History

Prior to the coming of the Spaniards in Negros in 1565, there existed a

small village near the mouth of the Magsungay River.  It was a small
settlement inhabited by Malayans who belonged to the “Taga-Ilog” group. 
The exact date of Spanish contact with this village is not certain, historical
church accounts provide a glimpse of the early years of Bacolod as a
mere small settlement by the riverbank.  When the neighboring settlement
of Bogo (now Bago City) was elevated into the status of a small town in
1575, it had several religious dependencies, one of which was the village
of Magsungay.  The early missionaries place the village of Magsungay
under the care and protection of St. Sebastian sometime in the middle of
the 1700s.  A “corregidor” by the name of Luis Fernando de Luna (1777-
1779), donated a relic of St. Sebastian for the growing mission, and since
then, the village came to be known as “San Sebastian de Magsungay”.

From the mid 1760’s up to the early 1800’s, the inhabitants of Magsungay
were perennially attacked by pirates, the bloodiest of which was in 1887:
The moros, in a dozen and half vintas, landed at the mouth of Magsungay
and Lupit rivers at about 4:00 in the morning. A few hours later, hundred
of people in the village were killed in the raid, the women raped, and all of
the houses were either burned down or looted. With the cloud of insecurity
hanging over them, the people of Magsungay decided to move a few
kilometers inland where upon on a hilly terrain they called “Buklod,” the
people established a new settlement.  There, on that hilly terrain,
Magsungay became the settlement of Bacolod.

In 1806, Fr. Leon Pedro, having appointed as “propitario” of Bacolod,

became the first parish priest.  It was not until September of 1818 when
Fr. Juan Gonzaga, the parish priest of Bacolod at that time, encouraged
the people to settle once again near the sea.  From there, the young priest
from Barcelona envisioned the construction of a church (which was to
become the San Sebastian Cathedral) that became the nucleus of the
present-day Bacolod.
In 1846, upon the request of Msgr. Romualdo Jimeno, Bishop of Cebu
and Negros at the time, Governor-General Narciso Claveria sent to
Negros a team of Recollect missionaries headed by Fr. Fernando
Cuenca.  The following year, 1849, Gov. Valdevieso y Morquecho
declared Bacolod as the capital of the whole island of Negros.
When the island was divided into two provinces, the seat of the
government of Occidental Negros was already in Bacolod. During the
Revolution of the 5th of November, 1898, Bacolod became the focal point
of the conflict between the Spaniards and the Negrenses. The
commanding officer of the Spanish forces, Col. Isidro de Castro,
surrendered to the Filipino forces, and the signing of the Act of
Capitulation was carried out at the house of Don Eusebio Luzuriaga which
once stood in front of the City Hall.

At the turn of the century, under American rule, the first Elementary
school-the Rizal Institute (which still stands today) was established in
1903. In 1919, La Consolacion College was established to become the
first private catholic school in Bacolod.

Bacolod was converted into a city by virtue of Commonwealth Act 328, as

amended by C.A. 404, and was inaugurated October 19, 1938, with the
late Alfredo Montelibano, Sr., as first City Mayor.

Places of Interests

Fountain of Justice

Built in 1876 upon the initiative of Fr. Mauricio Ferrero, a Recollect friar.
Was elevated to the status of a cathedral in 1933 and is one of the
centuries-old churches found in Negros Occidental.

A historical and humanities museum that does not collect historical

artifacts but stories about the people of Negros Occidental. It
showcases important historical events which made Negros “The
Sugarbowl of the Philippines." Also referred to as “The Sugar
Museum.”
Palacio Episcopal

Provincial Building

An imposing structure of Romanesque neoclassical architectural design. 

This is the official seat of the government of the Province of Negros
Occidental. It served as the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army
during the World War II.
 Paghimud-os Provincial Capitol Park

"Ang paghimud-os" which literally means "The Struggle" is a fine sculpture

erected at the east entrance of the Capitol Lagoon Park. This magnificent
work of art was done by one of the country's noted sculptor, Eduardo
Castrillo.

Negros Occidental High School

In early 1902, leaders of the short-lived Republica de Negros led by former

provincial governor Melecio Severino and former Minister of Justice Antonio
Jayme, together with George W. Bettie — the division superintendent of
schools — exerted efforts to open a public secondary school in Negros
Occidental. Despite the indifference of provincial governor to the idea, the
school — originally named Instituto Rizal– was established due to the
influence of the American provincial treasurer over the provincial board.

Strategically located in Bacolod City, the school was chosen during

World War II by the Japanese occupation forces as their provincial
headquarters. Tragically, its hallowed grounds were used as the
temporary graveyard for hundreds of soldiers and guerrilla
fighters. Through the years, the school has nurtured generations of
community, civic business, government leaders and other
responsible citizens.

Negros Museum

The Negros Museum is just a few meters away from the Capitol Building. The museum invested in
providing exhibits and dioramas of early trading with other countries, the sugar industry in Negros, and
the “Cinco de Noviembre” event.

