Bacolod City is famously known as the “City of Smiles.” And there are plenty to smile about when it comes to things to consider when buying a condo and moving into one of the country’s most vibrant provinces.
Moving into Bacolod is an opportunity to connect with a rich local culture. The province’s festivals, old world architecture, and nature spots, coupled with the warm and welcoming local community is enticing enough to convince one to settle down here. In fact the city’s harmonious marriage of the historic and progressive makes it an even more attractive choice for a real estate investment.
In this article, we go into further detail on what to consider when buying a condo in the famed Negrense city.
Benefits of living close to nature
When it comes to buying property in provincial cities, one of the biggest draws for current city dwellers are the green spaces as well as the proximity to nature. The positive effects of nature on well-being has been well documented in research. Human beings naturally connect with nature, which positively benefits physical, mental, and spiritual health. Furthermore, connecting with the outside world can inspire creativity.
A home in a province like Bacolod is conducive to overall well-being. If you wish to enjoy the great outdoors, you can easily head over to Lakawon Island for a day at the beach, hike through the lush landscape of the Mambukal Mountain Resort, or take a dip at Pulang Tubig Waterfalls.
And if you choose to enjoy nature closer to home, take in the fresh, provincial air by relaxing outdoors.
Opportunity to reconnect with one’s cultural heritage
The MassKara Festival is Bacolod’s most famous festival. It is credited with earning the city its moniker as the “City of Smiles.” As one of the country’s biggest events, the colorful festival was born amid a time of crisis in the year 1980, when demand for Bacolod’s sugar cane industry suffered amid the introduction of substitute products, particularly high-fructose corn syrup. This, coupled with the tragic collision of the MV Don Juan with another tanker, resulting in the deaths of locals, called for a collective uplifting of the Negrense people. As such, then mayor, Jose Montalvo, organized the first “Festival of Smiles,” characterized by dancing, music, and the trademark vibrant costumes worn by performers, which is only matched by the equally vivid street decor that has garnered comparisons to the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
Bacolod is also home to a host of historical landmarks including the San Sebastian Cathedral, which dates back to 1882; Talisay’s famous The Ruins, also known as the “Negros Taj Mahal;” and the Balay Negrense museum, a preserved bahay na bato that once belonged to a a sugar baron. The museum showcases the architecture and antique furniture and home decor of a 19th century stone house.
Lastly, Bacolod cuisine is no doubt a huge attraction. Visitors are drawn to authentic, traditional fare from the famous Chicken Inasal, which has solidified its place in mainstream Filipino cuisine and Kansi, a local version of Bulalo; as well as famous local desserts like the Piaya and Napoleones.
From an economic perspective, Bacolod’s cultural heritage strongly endears itself to both local and international tourists. As the economy recovers from the pandemic and tourism slowly resumes, the province is unlikely to lose its charm as it continues to be one of the country’s top attractions.
More space to live, work, and play
Compared to urban developments, communities located in the province have the benefit of more space–and this translates to condom options with generous cuts. This means home dwellers can enjoy bigger living spaces.
Now that working from home and distance learning continues to characterize post-pandemic life, with hybrid work set to become the future of work, space is more vital than ever.
Beyond one’s property, space also manifests itself in the form of less congested commutes as well as an abundance of green spaces and public parks.
A refreshing alternative to big city living
Bacolod city is experiencing rapid progress, making it a viable alternative to Metro Manila. In fact, it is included in the line-up of pilot cities chosen for the World Bank Green and Resilient Development Program. The initiative was designed to provide technical assistance to these cities and incorporate the best strategic urban planning practices in their development–all as part of a COVID-19 recovery program.
In addition to this, Bacolod is noted for its strong IT-BPO industry. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the industry alone provides 35,000 jobs. Furthermore, the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT) continues to develop talent through its programs for creative industries like animation and gaming.
Apart from its bustling economic activity, Bacolod provides all the creature comforts of big city living. Residents can enjoy easy access to key destinations including schools, hospitals, commercial establishments, business centers, and main thoroughfares.
Value appreciation
With its strong cultural heritage, economic growth, and refreshing provincial setting, your next property in Bacolod is set to see a healthy appreciation in future value.
However, the final consideration when buying a condo in the province is the reputation of the developer from whom you are purchasing your condominium unit.
Nara Residences is Rockwell’s pioneer high-end residential development in Bacolod. Home buyers like yourself can enjoy the same trademark Rockwell lifestyle that sets Rockwell communities apart. Not to mention, a sense of safety and exclusivity thanks to the development’s high standards of security and privacy.
