Bacolod’s new central business district is rising fast within Megaworld’s The Upper East.

In 2015, Megaworld Corp., the property development giant founded by tycoon Andrew Tan, made a public commitment to invest P35 billion over 10 years to build two townships in Bacolod City, the progressive capital of Negros Occidental in the Western Visayas region.

It was one of the largest capital outlays for master-planned communities outside of the National Capital Region and Megaworld’s faith in the rapidly growing city has been paying off, to the point that the Tan-led group now expects to pour in P45 billion into the city, primarily for the completion of the townships.

The business districts of The Upper East and Northill Gateway are indeed fast taking shape and have been attracting visitors, investors and residents, thus adding to the vibrancy of Bacolod City that Mayor Albee Benitez wants to eventually become a “super city.”

This is in keeping with Megaworld’s thrust to do its share in raising the living and economic standards of provinces and cities that have immense growth potential.

“Throughout our 34 years as a company, we have been in the business of investing in next-generation cities and provinces in the country like Bacolod. We fully support the local government of Bacolod, through the leadership of Mayor Albee Benitez, in bringing the city to a higher level,” said Kevin Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group, the parent company of Megaworld.

The refurbished BMMC train wagon (foreground) and showroom inspired by the old ‘bahay na bato’ are two iconic attractions that make The Upper East a must-visit destination in Bacolod.

Such confidence is reflected in its first two townships in Bacolod City. Inspired by New York City’s affluent Upper East Side district, The Upper East is rising on a 34-hectare property on the eastern side of Bacolod City that used to be the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Co. Of the landed Araneta family.

The country’s most beautiful McDonald’s store, which opened at The Upper East last year, has become one of Bacolod City’s most sought-after tourist destinations.

Envisioned to be Bacolod’s new central business district, The Upper East is just across the city’s New Government Center and is bounded by busy Burgos Avenue on the north, Lopez Jaena Street on the west and Circumferential Road on the east.

The first full-scale McDonald’s NXTGEN store in the entire Negros Island is located at Northill Gateway along the Bacolod-Si-lay Airport Access Road.

The prime location will host residential condominiums, malls and commercial centers, BPO office towers, tourism and leisure facilities as well as recreational parks and open spaces, which are the building blocks of the “live, work and play” concept that Megaworld has developed into its signature in the Philippines.

The younger Tan shared that as a testament to the group’s belief in the city’s tourism potential, the group’s Megaworld Hotels and Resorts—the Philippines’ largest owner and operator of 100 percent Filipino homegrown hotel brands—is expanding its footprint in Bacolod.

“We have initially planned to build around 500 hotel rooms in the next 5 to 10 years in the Upper East as we envision Bacolod to become a major city tourism destination in the Philippines,” Tan said.

Then on the northern part of Bacolod, where the famous Sugar Road was built, the second township of Northill Gateway is likewise rising. It sits on a 53-hectare property along the new Circumferential Road at the boundary of Talisay City and Bacolod City with direct access to the increasingly busy Bacolod-Silay Airport.

The 15-hectare Forbes Hill is an upscale residential village with  197 lots.

A joint development of Megaworld and its wholly owned subsidiary Suntrust Properties, Inc. in partnership with the prominent Lacson family of Bacolod, Northill Gateway has a direct link to The Upper East via the Circumferential Road.

The developing community will eventually house upscale residential villages, and retail developments, leisure and recreational amenities as well as institutional facilities.

Once completed, the two integrated urban townships are expected to generate around 250,000 direct and indirect jobs in the business process outsourcing, construction, transportation, commercial and retail businesses.

“Our P45-billion investment in Bacolod will go a long way in generating almost half a million direct and indirect jobs in this province,” said Tan, adding that the group is aligning its efforts with the government’s thrusts to generate more employment, strengthen tourism and bring to the country more high-quality investments.

The Upper East and Northill Gateway now number among the 30 master-planned integrated urban townships, integrated lifestyle communities and lifestyle estates in Megaworld’s portfolio, evidence of the property giant’s belief in the bright future of Bacolod City.

“We look forward to building more developments in the future,” Tan said.