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City of Bacolod
Dakbanwa sang Bacolod
Lungsod ng Bacolod
Official seal of City of Bacolod
Seal
Nickname(s): 
City of Smiles
Football Capital of the Philippines[1]
Map of Negros Occidental showing the location of Bacolod City.
Map of Negros Occidental showing the location of Bacolod City.
Country Philippines
RegionWestern Visayas (Region VI)
ProvinceNegros Occidental
DistrictsLone District of Bacolod City
Barangays61
Incorporated (town)1755 or 1756
Incorporated (city)June 18, 1938
Government
 • CongressAnthony Rolando Torrillo Golez, Jr. (NPC)[2][3]
 • MayorEvelio Ramos Leonardia (NPC)
 • Vice MayorJude Thaddeus Aliguin Sayson (NPC)
 • City Council
Area
[4]
 • City162.67 km2 (62.81 sq mi)
 • Metro
578.65 km2 (223.42 sq mi)
Elevation
21.7 m (71.2 ft)
Population
 (August 01, 2007)[5]
 • City499,497
 • Density3,071/km2 (7,953/sq mi)
 • Metro
716,306
 • Metro density1,238/km2 (3,206/sq mi)
Demonym(s)English: Bacolodian Spanish: bacoleño (masculine), bacoleña (feminine) Hiligaynon: Bacolodnon
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
6100
Area code34
Websitewww.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, officially the City of Bacolod (Filipino: Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a highly urbanized midsize Philippine city.[6] It is the capital 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.[5] It is currently ranked as the 17th most populous city in the Philippines.[7] It is part of a metropolitan area called Metro Bacolod, which includes the cities of Silay and Talisay.[8] It is notable for its world famous MassKara Festival held during the 3rd week of October. Known for being a relatively friendly city, it bears the nicknames "City of Smiles" and "Football City of the Philippines". Bacolod City recently ranked no. 1 in a survey by MoneySense Magazine as the "Best Place to Live in the Philippines".[9]

History

The city's name, Bacolod (Spanish: Bacólod), is derived from bakólod, the old Ilonggo (Spanish: Ilongo or Ylongo) or Hiligaynon word for a "hill, mound, rise, hillock, down, any small eminence or elevation"[10], since the resettlement was founded on a stony, hilly area, now the district of Granada and the former site of Bacolod Murcia Milling Company.[11]

Spanish colonial period

Historical church accounts provide a glimpse of the early years of Bacolod as a mere small settlement by the riverbank known as Magsungay (Spanish: Magsuñgay). When the neighboring settlement of Bago was elevated into the status of a small town in 1575, it had several religious dependencies and one of which was the village of Magsungay. The early missionaries placed the village of Magsungay under the care and protection of San Sebastian sometime in the middle of the 1700s. A corregidor by the name of Luis Fernando de Luna, donated a relic of San Sebastian for the growing mission, and since then, the village came to be known as San Sebastian de Magsuñgay.[12]

Bacolod was not established as a town until 1755 or 1756, after the inhabitants of the coastal settlement of San Sebastian de Magsuñgay, were attacked by forces under Datu Bantilan of Sulu (14 July 1755) and the villagers transferred from the coast to a hilly area called Bacólod. Bernardino de los Santos became the first gobernadorcillo. The town of Bacolod was constituted a parish in 1788 under the secular clergy, but did not have a resident priest until 1802, as the town was served by the priest from Bago, and later Binalbagan. By 1790, slave raids on Bacolod by Moro pirates had ceased.[13]

On 11 February 1802, Fr. Eusebio Laurencio became acting parish priest of Bacolod. In September 1806, Fr. Leon Pedro was appointed interim parish priest and the following year became the first regular parish priest.[14]

In September 1817, Fray Julián Gonzaga from Barcelona was appointed parish priest. He encouraged the people to settle once again near the sea. He also encouraged migration to Bacolod and the opening of lands to agriculture and industry.[14]

In 1846, upon the request of Msgr. Romualdo Jimeno, Bishop of Cebu and Negros at that time, Gobernador General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa sent to Negros a team of Recollect missionaries headed by Fr. Fernando Cuenca.[12] A decree of 20 June 1848 by Gobernador General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa ordered the restructuring of Negros politically and religiously. The following year, 1849, Negros Island Gobernadorcillo Manuel Valdevieso y Morquecho transferred the capital of the Province of Negros from Himamaylan to Bacolod and the Augustinian Recollects were asked to assume spiritual administration of Negros, which they did that same year. Transfer of Bacolod to Augustinian Recollects, however, took place only in 1871.[13] Fray Mauricio Ferrero became the first Augustinian Recollect parish priest of Bacolod and successor to the secular priest, Fr. Mariano Avila.[14]

In 1889, Bacolod became the capital of Occidental Negros when the Province of Negros was politically divided into the separate provinces of Occidental Negros (English: Negros Occidental) and Oriental Negros (English: Negros Oriental).