Lupit Church

One look at Lupit Church and you will mistake it as a Protestant Church. The architectural design is
similar to local Protestant Churches in the US, with high and pointed steeples. The unique design is
complemented by the huge trees and vast space of the church’s compound. It was just unfortunate that
the church was closed at the time of my visit and I was not able to take a look of the Church’s interior.
Masskara Festival (https://guidetothephilippines.ph/articles/history-culture/masskara-festival-
bacolod-guide)

The MassKara Festival can trace its roots back in the 1980s and was born
out of a crisis. It was during the time when the province's main livelihood,
sugar, was priced at an all-time low because of alternatives introduced in
the market. It was also the time when a tragic ferry accident happened,
which carried mostly people from the province including those from
prominent families of Bacolod.  

Back in 1979, the Arts Association of Bacolod-Negros, headed by Rodney

Martinez, conducted workshops around Negros and taught the residents
on how to make masks using coconut husks and paper mâché.
Originally, these masks were created just to be sold to tourists and to
generate income, and not for a festival that they were yet to
conceptualize. 
The colorful masks created by the local residents were supposedly a
signature souvenir of the province and to get the attention of foreign
visitors.
Luckily, the idea was a hit and tourists started buying the masks as they
were light and easy to bring around. Visitors can also wear them while
touring the Bacolod tourist spots.
The most exciting part of the yearly MassKara Festival is the Dance
Competition. This part of the festival is something that each and every
visitor would not want to miss. 
MassKara Festival is known for its street parties, with the biggest party,
known as Masskaraland.
Masskaraland is open for everyone who wants to join the fun. Partygoers
can dance from sunrise until sunset, as they turn the street of Lacson into
a gigantic party venue. 
A countdown also starts in the afternoon, where powders of different
colors are thrown up to douse all the partygoers.
The term Masskara is coined from two words — mass, meaning a crowd and the
Spanish cara, the word for face. Masskara has a double meaning, first is “mask” and
the second one is “many faces”. Cultural artist, painter, and cartoonist Ely Santiago
coined the term in 1980.
The Masskara Festival is a symbol of the Filipino spirit that remembers to be happy in spite
of tough times. No wonder Filipinos are called the people of happy smiling faces.

Bacoloadiat Festival

History of Bacolaodiat
Bacolaodiat was first held in 2006 under the leadership of Mayor Bing
Leonardia. Inspired by the Chinese New Year celebration in neighboring Iloilo
City, Mayor Leonardia thought of having the same festival in Bacolod City to
show support and appreciation on the contribution of the Filipino-Chinese
community to the economy of Bacolod.

Bacolaodiat was coined from “Bacolod “ and  “Lao Diat”, the Fookien word for
celebration. Those who have been to Bacolod would attest that Bacoleños
have their own brand of celebration which is evident in the Masskara
Festival and the same zest for celebration is brought to Bacolaodiat.

Bacolaodiat Festival is meant to showcase the best of the Filipino and

Chinese cultures in its many facets. The festivities commence with a Dazzling
Grand Parade, a parade of Tsinoys in their traditional Chinese costumes, city
officials, students of Chinese schools, colorful 12 Zodiac floats, lanterns, lions
and dragons dancers along the main streets of Bacolod.

Imperial Village
The Imperial Village showcases the Asian arts and crafts such as calligraphy,
wishing tree, and palm reading, among others.
Chopsticks Alley
Mouthwatering Chinese foods will be enjoyed by the visitors at the Chopsticks
Alley located along the North Capitol Road. You may also learn Chinese
cooking through demos at the Chopsticks Alley.

Bacolao
diat Chopsticks Alley

Symphony of Lights and Sparks

Guests will be entertained nightly by live band, cultural shows and fireworks
display accompanied by the official BacoLaodiat music at the Symphony of
Lights and Sparks.
Lantern Street Dance Competition

Bacolao
diat Lantern Dance Competition

Bacoleños took the Chinese New Year Celebration a notch higher with
the Lantern Dance Competition which attracts a multitude of visitors every
year. The competition is held at night Dancers wear colorful Chinese
costumes and use lanterns as they dance to the Bacolaodiat theme song.

Chinatown: Bacolod Shopping Center

The 27-hectare Capitol Shopping Center was developed by Alfredo
Montelibano Sr. as a new location for Chinese businessmen displaced by the
great fire of 1955 which gutted the downtown Bacolod. The area became a
prominent commercial center in Bacolod when it was opened. However,
Shopping lost its luster due to the the opening of big malls in the downtown.

In order to revive the Capitol Shopping Center, the City Government of Bacolod
named it as the Bacolod City Chinatown through a city ordinance in which
gave initial funding to the improvement of the Capitol Shopping Center. The
same ordinance also provides tax incentives to businesses who will invest at
Shopping in the hope of reviving the once robust Shopping Center.