Girl power turns Philippine city into a foodie spot

Heritage houses and slow food producers are attracting TikTok users to the 'Paris of the Philippines'

- Claire Turrell

In the 1970s, the heyday of the “Paris of the Philippines” seemed to be over.

The collapse of the sugar industry left the island of Negros Occidental in turmoil. The sugar barons returned to capital city Manila, with many leaving their homes to fall into ruins. The streets, where the rich would ride in carriages pulled by Arabian horses, fell silent.

Now, five decades later, the city is seeing a revival. Heritage homes are being restored to their former glory by returning Negrenses and homegrown startups are turning the city into a vibrant food destination.

In 2024, Negros Occidental listed seven local landmarks in UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites, marking the island’s rise.

MODERN TRANSFORMATION

The main thoroughfare of the heritage quarter is Rizal Street, where pastel-coloured heritage houses and slow food producers are attracting TikTok users in droves.

Amid the renewed buzz, Silay’s leafy streets exude genteel tranquility. To glimpse how the sugar barons once lived, visit the two-storey Bernardino Jalandoni Museum, a former ancestral home built in 1908 at the end of Rizal Street. Entry costs 60 pesos (S$1.30).

Inspired by ancient stilt houses, the ground floor of this mansion was designed for storage and tradesmen, while the owners swept through another entrance to their living quarters upstairs. With a ceiling lined in embossed German tiles and a space that once held a Steinway piano, it is not hard to imagine the opulence.

I meet historian Solomon Lopez Locsin, 39, at the El Ideal bakery for a piece of its famed guapple pie filled with guava and cinnamon, and topped with golden crumbs. When the sugar industry crashed, farmers started planting guava and a new dish was born.