|
Bacolod is the capital of the Negros Occidental, and is a highly urbanized
city. Bacolod is also the most populous city in the Western
Visayas Region, with a population of 499,497 in 2007. This city
recently topped a survey by MoneySense Magazine as the "Best Place
to Live in the Philippines", and is well-known for its MassKara
Festival in October. The city's name comes from the
Hiligaynon word bakolod-- meaning "stone hill"-- as the
settlement was founded in 1770 on a stony, hilly area. Muslim
raids forced the settlement to relocate closer to the shoreline, and the old
site was penned Da-an Banwa, or "Old Town". A famous
battle took place in Bacolod, on the banks of the Matab-ang River, during what
was called the 'Negros Revolution' against the Spanish. Commoners
armed with spears, knives, and home-made weapons defeated the powerful Spaniards
at this battle. Along the highways of Bacolod, a familiar site is
the sugarcane plantations, a large industry here. Other notable
produce grown here are coconut, banana and corn, and many locals engage in
livestock, fishing and pottery.
Only a 45-minute plane
ride south of Manila, commercial flights is also available daily from both the
capital and Cebu. The Bacolod-Silay Airport is of
international standards, and is a relatively new airport. It's
easiest to get around the city by Jeepney, the local equivalent of a bus.
Visitors haven't seen Bacolod until they've seen its transformation
around the time of the Masskara Festival. This festival is much
like Mardi gras, held annually in the third week of October. See
the fruits of a local competition between each of the city's districts, who
compete fiercely for the 'best costumed group'. During the
Masskara Festival, the streets are littered with local handicraft stalls, food,
beer and street-dancing at the Bacolod city plaza. In fact, there
are local handicrafts year-round throughout the city, including at The ANP
Showroom. In front of San Sebastian cathedral, local vendors
come to sell beautiful and aromatic fresh flowers-- also located at the Bacolod
city plaza. Filipino cuisine is simply to die for, and Bacolod is
no exception. A popular local dish, and a must-try, is the
fresh lumpia-- a non-fried, fresh spring roll, filled with coconut tree
heart, pork, shrimp and a garnish of scallion. Let your mind
wander, and indulge in all the sensory pleasure that Bacolod has to offer!
|
