Visita Iglesia in Negros Occidental

Cities of Sugarlandia share some heritage and contemporary churches. When you get to this province, visiting them is a must.

1. Cathedral of Saint Sebastian the Martyr


The original church of Bacolod City was erected in 1825 made of wood. Then it was reconstructed made of coral stones from Guimaras and hardwood from Palawan. Once the biggest church in the province in 1882, two towers were added housing the church bells but were never returned after reconstruction of towers. Altar was changed from the opulent Spanish-style retablo to a simple one, with huge image of the patron at the center. It is the main cathedral of Diocese of Bacolod, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro in Iloilo City.

2. San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish

The old church of Talisay City lies within the poblacion where it is surrounded by surviving ancestral houses. You can still see the original checkered stone floor and main altar made of wood.

3. Saint Didacus of Alcala Pro-Cathedral

Present pro-cathedral of Silay City was built in 1925 through the generosity of Silaynons and designed by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi. Hence, the dome and façade is reminiscent of an Italian church. The two towers house a bell and a mechanical clock.

4. Our Lady of Victory Parish

The main church of Victorias City located across city hall, the patron lends its name to city as victorious.

5. St. Joseph the Worker Chapel

Commonly known as the Angry Christ Church, in Victorias City, Philippines, is a Roman Catholic chapel located inside the Victorias Milling Company residential complex, in Victorias, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It considered the first example of modern sacral architecture in the Philippines dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker.

The church was designed by the Czech architect Antonín Raymond, himself already recognized as the founder of modern architecture in Japan. The church was declared Important Cultural Property of the Philippines in December 2015.

It was built between 1948-50 by the Ossorio family thus it is sometimes called the Ossorio Chapel. Modern altar painting of so-called "Angry Christ" was painted in vivid colors by Alfonso Ossorio, Filipino-American abstract expressionist artist.. Mosaics are by the Belgian Adelaide de Bethune. The materials and talents were provided by the local artists Arcadio Anore and Benjamin Valenciano. 

Arcadio Anore executed Bethune's designs for the brass plates in the pulpit and baptistery while Benjamin Valenciano did the wooden image sculptures inside the church including the images for the Stations of the Cross. Their works were recognized by the Philippine religious arts for introducing a "Filipinized" version of religious themes depicting Mary, Joseph and the characters in the Fourteen Stations of the Cross to have brown skin in traditional Filipino attire.

Negros Occidental Cities Route: 

Bacolod City-Talisay City-Silay City-Victorias City

Have a blessed Visita Iglesia everyone!

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL: Foodtrip and Pasalubong

When I hear of Negros, especially Bacolod, delicacies that come to my mind are inasal and napoleones. First one is due to being commercialized by a fastfood chain and spread all over the country. The latter one is because my officemate lives in the nearby Talisay City where he brings boxes from Pendy’s everytime he gets back to Manila. With sugar plantations abound the island, no wonder they offer the sweetest treats and as we landed in Sugarlandia, we listed our must-eats. It was a food trip indeed and exclaimed “Namit gid!” Here are some of the delicacies we’ve tasted:

1. Napoleones

This sweet treat is a version of French mille-feuille, made up of layers of puff pastry and filled with custard. The recipe was brought here in Negros and soon made in the kitchens of rich sugar barons. Now, you have different brands to choose from. Among those napoleones I’ve tried, I prefer Pendy’s due to its custardy filling.

2. Piaya

You can buy this in different sizes and flavors, too. The original filling is muscovado tucked in a crisp flaky flat bread. When I first time heard of mango flavored-piaya, I immediately bought few packs and took back home. You can taste the sweet mango filling and best eaten when hot.

3. Inasal na Manok

I’ve tasted commercialized inasal but when if want authentic one in Bacolod, head to Manokan country to taste their chicken offerings. We went to Aida’s as recommended by TripAdvisor as one of top-rated restaurants in the vicinity. Price of dishes are below Php100. We ordered pechopak (chicken breast with wing), tina-e (intestines) and some isol (chicken butt). Taste was utterly different and since I’m a chicken lover, I devoured all the meat until the inedible bone is left. Sarap to the bones!

