Granada, Bacolod

Granada
Barangay
1899 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey showing Granada as a separate town.
Granada Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°40′8.256″N 123°2′13.567″E / 10.66896000°N 123.03710194°E / 10.66896000; 123.03710194
Country	Philippines
Region	Negros Island Region (NIR)
Province	Negros Occidental
City	Bacolod
Established	1854 (Town)
Incorporated	1902 (to Bacolod)
Government
• Mayor	Evelio Leonardia (NPC) (Mayor of Bacolod)
• Chairman	Salvacion Sembilla
Area
• Total	29.84,621 km2 (11.52369 sq mi)
Elevation	100 to 250 m (328 to 820 ft)
Population
• Total	18,923
Demonym(s)	Granadanhon
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
Patron Saint	Our Lady of Lourdes
Feast Day	February 18
Website	www.bacolodcity.gov.ph

Granada is a former town and constituent barangay of Bacolod.^[1] Located on the easternmost portion of the city, it borders Northern Negros Natural Park.

History

Granada traces its earliest history during the height of the Moro raids in the Visayas when the settlement of Magsungay, precursor of the present-day Bacolod City, was abandoned after the attack by Moro forces under Datu Bantílan of Sulu on July 14, 1755. The rolling hills characterizing the area inspired the name "Bacolod" from the Hiligaynon word "buklod," meaning "hilly terrain."

Establishment

When the townsfolk came back to the old Magsungay settlement in 1788 to establish the pueblo of Bacolod, a smaller village was left and the place was called "Kamingawan", which is Hiligaynon for "place of sorrows," due to the silence left by the population decrease. However, Kamingawan was created as a pueblo in its own right, renamed "Granada" in 1854^[2] with Aquilino Sausao as the first presidente municipal.

Dissolution

It was dissolved, along with the town of Sum-ag, and incorporated to Bacolod in 1902 upon the dissolution of the Republic of Negros and the reorganization initiated by the American Insular Government of the Philippine Islands.

Present area

Currently, the land area of modern Sum-ag is significantly smaller than the original town. Alangilan, Vista Alegra and Estefania were constituent territories carved our from Granada, leaving it as the most rural barangay of Granada.

Granada is home to some prominent business like San Miguel Brewery^[3] and a reservoir of the Bacolod City Water District, supplying a fraction of the city's water supply.^[4] Granada Public Cemetery^[5] also boasts of being the oldest continuously-used cemetery in Bacolod City, dating back to its inception as a town.

Educational

Emilio Lizares Elementary School serves the primary needs of the community, along with Generoso Villanueva, Sr. National High School. The La Salle Brothers supervises the Fr. Gratian Murray, AFSC Integrated School a charity, co-educational institution named after a former La Salle Brother and priest, operating adjunct with the Bacolod Boy's Home.^[6] While the sole tertiary institution is Maranatha Bible Baptist College, a Baptist seminary run by Maranatha Baptist Church.

Tourism

Sta. Fe Resort,^[7] a pre-war private resthouse instituted as a resort in 1950, is found in Granada and is considered the oldest resort in Bacolod. It houses a zoo, olympic pool, shooting range and cabanas for overnight stays, with a reception hall for private events.^[8] The Bantug-owned Bantug Lake Ranch is partly-situated in the area, along with Brgy. Alangilan, surrounded by an artificial lake that once served as a reservoir for the family's farm.^[9]

Demographics

Being the former main parish of Bacolod, Granada residents are predominantly Roman Catholic, served by the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church. It also has a strong Baptist presence, with a seminary situated in the outskirts. Iglesia ni Cristo, a Mormon mission and other groups like the maintains a significant congregation in the area.

References