Metro Bacolod

Metropolitan Bacolod
Kaulohan nga Bacolod
Kalakhang Bacolod
Metropolitan Area

North Drive Bacolod

Seal
Nickname(s): Metro Bacolod

Political map of Metro Bacolod
Country Philippines
Region Negros Island Region (NIR/Region XVIII)
Island Negros
Province Negros Occidental
Cities Bacolod
Silay
Talisay
Legislative Districts Lone District of Bacolod City
3rd District of Negros Occidental
Barangays 128[1]
Largest city Bacolod City
Other cities Silay City, Talisay City
Government
 • Type Metropolis
Area[2]
 • Total 578.65 km2 (223.42 sq mi)
Population (2015)[3]
 • Total 791,019
 • Density 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zone Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8)

The Bacolod Metropolitan Area, also known as Metro Bacolod (Hiligaynon: Kaulohan nga Bacolod; Filipino: Kalakhang Bacolod), is the 8th-most populous and the 6th-most densely populated metropolitan area out of the 12 metropolitan areas in the Philippines. This metropolitan area as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has an estimated population of 791,019 inhabitants as of the 2015 official census by the National Statistics Office.[3]

The area is named after Bacolod City, the capital of the province of Negros Occidental. The metropolitan area comprises the cities of Bacolod, Silay and Talisay. As of 2005, Metro Bacolod, which is located in the Negros Island Region, have relatively high GDP shares, contributed ₱88,056,250 or about 7.3% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Metro Bacolod is among those identified by the National Framework for Physical Planning: 2001–2030 as one of the country’s industrial, financial and technological centers. It is ranked 4th among the six regions in terms of GDP contributions in 2005.[4]

Components

All of the cities of Metro Bacolod are located in the province of Negros Occidental.

Cities Area (km2)[2] Urban Population as of 2015[5][6][7] Population density (per km2) Legal Class[5][6][7] Income Class[2] Zip code Area code
Bacolod 162.67 561,875 3,500 Highly Urbanized City 1st 6100 34
Silay 214.80 126,930 590 Component City 2nd 6116–6117 34
Talisay 201.18 102,214 510 Component City 4th 6115 34

Transportation

Bacolod-Silay International Airport Terminal in Silay City

Airport

Bacolod-Silay International Airport is located in Silay City. Metro Bacolod is approximately 1hr 13mins by air from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and approximately 30–45 minutes by air from Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Commercial Airlines serving the metropolitan area are Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, PAL Express and Cebgo.

Roads

Bacolod City has two main roads, Lacson Street to the north and Araneta Street to the south. The city has a good traffic plan lay-out and very seldom has traffic jams. The streets in the downtown area are one way, making Bacolod free from traffic congestion. Recently, Bacolod City is experiencing an increase in traffic congestion due to an increase in number of vehicles and a perceived lack of implementation of traffic rules by the local government.

Seaports

Banago Wharf and BREDCO Port are the vessels entry point in Bacolod. It has daily access to Iloilo, with different shipping lines such as 2GO Travel(as relaunched in 2012), Weesam Express, Ocean Jet, Montenegro Lines, Jomalia Shipping and Tri Star megalink. There are also access routes to Puerto Princesa City via Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City, Zamboanga City, Cotabato City, Butuan City via Cagayan de Oro route, Dipolog City Iligan City, Ozamiz City, and Surigao City via Cagayan de Oro route. As of 2012 SuperFerry and Negros Navigation was relaunched into 2GO Travel routes from Bacolod going Manila, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro. Bacolod City is 18–23 hours from the Port of Manila, 2-3 hours from Dumangas Port and 45 minutes- 1hr from the Port of Iloilo.

Bacolod

Silay

Talisay

Proposed developments

Former Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella proposed the creation of Metro Bacolod Development Authority (MBDA) which is now supported by the Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. The cities of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay, Bago, and the municipality of Murcia will be the components of MBDA. Once approved, Metro Bacolod will have a total population of 1,058,203. [8]

Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) president Frank Carbon believes that turning Bacolod into a metropolitan area is an essential factor in progress. He envisions Metro Bacolod to be composed of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Bago cities, Murcia and Salvador Benedicto towns. There is a need to create a master plan for Metro Bacolod and the Metro Bacolod Development Authority (MBDA) which will help this capital city and nearby areas achieve their long-term goals and boost their business sector, Carbon said. [9]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.