Bacolod City: Best Place to Live in the Philippines

A Promdi Blogger’s take on life in the Philippine countryside.

Home » Travel & Tourism

19 March 2008

2,920 Views

52 Comments

Print this post

Email this post

Bacolod City Chosen as the Best Place to Live by Moneysense

It’s an affirmation of my choice. From among 65 cities that were ranked, Bacolod City topped the list of “Best Places to Live” by MoneySense magazine. Heinz Bulos, Editor-In-Chief, said that in coming up with the ranking, they relied on two existing surveys, the Philippine Human Development Report and the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project (PCCRP) of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for 2005. Whereas PCCRP uses seven criteria in ranking the cities, MoneySense chose only three - dynamism of local economy, infrastructure, and quality of life.

Bulos noted that Bacolod City can be considered as an over-achiever. Here’s why:

Most Competitive Mid-Sized City in the Philippines for two consecutive years.

Based on the results of the PCCRP for the years 2003 and 2005, Bacolod City ranked high in all criteria from among the cities under the mid-sized category. These are non-metro cities with a population of more than 200,000.It ranked highest on Infrastructure and Quality of Life.

Clean and Green Hall of Fame Awardee

Bacolod City was named the “Cleanest and Greenest Highly Urbanized City in the Philippines” for five years (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002) earning it the distinction to be in the Clean and Green Hall of Fame.

Most Business Friendly Local Government Unit in the Philippines

Bacolod bested 130 other cities when the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry declared it the “Most Business-Friendly Local Government Unit in the Philippines” in 2007. It was the second year in a row for Bacolod to be named the “Most Business-Friendly City in the Visayas”. As the regional winner, it became a finalist and competed with the other regional winners and was chosen as the national winner.

Iloilo City, which was also on the Top 5 of PCCRP for Mid-Sized Cities category, ranked 5th. It should be noted that when Moneysense ranked the “Best Places to Live”, it did not categorize the cities as to population size but based the ranking on the three criteria only.

Is your city on the list?
Want to know if your city is on the Top 20? Here’s the complete list:

Bacolod
Makati
Davao
Marikina
Iloilo
Las Piñas
Pasig
San Fernando
Mandaluyong
Quezon City
Manila
Batangas
Cagayan de Oro
Muntinlupa
Angeles
Baguio
Lipa
Calamba
General Santos
Cebu

MoneySense has a lengthy article featuring the cities in the Top 10 of the “Best Places to Live” in the Philippines. Want to know why they’re on the Top 10? Go grab yourself a copy of the March-April 2008 issue.

This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License. Terms and conditions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.promdiliving.com.

52 Comments »

On the Moneysense Magazine | PromdiLiving.com said:

[...] I was e-mailed by Heinz Bulos of Moneysense magazine with four questions as to why I think Bacolod City is the best place to live in the [...]

# 19 March 2008 at 10:39 am

jessie said:

Fren,

Congrats sa inyo dyan. Kami dito sa Ilocos, hindi man lang lumaban. Hahaha!

I hope to see you when I get the chance to take a break.

jessie’s last blog post..Pacquiao vs Marquez 2: Unfinished Business Ended in a Split Decision

# 19 March 2008 at 11:28 pm

clare said:

not even one city in my province is in that list…but at least the place i grew up in is there at #6

clare’s last blog post..Idol Around The World

# 23 March 2008 at 2:37 pm

ifoundme said:

wow! very nice site… and i’m glad to know that a lot of people really like bacolod. i’m a bacolodnon and i’m proud to be one. i have friends who came here and are deciding to retire here someday because they really like bacolod very much. congratulations for being featured in that magazine.

ifoundme’s last blog post..LEAD ME LORD because THE WARRIOR IS A CHILD

# 23 March 2008 at 8:57 pm

gladita (author) said:

@Jessie - Don’t worry friend, baka kasi hindi na include sa study yung mga cities nyo dyan. Only 65 cities were included in the study.

Hope you can visit Bacolod one of these days.

# 24 March 2008 at 7:01 pm

gladita said:

@Clare - The same thing. Maybe those cities were not included in the study. You were from las Piñas pala. I have a brother and several cousins there. I usually stay there when I’m in Metro Manila.

# 24 March 2008 at 7:03 pm

gladita (author) said:

@ifoundme - Well, I’m glad you found me. I agree, Bacolod is a nice place to retire.

# 24 March 2008 at 7:05 pm

A Footnote on the Best Places to Live | PromdiLiving.com said:

[...] noticed that this blog received several visitors through Skyscraper forum in connection with my previous post. There were several questions raised on the forum but due to some misfortune I could not comment [...]