And in keeping with the lush Bacolod landscape, Nara Residences maintains 80% of open space coupled with an amenity area that houses a clubhouse which includes a function room, gym, and pool. The units themselves provide ample space and a signature three-meter high ceiling. Choose from a generous sized 36-square meter studio all the way to a 104-square meter three-bedroom property. And if you opt to move into a larger unit as your family grows, Rockwell Leasing can list your property at highly-competitive rates.
To learn more and find a home that suits you and your family best, contact Rockwell Land.
Rockwell Land Corporation and its subsidiaries (Rockwell), respect your privacy and recognize the need for appropriate measures to protect and manage your personal data entrusted to us. Our Privacy Policy follows, and is consistent with, the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA), its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), other issuances of National Privacy Commission (NPC), as well as other relevant laws of the Philippines.
Personal data refers to all types of personal information, sensitive personal information and privileged information. Personal information refers to “any information, whether or not recorded in any form , from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can reasonably and/or directly be ascertained by the entity holding the information, or, when put together with other information, would directly and certainly identify an individual”.
This Privacy Policy pronounces how Rockwell process (how it collects, uses, shares, and keeps) and protect your personal data. It also provides the steps that you can take should you wish for any change in how we use your personal data, or if you want us to stop using your personal data.
Why do we collect your personal data?
To enable us to comply with our corporate policies in relation to our customers as well as with the requirements under the Data Privacy Act, it is important that we collect, use, store and retain your personal data only as is reasonable and necessary for a declared and specific purpose stated in the pertinent consent forms.
In general, the purposes for which we collect and use your data may be:
To perform functions necessary to deliver the services, goods and other products offered by Rockwell:
To conduct due diligence (e.g. to check credit risk and vendor accreditation) prior to the execution of a contract (sale, lease, etc.), as well as collect necessary personal information to facilitate the fulfillment of the terms of the contract thereafter;
To respond to customer, investor and/or vendor enquiries, complaints and requests;
To provide customer care activities, monitor quality and security, and provide services timely and efficiently;
To inform (through telephone call, SMS or email) about project updates, new residential and commercial launches, as well as complimentary, commercial and promotional advertisements;
To facilitate online transactions and communicate through interactive user platforms for investor/customer/vendor queries (e.g. livechat, etc.)
To conduct research and analysis (through surveys or polls) in order to improve customer experience/satisfaction and generate statistical insights,
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements or obligations and perform such other processing or disclosure that may be required under any law or regulation;
Other uses by nature of our transactions
In addition, from the general uses mentioned above, we may use your personal information depending on your transactions with us in any of the following means:
When you want to become a part of our team:
To consider and evaluate your suitability for employment and, with a written or expressed consent, retain your personal information for a maximum of 5 years for future job opportunities that may be of interest to you;
To communicate with you about your employment application;
When hired, to process your data necessary for your employment such as, but not limited to, payroll, benefits application, allowances and refunds processing, tax processing, retirement benefits, and other purposes that demand processing of your personal data (e.g., to execute business transactions directly related and/or incidental to your job, business travels, anniversaries, social activities, emergencies, and so on);
While employed, , for your performance evaluation and career development including seminars, trainings, workshops, and compliance monitoring,
Upon separation, to process your data for the exit interview and preparation of your final pay
When you inquire about or acquire a property:
on your obligations to Rockwell;
To conduct appropriate credit investigation to assess the risk of you defaulting on your obligations to Rockwell;
To administer the sale and the turnover of a particular unit which necessarily includes the preparation of all documentation leading to the transfer of title, and perform all financial processes (reservation fees, amortization, handover fees, etc.) as a result of our transaction;
To execute contract or provide information/services concerning the trading, brokerage, leasing, management and other incidental operations of real estates;
To update our records and keep your contact details and billing address up to date;
To provide safety and security to the unit owners, tenants and employees of tenants/unit owners; and,
When you apply to become a tenant or merchant in any of our properties for lease:
To evaluate the interest of a party in a commitment to lease a space;
To conduct appropriate credit investigation to assess the risk of you defaulting on your obligations to Rockwell;
To prepare lease contract and other documentations as may be required and necessary in the consummation of the contract;
To perform all relevant financial transaction such as processing of security deposits, advanced rental payments, monthly rental payments and other incidental charges included in our contract;
To provide safety and security to the unit owners, tenants and employees of tenants/unit owners;
To communicate any advisories, or changes in the terms and condition related to your lease contract.
When you are a vendor/supplier, a potential vendor, or a contractor:
To conduct the appropriate due diligence checks;
To evaluate your proposal including your manpower, technical and operational capacity;
To assess the viability of your proposal and process your accreditation;
To communicate any decision on such proposal and issue a letter of award together with the contract;
perform any other action as may be necessary to implement the terms and conditions of our contract.
