More than just a getaway

The 2020 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index ranked Bacolod as the top-performing highly urbanized city in Visayas.

Relocating has become a serious consideration for many because of COVID-19. Some tourist cities, far less busy and dense, are good places to scout for would-be addresses. But can they be more than just vacation spots? Bacolod certainly can be.

We asked friends born and raised in this Visayan city and, thanks to their Bacolodnon helpfulness, we found that what tourists often enjoy in their short stay connects to deep-rooted values that can get anyone to resettle in the City of Smiles, beaming with excitement.

Football, golf, biking

Bacolod is bigger on football than basketball. Football is part of West Visayan heritage. Formidable Ceres-Negros FC considered Bacolod’s Panaad Stadium its home before rebranding. The stadium is also a second venue for Azkals games. Locals have a liking for golf, with courses both in and near the city. They have also caught on with the biking craze, powering through the challenging terrain in Negros Island. These sports take time—indicating the laidback life in Bacolod, which is good for those who want to take things slow.

The Ruins in Talisay City

Year-round happiness

Grand events usually coincide with patronal feasts, but not for Bacolod. Masskara is a portmanteau for “mass” and “cara,” or many faces. The festival, held in October, was launched in the 1980s to uplift Negrenses who then faced a crisis in the sugar industry and grieved the Don Juan tragedy. Covering the whole year in celebration, the city has two other festivals: Bacolaodiat (“Bacolod” and “laodiat,” Fookien for celebration) every Chinese New Year; and Panaad (Hiligaynon for vow), wherein all 13 cities and 19 towns mount an extravaganza in April.

The original inasal can be had at Chicken House. —HTTPS://CHICKEN-HOUSE-LACSON.BUSINESS.SITE/

Gastronomic signs

You may know Bacolod for chicken inasal, piaya and napoleones. The original inasal can be had at Chicken House; the piaya at Bailon Foods; the napoleones at Roli’s. While locals know where these delicacies originate, other stores sell their own versions of them. Food is not proprietary and is meant to be shared in Bacolod, hinting at the spirit of community there. A nod to regional identity, shops sell Hiligaynon food like cansi and KBL. Locals love paluto and turo-turo, but also appreciate world cuisine. In all these, trust that the Bacolodnon will have a discriminating palate.

The Bacolaodiat is another yearly festival celebrated in Bacolod.

Conflating Bacolod

Tourists often conflate Bacolod to include nearby places. People have come to see these as one package, which isn’t bad. The Capitol Park and Lagoon, the nearby museum and zoo are worth the visit. The San Sebastian Cathedral will awe, and the Plaza del Seis de Noviembre right across will allude to the event when fake guns led to the end of Spanish rule on the island. But the appreciation of Negros Occidental—its past, present and future—is incomplete without roaming beyond Bacolod: Silay’s 31 heritage houses, Bago’s old sugar centrals, Murcia’s Mambukal Resort, Talisay’s Campuestohan Highlands Resort, among others. They all belong to a proposed Metro Bacolod.

The Bacolaodiat is another yearly festival celebrated in Bacolod. —BACOLAODIAT.COM

Titles, titles, titles

Opportunities await. The 2020 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index ranks Bacolod as the top-performing highly urbanized city in Visayas, based on economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure and resiliency. The city boasts reputable schools and hospitals, plus urban conveniences. Find jobs in retail, manufacturing, hospitality and construction. The city is a hub for IT and business processing outsourcing. One can also take on agribusiness in Negros Occidental. While the province is still the nation’s sugar bowl, it is emerging as our organic farming capital. The prospects can’t help but make one smile.