# 25 March 2008 at 3:23 am

roxiegirl said:

congrats, mare!

i’ve resided in three and visit all the top 5 cities and by my own standards, bacolod is THE best place to live in the country!

roxiegirl’s last blog post..Open Wounds that Needed Healing

# 26 March 2008 at 9:05 am

gladita (author) said:

@Roxiegirl - I knew you would say that.

# 26 March 2008 at 8:59 pm

sigroid75 said:

oh makes me proud to be a bacoleña.:) thank you people!

sigroid75’s last blog post..Gas Prices on the Rise

# 27 March 2008 at 10:13 am

aLiNe said:

Hmmm.. I haven’t been to Bacolod.. makapunta nga

aLiNe’s last blog post..Fish out of water: Greenbelt 5

# 27 March 2008 at 4:29 pm

gladita (author) said:

@aLiNe - You will not regret it. Hehehe…especially during Masskara festival.:-D

# 28 March 2008 at 10:21 pm

clare said:

oooh, where in las pinas?

# 31 March 2008 at 9:35 pm

askani said:

proud to be bacolodnon hehehe @aline try to visit bbaacolod you will never regret when u go there try inasal hehehe one of the best in bacolod…

# 8 April 2008 at 7:30 pm

gladita (author) said:

@clare - i think golden acres subd. basta soldiers hills 2 sinasakyan from sm southmall. medyo malapit na rin dya sa molino. medyo probinsya na nga feeling ko pag nandun ako. hehehe

# 8 April 2008 at 11:06 pm

Philippinen » Blog Archive » Bacolod City: Platz 1 Lebenswerte Stadt said:

[...] Nachzulesen auch bei PromdiLiving. [...]

# 9 April 2008 at 4:36 am

PromdiLiving.con On Visayan Daily Star | PromdiLiving.com said:

[...] was on April 8, 2008 where they featured the article on MoneySense magazine on Bacolod City as the best place to live in the Philippines. The article titled “Bacolod rated most livable city” appeared on the front page as one [...]

# 15 April 2008 at 12:53 pm

patrick said:

yah,,,galing…..im very proud to be a bacolodnon…i know naman eh…kasi d2 sa bacolod,,,malalambing ang tao…masisipag…may malasakit sa kalikasan…nd nga lahat pero karamihan…try nu magvisit d2..lalo na pagmasskara festival…the city of smiles pa naman…at tikman nu ang inasal ng bacolod….see yah there…

# 7 May 2008 at 10:34 am

noi1919 said:

i’ve been to all places on the list except davao, cdo and gensan…i’ve lived in manila for almost 10 years, toured almost all parts of luzon and the visayas even continents of asia and europe (HK, taiwan, singapore, holland, belgium and germany and soon..USA)…. and i would have to say, bacolod city is really the BEST place to experience and to live!

proud to be a bacoleño!

ANIMO!

# 16 May 2008 at 6:52 pm

Cristy said:

thanks poh..sa mga nag vote sa bacolod hehehe..totoo namn poh na best place talga ang city namin try nyo nlng para maniwala kau..try our own inasal..babalik talaga kau..go go go bacolod!!!

# 4 June 2008 at 12:42 pm

gladita (author) said:

@Patrick, Noi and Cristy - Thank you for dropping by my blog. Take it from the true-blue Bacoleños. I myself may not be a Bacoleña but that didn’t stop me from loving the city. Balik-balik lang di sa blog ko ah.

# 8 June 2008 at 9:23 am

ronald said:

i really miss bacolod. i love the place, the food and the people are very nice.

# 9 June 2008 at 1:26 am

A Footnote on the Best Places to Live | PromdiLiving.com said:

[...] through Bacolod City & Negros Occidental forum at SkyscraperCity.com in connection with my previous post on the Best Place to Live. There were several questions raised on the forum but due to some misfortune I could not comment [...]

# 11 June 2008 at 11:50 pm

marie said:

i’ve been here in bacolod for around 4 years and bacolod is a nice place to live though it doesn’t match with the real lifestyle i have but it’s relaxing here… as i checked this article, i was amazed because it was based on the survey done around 2-3 years ago well in fact the latest survey by Asian Institute of Management took place last year 2007.. and the result made me a bit curious on what had happened on the city of smiles now because bacolod was not even on the top list of the best cities to live survey 2007 conducted by the same institution…. bacolodnons you have to do something about this….there’s a lot that we can do…

# 5 July 2008 at 2:52 pm

PromdiBlogger (author) said:

Hi Marie! Probably when Moneysense conducted the ranking, the result of the 2007 PCCRP was not yet available. What happened between 2005 and 2007 for Bacolod? That is something that the LGU should worry about. Something should be done about this and it does not only concern the LGU but everybody else. Thank you for this info.