Negros Revolution

Main article: Negros Revolution

During the Philippine Revolution, the success of the uprising 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 (Palacio Episcopal) where Colonel Isidro de Castro y Cisneros, well-armed cazadores and platoons of civil guards, surrendered.

Cantonal Republic of Negros

Main article: Republic of Negros

On 7 November 1898, 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. For a brief moment, the provinces of Occidental Negros and Oriental Negros were reunited under the cantonal government of the Negrense Revolucionarios, from 6 November 1898 to the end of February 1899 making Bacolod the capital.

American colonial period

On March 1899, the American forces led by Colonel James G. Smith occupied Bacolod, the revolutionary capital of the Provisional Republic of Negros. As a U.S. territory at this time, Negros was once again separated reverting Bacolod to its status as the capital of Occidental Negros.

The public school of Instituto Rizal opened its doors to students on 1 July 1902.[15] Colegio de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, the first private institution in Bacolod and in the province of Negros Occidental, was established by the Order of St. Augustine sisters on March 11, 1919 and opened in July 1919.[16][17]

The most historic event took place in 1938 when Municipality of Bacolod was elevated into a city through Commonwealth Act No. 326 passed by the National Assembly creating the City of Bacolod.[18] Assemblyman Pedro C. Hernaez of the second district sponsored the bill. The law was passed on June 18,1938. Bacolod was formally inaugurated as a chartered city on October 19, 1938 by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 404,[19] highlighted by the visit of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezón. President Quezón appointed Alfredo Montelibano, Sr. as the first city mayor of Bacolod.[20]

Japanese occupation and American liberation

In World War II, Bacolod City was occupied by the Japanese forces on May 21, 1942. Lieutenant General Takeshi Kono, the Japanese commanding officer of the 77th Infantry Brigade, 102nd Division, seized the home of Don Mariano Ramos, the first appointed Presidente Municipal of Bacolod, which served as the seat of power and the watchtower of the city. The city was liberated by joint Filipino and American forces on May 29, 1945. It took time to rebuild the city after liberation.

Independent Philippines

When the country finally gained complete independence from the United States of America, the city's public markets and slaughterhouses were rebuilt during the administration of former mayor Vicente Remitio from 1947 to 1949. In 1948, a fire razed a portion of the records section of the old city hall that consumed the rear end of the building and with it, numerous priceless documents of the city.[21] When Batas Pambansa Blg. 51 was approved on December 22, 1979 and came into effect in 1980, the chartered City of Bacolod was converted into a highly urbanized city. The political relations with Negros Occidental were severed and the residents effectively lost their eligibility to vote for provincial officials because of this new status.[22] In January 1985, the original hardwood and coral structure of the Palacio Episcopal of Bacolod was almost entirely destroyed by a fire. Among the damage of the raging fire were items of significant historical value. The reconstruction of the Palacio Episcopal which took more than two years was completed in 1990.[23]

Geography

Bacolod City is located on the northwestern coast of the Province of Negros Occidental. It is bounded on the north by the City of Talisay; on the east by the town of Murcia; on the south 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 New Bacolod-Silay International Airport, which is approximately 13 (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

Fountain of Justice and downtown Bacolod

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, TeleTech, Focus International and Transcom.

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.

Agriculture

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.[24] The people are also engaged in livestock.

Competitiveness

According to the "Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2005" of Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Bacolod tops the list 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 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.[25]

Infrastructure

New Bacolod-Silay Airport

Main article: Bacolod-Silay Airport

The Bacolod-Silay 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.[26] 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 practitioners 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

Airports

Bacolod-Silay 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. Commercial Airlines serving in Bacolod are Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Air Philippines, and Zest Airways.

Ports

Banago Wharf and BREDCO Port are the vessels entry point in Bacolod. It has daily access to Iloilo, with different shipping lines such as Supercat, Weesam Express, Ocean Jet, and Aleson Shipping. There are also access routes to Puerto Princesa City, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City. Dipolog City, Zamboanga City, Butuan City, Iligan City, Ozamiz City, and Surigao City served by different shipping lines such as Negros Navigation and SuperFerry. By boat, Bacolod City is 18 hours from the Port of Manila and 45 minutes from the Port of Iloilo.

Land routes

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-Murcia 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. In 2009, Bacolod hosted the 2009 U16 Asian Football Championship qualifiers.

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.[27][28]

Notable people

Barangays

Bacolod City is politically subdivided into 61 barangays.