When you are a retail customer:
To identify and reward customers that meet the requirements for the loyalty program of the Power Plant Mall’s (e.g. VIP program);
To grant access to basic services such as free wi-fi in the mall;
To process your raffle entry to such promotion. And, subsequently, to inform you should you win the raffle and use your information publicize the same.
When you shop with us online:
To personalize your viewing and/or shopping experience in our websites, managed by third-party service providers, we are using/sending cookies or web beacons are used to store your preferences and settings; enable you to sign-in; and analyze how our websites and online services are performing. Below is the list of websites that processes orders online:
To create an account online to have access to the following services:
To order and reserve online
Check the status and view past orders
Check your accumulated points in your loyalty card, if applicable
To give feedback on the status of your order, reservation and delivery, whichever is applicable.
Make changes and secure your account information
To receive and evaluate product reviews online.
What type of personal data do we collect?
The common type of data collected by Rockwell includes the following:
Basic personal information, such as full name, nickname, home addresses/billing address/shipping address, e-mail address, employment information, telephone, other personal contact numbers, username and password;
Sensitive personal information, such as age, nationality, marital status, gender, health, education and government issued identification document which includes, but not limited to identity (ID) cards, licenses, social security number;
Employment record, such as educational background, employment history, certifications, trainings attended, resume and income information of your previous jobs; and
Financial details such as credit history, bank account, credit card, and debit card information you have provided as a result of our transaction.
CCTV footages in common areas of owned and managed properties.
Health declaration forms following guidelines imposed by the local and national government, including the Department of Health and Tourism, in detection and prevention of spread of infectious diseases.
You are responsible for ensuring that all data, whether personal information, sensitive personal information or privileged information, you submit to ROCKWELL is accurate, complete and up-to-date.
How we collect, acquire or generate your data?
We collect data when you:
Submit a job application;
Submit a proposal and/or business-related documents;
Fill-out our forms and submit necessary documents;
Submit information through any form on our digital platforms or contact us through any of our social media accounts;
Purchase any of our properties, products, or avail of services and promos;
Respond to surveys, promotions, and other marketing and sales initiatives;
Provide personal information in relation to inquiries, requests, and complaints
Subscribe to our newsletter by indicating your email address; and,
Disclose your personal information through telephone calls, emails, SMS or verbal communication with our authorized representatives.
Cameras, including CCTV and thermal scanners.
Do our websites use web analytics?
All our websites engage third-party service providers to analyze the web traffic data for us. This service does use cookies or web beacons.
Cookies are small files that our website puts on your personal computer (PC) to store information about your preferences. Cookies can improve your browsing experience by allowing our website to remember your preferences or letting you avoid signing in each time you visit our website. If you don’t want our website to store cookies on your PC, you can block cookies. But blocking cookies might prevent some pages from displaying correctly, or you might get a message from our website letting you know that you need to allow cookies to view our website.
For you to fully enjoy your visit and browsing experience, only non-identifiable web traffic data are collected and analyzed, including:
Your internet protocol (IP) address,
The search terms you used,
The pages and internal links accessed on our site,
Demographics
The date and time you visited the site, including frequency of visits
Geolocation,
Your operating system, and
Web browser type.
Use the options in your web browser if you do not wish to receive cookies or you wish to set your browser to notify you when you receive cookies. Click on the “Help” section of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. If you disable all cookies, you may not be able to take advantage of all the features of this website.
What about the links to third-party websites?
From time to time, we will provide links to third-party web sites, or advertisements which contain links to third-party sites. These links are provided as a service to you and we do not provide any personal data to these websites or advertisers, and therefore, we will not accept responsibility for their privacy practices. These sites are operated by independent entities that have their own privacy policies which you should review as well. Rockwell’s Privacy Policy does not apply to such other sites or to the use that those entities make of your information. Rockwell has no control over the content displayed on such sites, nor over the measures, if any, that are taken by such sites to protect the privacy of your information.
Who we share your personal data with?
As a general rule, we are not allowed to share your data to third party except in limited circumstances as listed below.
By giving your consent, you authorize Rockwell to disclose your personal data to accredited/affiliated third parties or independent/non-affiliated third parties, whether local or foreign in any of the following circumstances:
As necessary for the proper execution of processes related to the purposes declared in this Privacy Policy.
The use or disclosure is reasonably necessary, required or authorized by or under law (such as for criminal investigation, as requested by court of law).
This means we might provide your personal data to the following:
Our affiliates, subsidiaries, partner companies, organizations, or agencies including their sub-contractors or prospective business partners that act as our service providers and contractors;
Law enforcement and government agencies;
All third parties, with which we share this personal data are required to use your personal data in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.