4. Bicho-bicho

The bicho-bicho I know is a sponge-like elongated donut sprinkled with sugar and eaten hot, until we went to Talisay City public market to grab some breakfast. I looked into little sugar-coated treat and asked what’s called: bicho-bicho. We ordered few pieces and I ate one. At first, it reminded me of carioca but sweeter and rich in coconut meat fillings. The sesame seeds add crunch to every bite.

5. Bingka Pie

Another must-try that we bought in market is this pie. It is a round fluffy pie with coconut meat strands inside, topped with cheese and baked to perfection. We bought a piece for sharing at it was very fulfilling. Our hungry tummies were satisfied as this breakfast gave us energy for our itinerary for that day.

6. Guapple Pie

The heritage El Ideal bakery stands along the highway so it was perfect for our morning arrival at Bacolod-Silay airport to grab some breakfast. This pie is similar to apple caramel crumble pie like from Banapple’s, only the core is made up of tart guapple (large variety of guava) slices. The lightly sweetened crumbs at the top complements with the rich pie filling. I ate it with order of unlimited brewed coffee and milk for sweetness.

7. Baye-baye

I would call this “naked espasol” as this bar is made of pound malagkit (glutinous rice) and sweetened with absence of flour, where espasol is rolled into prior to packaging.

8. Kansi

It was time for lunch that we decided to grab it at Sharyn’s in Bacolod City. We got lost at first but after asking the locals of the vicinity, we found it and saw people lining up for orders. We got our table and ordered a bowl for sharing. The aroma of the dish engulfs this hole-in-the-wall eatery and we’re famished already. This Ilonggo dish is a cross between bulalo (beef stew) and sinigang (sour stew). The souring agent used is called batuan, a local fruit used in their home-cooked dishes.

9. Half-Moon

Pendy's bestseller is a light and fluffy sponge cake that is topped with a creamy bright yellow egg custard.  Being cut into crescent shaped—hand sized snack, they called it half-moon. The custard was smooth and creamy and served as a nice foil to the airy chiffon cake.

10. Grilled Ensaymada

Another Pendy’s offering is their ensaymada that was grilled on top, making the color burnt brown. The taste of butter complements with fluffy brioche, and really melts in your mouth

11. Cakes from Calea

I would say that the flagship Bacolod pastry shop is Calea. Their cakes and pastries are must eats especially the bestsellers Chocolate Mud Pie, Blueberry Cheesecake and White Chocolate Cheesecake. Conveniently located along the national highway, some tourists even take out cakes to be brought back to Manila and other places.

12. Snacks from 21 Bar and Restaurant

After basking on a rainy afternoon, we sought refuge and dinner at 21 Bar and Restaurant. We would like to order their bestseller batchoy but because it was out-of-stock then, we opted for Chicken Oriental Salad, Pancit Molo and Mushroom Cheeseburger. They have hefty servings and we even shared as they can’t finish it all.

Chicken Oriental Salad

Pancit Molo

Mushroom Cheeseburger

13. Paluto at Hyksos Tulahan

It was dinner time when we checked the paluto restaurant at Bacolod City. We bought first the ingredients at neary market good for 3: fish for tula (clear soup with scallions) and shrimps for halabos (pan-cooked with little oil). I love the comfort soup of tinolang isda and crunchiness of hipong halabos. Perfect to end the tiring day.

 Tinolang Isda

Hipong Halabos

14. Homecooked meals

Our dear friend brought us to Victorias City to have a day tour. Then after a tiring day tour, we were served Ilonggo dishes such as linaga (beef stew), KBL or kadyos-baboy-langka (pork stew with pigeon peas and raw jackfruit), chicken adobo with pineapple tidbits, and grilled meats. I got curious and asked our host the ingredients of each dish.

What a great Ilonggo hospitality! Madamo gid nga salamat! Namit gid sang ginluto. J

I wanna try other delicacies but due to limited budget, for sure when I get back, I’ll try more of what I missed. Before departure, make sure to take home sweet treats from Sugarlandia! Stores below are just in the airport. J

From Bacolod to Manila with love!