Bacolod City is experiencing a very good economic condition in 20 years. The landscape has changed. Real-estate developments have been sprouting around the city from local and national developers, an indication of their confidence in the city’s economy. Bacolod has a growing information technology and business-process management (IT-BPM) industry, ranked 85 in the Tholons 2016 Top 100 outsourcing destinations worldwide. It was identified as a Center of Excellence for IT-BPM in 2013 by the Department of Science and Technology’s Information and Communications Technology Office and IT and Business Process Association Philippines, a position it still holds to this day, together with Davao City, Iloilo City, Metro Cebu, Metro Clark and Metro Manila. The rating is based on talent, infrastructure, cost and business environment. The province started with only 1,000 IT-BPM employees; the number increased to 11,00 in 2010. Today Bacolod has over 24,000 IT-BPM employees from 20 major companies that are growing by 20 percent every year. One of the most inspired advocates of the industry is lawyer Jocelle Batapa-Sigue. Together with members of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, she helps cities and provinces create a stronger and smarter countryside. She believes the biggest challenge is not only to be leaders, but innovators. National government must make sure that information and communications technology (ICT) development must not only be in Metro Manila, but must trickle down to the provinces. The passion and commitment to help the country grow one province, one city at a time is so evident it has become viral. Many ICT champions stand up and engage other sectors to a dialogue to create collaborative mechanisms to work together as one. Bacolod City is now considered a “land of opportunities” due to its booming economic growth. Mayor Monico O. Puentavella expressed his gratitude for what Bacolod has become and attributes the success of the city to its hardworking citizens. Incoming Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid M. Familiaran will soon have the responsibility to manage and lead the growth in this beautiful city. According to global online property portal Lamudi, traffic for Bacolod increased by 279 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015. The city ranked fifth on its list of eight cities to watch this year. SM has a Hypermart, a mall and an SMX convention center. Ayala Land has a mixed-use development that will cover 9 hectares. Megaworld is building a township in a 50-hectare lot and 34 hectares in size. Soon, Bacolod will be the commercial hub of the region. It is a first-class city with the biggest economy and population in the Negros Island Region. It is the most populous city in the Western Visayas Region and the 17th most populous city in the Philippines. It is part of a metropolitan area called Metro Bacolod, which includes the cities of Silay and Talisay. Among the tertiary colleges and universities in Bacolod City are Bacolod City College, Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, La Consolacion College, University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, University of Saint La Salle and West Negros University. Its airport, the Bacolodo-Silay International Airport, is one of the three international airports, together with Kalibo International Airport and the Iloilo International Airport, serving the Western Visayas region. Tourists will enjoy the adventures in this city from the culinary to the historic. The people of the city are known for their excellent cuisine. The families and communities were able to maintain a number of ancestral homes and churches. During the third week of October, Bacolod hosts the delightful and much-awaited MassKara Festival. The city plaza is interesting. It is where you will find San Sebastian Cathedral built in 1876. Its coral stone is from Guimaras and its hardwood is from Palawan. The historic building of Palacio Episcopal, or Bishop’s Palace, built in 1890, served as a refuge for the Spanish colonizers during the revolt of 1889. The fountain of Justice in front of the old city hall is where the Spanish colonizers surrendered to Filipinos in 1898. The Diocesan Shrine of Saint Thaddeus has a “floating” Risen Christ at the altar and its painted ceiling. The Santa Clara Chapel is modest, but has a mosaic mural made from mother of pearl and 95,000 pieces of shells. The San Antonio Abad Church looks like a crown, notable for its altar made by National Artist Solomon Saprid. Bacolod is an awesome place to live, work and raise a family. Hats off to the people of Bacolod. BusinessMirror FORWARD MOVING Jemain Diaz De Rivera
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