However, these companies may only use such personal data for the purposes disclosed in this Privacy Policy and may not use it for any other purpose.
Provided further that any requests for CCTV footage or any certification in connection thereto shall be subject to the presentation of a court order.
What is our Privacy Policy regarding children?
Rockwell is very sensitive to privacy issues and it is especially careful in its communications with children. Rockwell would never directly collect personal data from children without the parent’s consent.
Personal data pertaining to children and collected from their parents is used by Rockwell or other entities that provide technical fulfillment or other services to Rockwell (for example, services intended to improve our services/web sites, and fulfilling requests or administering promotions). These personal data are not sold.
Meanwhile, we urge parents to regularly monitor and supervise their children’s on-line activities.
How we protect your personal data?
We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal data we collect, use or disclose are accurate, complete, and up-to-date. We strictly enforce this Privacy Policy within Rockwell and we have implemented technological, organizational and physical security measures to protect your personal data from loss, misuse, modification, unauthorized or accidental access or disclosure, alteration or destruction. We put in effect safeguards such as the following:
We use a secured server behind a firewall, deploying encryption on computing devices and physical security controls.
We restrict access to personal data only to qualified and authorized personnel who hold your personal data with strict confidentiality.
Any personal data that you provide in any of our websites, in spite of being managed by third-party service providers for us, is initially processed and stored by Rockwell. Using a secured connection, only authorized Rockwell personnel can then access and download your personal data from the system.
We reveal only the last four digits of your credit card numbers when confirming an order. However, we transmit the entire credit card number to the appropriate credit card company during order processing.
It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Be sure to sign-off when finished using a shared computer.
Where and how long do we keep your personal data?
All data are preserved in accordance with the following retention standards:
If the data subject has an existing contract and transaction with Rockwell, the information will be retained all throughout the contract period and 10 years after its completion.
If the data subject has no existing contract but has existing transaction with Rockwell, the information will be retained during the transaction and 5 years after its fulfillment.
If the data subject has no existing contract and transaction with Rockwell, the information will be retained for a period of 2 years.
Personal data are stored in our facilities located in the Philippines and are retained in accordance with the above parameters, industry standards, laws and regulations, unless you request that your personal data be deleted from our systems, databases and hardcopies immediately. Once deleted, your personal data will no longer be searchable or included in anonymous searches and will be completely removed from all the storage location
The Data Privacy Officer may, however, choose not to grant access or correct information based on the request following laws and regulations. He/she will give the individual a written notice that sets out the reason for the refusal.
What if there are changes in our Privacy Policy?
Rockwell may revise this Privacy Policy as the need arises or when dictated by issuances of the National Privacy Commission or any amendment to the Data Privacy Act. Any change to this Privacy Policy shall be duly posted in this website and will take effect immediately. Data subjects are encouraged to periodically check for such updates. Changes shall not be retroactively applied and will not alter how we handle personal data previously collected without obtaining your consent, unless required by law.
How you can access, correct and update the personal data we have about you?
To exercise your rights, including the right to access, modify, erase and object to processing your personal data, within a reasonable time after such request, or should you have any inquiries, feedbacks on this Privacy Policy, and/or complaints to Rockwell, you may get in touch with us through the Contact Us page of our www.e-rockwell.com website or a written letter or email to our Data Protection Officer (DPO).
Our contact details are as follows:
Data Protection Officer Attorney Ma. Fe Carolyn Go-Pinoy 2nd Floor, 8 Rockwell, Hidalgo Drive Rockwell Center, Makati City Email: CarolP@rockwell.com.ph
Any action to a request for correction, erasure and/or objection to process your personal data as it appears in our records is subject to applicable laws and/or the DPA, its IRR and other issuances of NPC.
This Privacy Policy was last amended on July 23, 2023.
Terms of Use
The information contained in this website is meant for general information purposes only and is the property of Rockwell Land Corporation which is protected by copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws. Any information contained herein may not be published or reproduced, displayed, transmitted, sold, broadcasted, circulated or used in any manner without the prior written consent of Rockwell Land Corporation.
Rockwell Land Corporation does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of the information and materials contained herein which should not be relied upon as statements of fact. While information contained herein has been carefully prepared and done in good faith, these may not reflect the most current developments. Rockwell Land Corporation, at its sole discretion, may choose to amend the terms, conditions and operation of this website at any time and without prior notice. Consequently, website users and readers are strongly encouraged to verify the facts contained herein as well as any subsequent changes before acting upon any information contained herein.
Any action taken upon the information in this website is strictly at the website user’s risk and Rockwell Land Corporation makes no warranties nor assumes any liability or responsibility for any losses or damages in connection with the use of this website. The contents of this website do not form part of a contract nor can it be considered an offer.
