Gateway to sugarland:Exploring Negros Occ.

Whenever Negros Occidental is mentioned, images of vast sugarcane plantations and farmlands with bodies glistening with sweat, loading harvested sugarcanes onto trucks come to mind.Straight out of the movie 'Sakada' by the late Lino Brocka.

Actually, that’s the closest I could make out of this sugar-producing province. The textbooks I had during my school days were of not much help either. This was until I had the chance to see the province personally, and found out for myself that there is more to Negros Occidental than just sugar.

Gateway to Sugarlandia

Bacolod City, the provincial capital, is the perfect jump-off point to explore the so-called “sugar bowl” of the Philippines. Arriving early in the morning from a 22-hour ship ride from Manila via the WG&A SuperFerry, the city gave me a very good indication of what to expect in this western Visayan province.

With the gentle breaking of dawn, Bacolod starts coming to life and unfolds its rustic beauty. From the bus that fetched our group from the BREDCO port, I couldn’t help but admire what I was seeing: the place was serene, the pace unharried and the surroundings clean. Not to mention, the air was fresh too. Definitely Manila this city was not.

Bacolod’s old-world charm belies the progress that the city is enjoying. A bustling mini-metropolis with a small town ambience, Bacolod gives its people and visitors the best of both worlds.

At the outskirts, traces of rural life exists.Downtown, however, one would find the modern edifices and commercial establishments, like the biggest Robinsons shopping mall in the Visayas plus a good number of hotels that boosts Bacolod’s reputation as a prime tourism and convention destination in the region.

Also, within this rising urban sprawl is a wealth of historical attractions. For a taste of local history, the Negros Museum, located inside the provincial capitol building in Lacson St., houses some of Negros’ most valuable artifacts of great historical significance. It also provides a glimpse to the rich and peculiar way of life of the Bacolodnons during the last century.

The capitol building, built in 1927 and finished in 1933, is not only a historical landmark in Bacolod. It is also an

attraction in itself. Neo-Roman by design, it is hailed as one of the most impressive structures in the country. In

front of the building is a large lagoon surrounded by tropical trees. The place, I learned, is a favorite spot for

joggers and strollers.

Paris of the Visayas

A few minutes drive north is the city of Silay. A small and sleepy urban centers, its charm lies in the beautiful

ancestral homes of prominent sugar barons like the Hofileñas, Locsins, Ledesmas, and the Gastons to name a few.

Built in traditional Spanish colonial design, the houses evoke the city’s Castillan past when Silay was referred to

as the “Paris of the Visayas,” owing to the cultured and genteel way of life of its people.

Some of these ancestral homes have opened their doors to tourists and visitors. At the Hofileña mansion, one can get a glimpse of the family’s antique and art collections.

The Gaston mansion, which was once a venue of many grand balls, has been converted into a lifestyle museum

that shows how its haciendero inhabitants lived during the early years of the sugar boom. The museum opens

Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

La Carlota

Another great attraction in Negros Occidental is the old steam locomotives still used in sugarcane plantations in

La Carlota City, about an hour and a half drive south of Bacolod.

At the Central Azucarera de La Carlota our group was given a tour of the plantation via one of these vintage

trains. Called “Iron Dinosaurs” these metallic beasts of burden transport harvested sugarcanes from the fields to

the mill. Bob Aizpuro, La Carlota tourism officer said these trains may be rented during the milling season, from October to April.

Not far from the Central Azucarera de La Carlota mill is the Muscovado Mill Ruin. Formerly part of Hacienda

Canman-ug, the mill was constructed in 1910 using an 1813-made A&W Smith steam engine. Today, the mill’s

chimney stands as a lonely sentinel to the hacienda’s glorious past.

La Carlota also has its share of fascinating ancestral homes. There is one in Hacienda Guadalupe, owned by

Don Teodulfo Infante. Known as Balay Daku, this two-storey mansion was built in 1929 and is cramped

with antique furnishings. A local movie adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover was recently filmed there.

Eco-tourism

Negros Occidental’s charms are by no means limited to sugar mills and historic sites. Lovers of the great

outdoors can make trip to Guintubdan Nature Camp nestled at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon – the highest peak in

the Visayas. The park has camping grounds for those who would like to commune with nature. Tents and other camping equipment can be rented there.

Aside from the lush greenery, Guintubdan Nature Camp also has several waterfalls, including the Kipot Falls, a

twin cascade where some of the scenes from the highly acclaimed movie “Oro, Plata, Mata” were filmed. The Park

is also a jump-off point to the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, a 25,000-hectare wilderness area that is home to rare flora and fauna and some migratory birds in Asia.

If camping or mountain trekking is not your idea of a nature get-away, there’s the Buenos Aires resort in

nearby Bago City that offers tourists a cool mountain retreat. The resort’s cottages run along the banks of a

river, so the sound of rushing water weaving through a maze of rocks and boulders are your constant companion

– a soothing alternative to the din of big cities. Hostels with modern conveniences are also available.

More than just sugar

There are lots of things to do and places to visit in Negros Occidental. The province has a very good road

network, so traveling from one place to another is not much of a hassle.

Though all roads seem to take you past sugarcane plantations, Negros Occidental has a lot to offer and its

people are about the kindest lot you’ll find in the country.This is where sweetness thrives, and it’s definitely more

than just sugar.

How to get there

Negros Occidental is accessible from Manila via the ISM Code certified vessels of WG&A SuperFerry. WG&A visits

the port of Bacolod twice weekly, every Friday and Sunday. Or you may opt to take the Iloilo-bound

SuperFerries that leave the port of Manila every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, then take an

exciting ferry ride via the Sea Angels of the Philippines Fast Ferry Corp.

[ Negros Museum Wiki ]