Bacolod voted ‘best place to live in Philippines’

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Nine years after being hailed by MoneySense Magazine as the No. 1 city in its list of "Best Places to Live in the Philippines" in 2008, Bacolod City was again conferred the same title by a social media group recently.

The Conyo Times ranked Bacolod, known as the City of Smiles, as No. 1 in the list of 10 leading cities in the country, followed by, in order of succession: (2) Davao, (3) Makati, (4) Iloilo, (5) Cebu, (6) Puerto Princesa, (7) Quezon, (8) Tagaytay, (9) Dumaguete  and (10) Baguio.

The two awards for Bacolod, first in 2008 (by MoneySense) and in 2017 (by The Conyo Times) happened under the administration of Mayor Evelio Leonardia. 

"Bacolod is indeed back on track," Leonardia said, referring to his campaign slogan in the May 2016 elections when he ran for mayor for a fifth term.

"This was our campaign promise. We were offering our services again to the people to restore business confidence and we would like to get back the 'lost glory,'" the mayor said.

Leonardia also said that the recognition is very inspiring and encouraging as "we are trying to promote a culture of excellence in the city."

In a video presentation posted on its Facebook and YouTube accounts, The Conyo Times said: "Bacolod has been experiencing a rapid growth in tourism and infrastructure in the past few years. The thriving economy is also evident with the rise of big infrastructure and housing developments."

"Also known for the MassKara Festival–one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the country–the city's laid-back atmosphere, friendly locals, and low cost of living, in a highly urbanized setting, make Bacolod unique with other cities in the Philippines," it added.

Based on the survey conducted by the Philippine Human Development Report and the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project (PCCRP) of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), in 2003 and 2005, Bacolod topped the list of being the Most Competitive Mid-Sized City, noted The Conyo Times.

Bacolod City was also named the "Cleanest and Greenest Highly Urbanized City in the Philippines" for five years (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002), it added.

The city also 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. (FREEMAN)