# 5 July 2008 at 5:03 pm

jeff said:

hi guys, i admit bacolod is the best city…nice food,people,places…well,chicken inasal …sarap…and the festival itself..the official festival of the PHILIPpINES…MASSKARA festival.
add me sa friendster nyu. http://www.friendster.com/masskarafestival
see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!!! peace
I LOVE BACOLOD! sige na bacolod BATO kita!

# 6 July 2008 at 12:19 am

Result of the 2007 Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Released | PromdiLiving.com - A Promdi Blogger's take on life in the Philippine countryside. said:

[...] you can remember, Moneysense magazine ranked Bacolod City as the Best PLace to Live in the Philippines, that ranking was based on the 2005 PCCRP. Probably at the time they made the ranking, the result [...]

# 7 July 2008 at 12:21 am

noi1919 said:

oh oh! belwo is the list of mid-sized cities awarded by AIM..

Mid-sized Cities:
1. Cabanatuan
2. General Santos
3. Lucena City
4. Olongapo City
5. San Pablo City
6. Tagum
7. Tarlac

and it’s so funny to know that a lot of people are questioning their survey…been to cabanatuan, lucena, olongapo, san pablo and tarlac and ,oh my, awwww! hahaha…so comical! really…

# 1 August 2008 at 9:06 pm

PromdiBlogger (author) said:

Yup, I already made a post on that 2007 PCCRP here.

Which do you find funny, the fact that bacolod was not on the top? or that those on top did not pass your standards. hehehe… i’m not justifying why Bacolod was not on top but there was some mistake on the part of CPDO. The documents submitted to AIM did not mention some of the big investments like the SM City, construction of several hotels and the entry of several call centers. Previous years it was the City Administrator who took charge of the submission.

There’s always a next year so I’m sure Bacolod will be there once again on the top.

# 1 August 2008 at 10:36 pm

Lizzy said:

Bacolod sure is a lovely place to live in. Another notable thing (actually observed by my uncle) of Bacolodnons is that they drink A LOT! And I mean a lot! Beer is like water to them. And I agree with him, although I’m not one of those heavy beer drinkers or even just beer drinkers.

Lizzys last blog post..SJI Dos Mil Quatro Get-Togethers

# 2 August 2008 at 2:39 am

Robert Espino said:

I won’t leave any personal comment because I’m a Dabawenyo, and it would be partial. But let this fact speak for itself (excerpted from MINDANEWS [mindanews.com]:

“In the previous assessments three under the Philippine Competitiveness among Cities Ranking Project (PCCRP), Davao also made it to the top five. The assessment started in 1999 where Davao City ranked 5th among 10 cities; 1st among 30 cities in 2002; while 3rd among 50 cities in 2003, 1st again among 65 cities in 2005″.

# 2 August 2008 at 3:02 am

PromdiBlogger (author) said:

That’s ok Roberto, everybody’s a little partial to our hometown. Anyway, Davao belongs to the Metro Category like Cebu whereas Bacolod and Iloilo belong to the Mid-Sized Category. Davao is a beautiful city as what I have been told. Haven’t been there but I’ll visit soon.

# 2 August 2008 at 2:28 pm

PromdiBlogger (author) said:

LOL! That’s probably because we have a San Miguel Brewery here. They even claim that San Mig here tastes better because of the water source. Oh well, beer tastes the same for me anywhere. hehehe

# 2 August 2008 at 2:32 pm

dinarman said:

I did the right thing in buying a property lot (for retirement) in bacolod. I am not a Bacoleno but there is really ’something’ in that place (in a good way). As for that ’something’, well it’s for us to find out.

# 10 August 2008 at 5:54 pm

PromdiBlogger (author) said:

@Dinarman - That’s good to hear. I myself bought a house and lot through Pag-IBIG even though I’m from Iloilo. I think you made the right decision even for the investment side of it. Properties here in Bacolod appraise in value over a short period of time because of the several real estate developments coming in.

# 10 August 2008 at 9:20 pm

kwan said:

my birthplace… gina balik balikan… the place to live indeed

kwans last blog post..babay hello telepon

# 31 August 2008 at 9:16 pm

MsRay said:

I am proud to be a Bacolena!

MsRays last blog post..Gimme a Break

# 18 September 2008 at 8:40 am

Ben said:

Bacolod is a right choice!

