complex. The city also hosted the qualifying tournament for the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship at the Panaad Stadium.

Basketball

Bacolod City hosted the 2008 PBA All-Star Weekend. The city is also a regular venue for the Philippine Basketball Association out-of-town games.

Golf

Bacolod City has two major golf courses. These are the Bacolod Golf and Country Club and the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club. The city hosted the 61st Philippine Airlines Inter-club Golf Tournament and the 2008 Philippine Amateur Golf Championship.

Karatedo

Bacolod City hosted two major karatedo championships, the 1996 Philippine Karatedo Federation National Championship and the 2007 20th PKF National Open. Both tournaments were held at the La Salle Coliseum of USLS. The tournaments were participated by hundreds of karatekas all over the country.

Sister cities

Bacolod City has the following sister cities:

Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada Singaraja, Indonesia Butuan City, Philippines Legazpi City, Philippines Marikina City, Philippines Naga City, Philippines

Parañaque City, Philippines Tagaytay City, Philippines Andong, South Korea Keelung, Taiwan Long Beach, California, USA

See also

• MassKara Festival
• List of tertiary schools in Bacolod City
• List of Private Schools in Bacolod City

External links

• Official Website of the City Government of Bacolod
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Bacolod Photos and Information
• Bacolod - Wikitravel

Gallery

• 
  Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital (formerly the Riverside Medical Center) Medical Arts Building along BS Aquino Drive
• 
  Philippine National Bank building, along Lacson Street
• UNO-Recoletos facade
  UNO-Recoletos facade
• 
  San Sebastian Cathedral
• 
  SM City Bacolod North Wing
• 
  Robinsons Place Bacolod, along Lacson Street in Barangay Mandalagan
• 
  La Salle Coliseum of the University of St. La Salle
• 
  The new Bacolod City government center