  • Alangilan
  • Alijis
  • Banago
  • Barangay 1
  • Barangay 2
  • Barangay 3
  • Barangay 4
  • Barangay 5
  • Barangay 6
  • Barangay 7
  • Barangay 8
  • Barangay 9
  • Barangay 10
  • Barangay 11
  • Barangay 12
  • Barangay 13
  • Barangay 14
  • Barangay 15
  • Barangay 16
  • Barangay 17
  • Barangay 18
  • Barangay 19
  • Barangay 20
  • Barangay 21
  • Barangay 22
  • Barangay 23
  • Barangay 24
  • Barangay 25
  • Barangay 26
  • Barangay 27
  • Barangay 28
  • Barangay 29
  • Barangay 30
  • Barangay 31
  • Barangay 32
  • Barangay 33
  • Barangay 34
  • Barangay 35
  • Barangay 36
  • Barangay 37
  • Barangay 38
  • Barangay 39
  • Barangay 40
  • Barangay 41
  • Bata
  • Cabug
  • Estefania
  • Felisa
  • Granada
  • Handumanan
  • Mandalagan
  • Mansilingan
  • Montevista
  • Pahanocoy
  • Punta Taytay
  • Singcang-Airport
  • Sum-ag
  • Taculing
  • Tangub
  • Villamonte
  • Vista Alegre

Sister cities

Bacolod City has the following sister cities:[30][31][32][33]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bacolod City is declared as Football City by virtue of Resolution # 773". Public Information - Bacolod City Mayor's Office. 2006-11-05. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  2. ^ "Grupo Progreso dominates election winners in Bacolod". Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  3. ^ "Bacolod City, Negros Occidental Candidates Partial Unofficial Tally as of 2010-05-20 12:23:27". Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  4. ^ "List of Cities". Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  5. ^ a b Government of the Philippines. "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of August 1, 2007 (Region VI - Western Visayas)", National Statistics Office, Republic of the Philippines, April 16, 2008. Retrieved on May 11, 2008.
  6. ^ "Highly-urbanized Cities". Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  7. ^ Government of the Philippines. "Population and Annual Growth Rates by Region, Province, and City/Municipality: 1995, 2000, 2007", National Statistics Office, Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved on June 13, 2010.
  8. ^ "Building Globally Competitive Metro Areas in the Philippines" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  9. ^ Ledesma, Jun (2008-04-01). "Ledesma:Best Place to Live in Davao City". Sunstar Global Davao. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  10. ^ "VISAYAN-ENGLISH DICTIONARY (KAPULÚNGAN BINISAYÁ-ININGLÍS)" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  11. ^ "The Official Website of Bacolod City". Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  12. ^ a b "BACOLOD, The City of Smiles". Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  13. ^ a b "Negros, the Island that Sugar Built". Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  14. ^ a b c "Bacolod City Tour". Retrieved 2010-05-03.
  15. ^ "The Negros Occidental High School History". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  16. ^ "LCC holds alumni night". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  17. ^ "The Early History of La Consolacion College Bacolod". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  18. ^ "COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 326". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  19. ^ "COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 404". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  20. ^ "BARANGAY ALANGILAN KALAPARAN THEN AND NOW". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  21. ^ "THE BACOLOD CITY HALL STORY". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  22. ^ "BATAS PAMBANSA BILANG 51". Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  23. ^ "Philippines / West Visayas / Negros / Bacolod City / Attractions". Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  24. ^ Bitagun, Karen B. "The Future Smiles On The City Of Smiles", Philippine Business. Retrieved on May 11, 2008.
  25. ^ "Pinoy Cities on the Rise - The Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2005 National Presentation of Results", Asian Institute of Management. Retrieved on May 11, 2008.
  26. ^ Masskara Festival,Sunstar, October 05, 2008 edition
  27. ^ PKF and POF National Karatedo Winners,Team Jack & Jill School, Sunstar September 26, 2007
  28. ^ Karatedo Winners, NOKAF Karatedo, Visayan Daily Star September 17, 2007 edition
  29. ^ Galunan Jr., Gerome (2008-04-10). "Fernandez to grace Monico Cup 19-U". Sun.Star Bacolod. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  30. ^ "Highlights of the City". Public Information - Office of the City Mayor (Bacolod City). Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  31. ^ "Bacolod City wants to establish business relations with sister cities". Visayan Daily Star. 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  32. ^ "Naga City: Inside Cityhall - Executive Orders: Culture and Heritage, and Naming of Streets". Naga City Local Government. 2003. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  33. ^ "Bacolod forges ties with cities in Indonesia and South Korea". GMANews.TV. 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
 
Largest cities in the Philippines
Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Region Pop.
Quezon City
Quezon City
Manila
Manila 		1 Quezon City National Capital Region 2,960,048 11 Valenzuela National Capital Region 714,978 Davao City
Davao City
Caloocan
Caloocan
2 Manila National Capital Region 1,846,513 12 Dasmariñas Calabarzon 703,141
3 Davao City Davao Region 1,776,949 13 General Santos Soccsksargen 697,315
4 Caloocan National Capital Region 1,661,584 14 Parañaque National Capital Region 689,992
5 Taguig National Capital Region 1,261,738 15 Bacoor Calabarzon 664,625
6 Zamboanga City Zamboanga Peninsula 977,234 16 San Jose del Monte Central Luzon 651,813
7 Cebu City Central Visayas 964,169 17 Las Piñas National Capital Region 606,293
8 Antipolo Calabarzon 887,399 18 Bacolod Negros Island Region 600,783
9 Pasig National Capital Region 803,159 19 Muntinlupa National Capital Region 543,445
10 Cagayan de Oro Northern Mindanao 728,402 20 Calamba Calabarzon 539,671
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