I am a priest from Tagum City… I am hoping that Tagum would be included in the list in the coming years. Below are the reasons:

1. Tagum is formerly a fifth class municipality but now it is already a FIRST CLASS city.
2. Tagum, the capital city of Davao del Norte, has wide roads.
3. Tagum City plants all kinds of palm trees for it is the Tagumenos desire to be known as THE PALM CITY OF THE PHILIPPINES.
4. Tagum is also the home of MUSIKAHAN FESTIVAL and also DURIAN FESTIVAL
5. TAGUM CATHEDRAL - NEW CHRIST THE KING CATHEDRAL - is the biggest cathedral in Mindanao. In fact, Tagum is one of the pioneers of Basic Ecclesial Communities… this year celebrating its 40th year…
6. The Church in Tagum has the BIGGEST, HARDEST AND LONGEST ROSARY in the world…
7. The people are very hospitable, respectful, pious and disciplined.
8. Tagum is clean and green.
9. Tagum is very accesible.
10. Tagum is waiting for you.

Presently, tagum city is constructing its new city hall and continue its infrastructure projects.

# 21 September 2008 at 2:52 am

musical said:

I graduated in bacolod city,but now residing in manila for work,for me bacolod city is different and most cleanliness in term of environment compare to my city travel in philippines. congrat city of smile.

# 21 September 2008 at 11:18 am

PromdiBlogger (author) said:

Thanks for the visit Father Ben. Based on the 2007 AIM PCCRCP results, Tagum City is No.6 in for the Mid-Sized City category. Congrats! Please see the results of 2007 AIM PCCRP here.

# 22 September 2008 at 12:54 pm

tony aguirre said:

Nice to hear that lots of people are fascinated with the city of smiles. another thing to note which few might have not noticed: bacolod and negros occidental is globally known as the “mecca of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA)”. Most well known martial artists such as remy presas (founder of International Modern Arnis Federation)and mike vasquez (founder of modified karate and modified tapado)to name a few came from bacolod and Negros Occidental. Foreigners visit Bacolod to study the art and were also wowed with the beauty and grace of Bacolodnons.

# 27 September 2008 at 5:08 pm

tourist said:

congrat city of smile,it deserve naturally.Try to visit La carlota city southern part of bacolod city,greener place and drum beating festivity beautiful spot.

# 1 October 2008 at 8:42 am

leiryll said:

ganun ba…hmm congrats to all the people of bacolod and negros…basta namit gd ya ang inasal sa negros…kng may tinion side trip kmo sa silay and try to have our native delicacies…heheheh

# 8 October 2008 at 5:59 pm

Jose said:

yeh, congrats sa taga Negros, eventhough im from Iloilo but i love bacolod as my second home. I like the culture. yehh bacolod city will be the next Cebu or even Davao in terms of economic progress.

# 3 November 2008 at 12:46 am

Tikalon said:

I read sa Sunday Inquirer Magazine that Iloilo is an “inasal city” because of their specialty. Does that mean gin sunod sang Bacolod ang inasal sang Iloilo? I’m just curious as to where inasal really got its start.

# 4 November 2008 at 3:38 pm

noi1919 said:

just got the time to browse your blog again. i find it funny, BIG TIME, that the cities mentioned above are on te list. these cities, with due respect, did not pass my standards. some people would get mad at me, but hey, am just stating facts. peace!

anyways, bacoleños and negrenses accept defeat. til the next results! LOL.

# 15 November 2008 at 5:40 pm

noi1919 said:

To Robert Espino : I love Davao too! My mom’s roots is from the largest city in the world (in terms of land area) with the biggest eagle, the biggest orchid and the biggest (bad-smelling but yummy) durian.

# 15 November 2008 at 5:45 pm

noi1919 said:

@ Tikalon : Bacolod and Iloilo has a lot of similarities in terms of culture and food knowing that a lot of us Negrenses came from Panay Island.

Inasal was popularized and tagged after Bacolod while the famous La Paz batchoy for Iloilo. I haven’t read the Inquirer feature but maybe the term ‘inasal city’ was just used as an adjective to describe Iloilo where you can see a lot chicken in the grill.

Where in the Philippines is inasal not known, anyway? But as to the taste, NOTHING beats OURS!

I’ll be home soon and will be eating a lot of inasal!

CIAO!

# 15 November 2008 at 5:57 pm

visitor said:

as far I know truly that the city of bacolod is best place to live
my unlce was in bacolod he noticed that is good live,compare he was live in city in Luzon.

# 23 November 2008 at 11:38 am

International said:

I don’t know why any parts of greater Manila would be on any ‘best’ list. Considering the horrendous pollution and traffic, crime, etc. it makes the entire survey questionable and certainly not a useful criteria for considering a move. “Best places to live…” should have a minimum of the aforementioned.

# 29 December 2008 at 7:57 pm

viewer said:

I could say that bacolod is the finest best place to live,in term of climate,neat environment and friendly atmosphere.It really good place for investment, and tourist destination.

# 5 January 2009 at 8:32 am