Re-energizing Bacolod City with Development Insights from the City Mayor

Bacolod City is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines.^[5]

 It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidental . Bacolod City is the most populous city in Western Visayas and the second most populous city in the Visayas after Cebu City.^[4] It is the center of the Bacolod Metropolitan Area, which also includes the cities of Silay and Talisay with a total population of 791,019 inhabitants,^[4] along with a total area of 578.65 km² (223.42 sq mi).

Bacolod is the Philippines’ third fastest growing economy in terms of information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) activities.^[32] The city has been recommended by the Information and Communication Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) as the best location in the Visayas for BPO activities.^[32]

The construction of the Bacolod Economic Highway in the City brings more advantages to the booming economy of Bacolod City. Recently in one of the events of Filipino Homes in Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said: “We promise you that we will make the business climate conducive for you”. The Bacolod Circumferential road will soon be complete in 2021. Following the Bacolod Development Masterplan, real estate developments along the circumferential road are slowly taking its shape. “The LGU is fast-tracking the development in Bacolod City”, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said. It will surely be a win-win situation for all.

When the government and the private sectors work hand in hand, opportunities for the people flow. The development and new infrastructures in the city brings additional jobs for the “Bacolodnons” and its neighboring cities and municipalities. The LGU conjointly assured that plans for taking care of the Environment are a top priority over development plans. The government today and its people are way more responsible than before.