The History of Bacolod

Bacolod City, otherwise known as the "City of Smiles", is renowned throughout the country and the world for its annual Masskara festival held every third week of October and delicious chicken inasal (grilled chicken). It is located in the northwest region of Negros Island and bounded by different cities and municipalities such as Talisay City in the North, Municipality of Murcia in the East, and Bago City in the South. It has a land area of 156.1 kilometers and a population of 513,511 as of April 24, 2013.



But exactly where and how did the city get its name? Before the Spaniards came to the island of Negros in 1565, there was a Malayan village settlement nearby Magsungay river. The villagers were under the protection of St. Sebastian missionaries and the settlement was then known as "San Sebastian de Masugnay". The river became a source of fresh water and made the nearby soil fertile for their everyday sustenance. However, the proximity of the settlement to the river banks also made them vulnerable to attacks made by Moro pirates and for their safety, they were forced by circumstances to eventually move to the highlands. Eventually, they settled on a stone hill area which they called "Buklod". The present day "Bacolod" was then derived from this term "Buklod". Also, "Bakolod" means stonehill in Hiligaynon, the vernacular used by the people up to the present. The villagers progressively left the hilly terrain because of rampant Muslim raids and they moved to the shoreline. The stone hill is now known as Granada.

Through the orders of then Governor General Claveria, the City was declared the capital of Negros in 1849 by Gov. Valdevieso y Morquecho. When the province was plit into two, Occidental (West) and Oriental (East), Bacolod City became the capital of Negros Occidental while Dumaguete City became the capital of Negros Oriental.

Another significant event worth mentioning was on November 5, 1898 when the Negrense Revolucionarios fought and won against the Spaniards using only bolos, rifle-like "nipa" stems, and several "sawali" mounted in carts. The Spaniards were fooled when they thought that these weapons were real rifles, gun, and cannons. The defeat of the Spaniards, eventually lead to a political milestone with the creation of a government independent of Spanish control. The historical event is then celebrated by the whole Island of Negros every year as "Al Cinco de Noviembre" (November 5) or Negros Day.