Bacolod Philippines Temple Open House Welcomes More Than 37K Guests

For 20 days in April and May 2026, one address in Bacolod City became a gathering point for people who might never have otherwise shared the same space. Governors sat beside church volunteers. Judges walked the same hallways as farmers and teachers. Interfaith leaders who have spent their lives in separate traditions found themselves quietly moved by the same sense of peace.

The open house of the Bacolod Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ran from April 13 to May 2, 2026, and welcomed a total of 37,063 guests, supported by 3,799 volunteers from different stakes and districts across Western Visayas. It was, by any measure, one of the most significant interfaith and community events in Negros Occidental in recent memory.

The open house opened with three days of invited guest tours from April 13 to 15, welcoming distinguished guests from government, education, healthcare, business, the legal profession, media, and religious communities. Beginning April 16, the temple was officially opened to the general public through May 2, with visitors coming from Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Panay Island, and neighboring provinces.

Distinguished Guests From Across Negros and Panay

The invited guest tours on April 13 to 15 drew some of the most prominent names in Western Visayas public life. Guests were warmly welcomed and guided through the temple by General Authority Seventy Elder K. Brett Nattress, members of the Philippines Area Presidency, and local stake presidents, who took turns conducting tours and explaining the sacred purpose of temples.

Among those who participated in the invited guest tours were elected officials representing cities and municipalities across Negros Occidental. Mayor Greg Gasatay of Bacolod City attended, as did Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental and Congressman Javi Benitez. From the cities of the province came Mayor Mayette Javellana-Yao of Bago City, Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson of Himamaylan, Atty. Maria Rowena Guadalupe Lopez-Lizares, mayor of Talisay City, and Mayor Joedith Gallego of Silay City. Former Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia also attended, as did Vice Mayor Thomas Maynard Ledesma of Silay City.

City council representation was broad and came from multiple localities. Councilor Em Ang and Councilor Wilson Gamboa represented Bacolod City. Councilor Mike Maravilla attended from Silay. From Cadiz came Councilor William Tambanao, Councilor Claire Consing, Councilor Kathrina Gustillo, and Vice Mayor Vincent Escalante. From the legislative bodies of neighboring areas came Hon. Mercedes Alvarez of the 6th District of Negros Occidental, Hon. Edmund Arceo, SB Jafet Jong of Hinigaran, Dagny Beriong-Literatus representing the Sangguniang Bayan of Antique, and Alfredo Villarosa of the Sangguniang Bayan of Murcia.

The legal and regulatory community was represented by Atty. Rowena Guanzon, former commissioner of the Commission on Elections, and Atty. Mark Simondo, Chief Legal Officer at the Office of Senator Imee Marcos. Business and civic leadership was represented by Atty. Juliana Carbon, President of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Elbert Valencia of the Bacolod Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Mary Ann Colmenares, Chairman of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Council.

Among the interfaith guests was Bishop Patricio Buzon, SDB of the Diocese of Bacolod. Also in attendance were Jeff Taboso, Regional Director of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Bettina Quimson, former assistant secretary of the Office of the President during the Aquino and Duterte administrations and currently serving as president of Bridgeway Foundation Inc.

Two guests carried a particularly personal connection to the temple itself. Pia Dabao, whose family corporation sold the land on which the temple now stands, was among the invited guests, as was Adrian Lizares, president of Enrica Avda. de Lizares, Inc., the family that previously sold the Talisay meetinghouse property to the Church. Their presence at the open house marked a full-circle moment in the temple's history in Bacolod. Historian Michael Charleston "Xiao" B. Chua also attended, lending scholarly witness to an occasion that carries deep historical significance for the Church in Western Visayas.

A Sacred Purpose, Explained to Every Visitor

For many of the thousands who passed through the temple, it was their first time inside a Latter-day Saint house of worship of this kind. Guides explained the sacred purpose of temples throughout the tour, including the Church's belief in eternal families, the central role of Jesus Christ in temple worship, and the covenants made within temple walls that members believe bind families together beyond death.

Visitors were moved. Many described a deep sense of reverence and peace that settled over them as they walked through the rooms. The atmosphere of the open house, warm and unhurried, seemed designed to invite rather than to impress.

The event became, in the words of those who served during it, not only a spiritual occasion but a meaningful bridge of friendship and understanding between the Church and the communities of Negros and Panay. Several invited guests returned during the public open house phase, bringing family members and friends to share the experience.

3,799 Volunteers: Service as a Spiritual Act

Behind every smooth tour, every warmly greeted visitor, and every moment of peace inside the temple was the quiet, faithful work of 3,799 volunteers. Drawn from different stakes and districts across the region, they served in guest assistance, tour guiding, transportation, communications, hospitality, security, and dozens of other assignments over the course of the 20-day open house.

Their service was not incidental to the event. It was the event. The dedication and unity they showed reflected the same Christlike spirit of sacrifice that temples are built to celebrate. For many volunteers, serving at the open house of a newly built temple in their own region was a once-in-a-generation experience.

A Beacon for Negros and Panay

As the public open house concluded on May 2, 2026, the Bacolod Philippines Temple stood as more than a completed building. It stood as a statement of faith made permanent in stone and light, visible from the streets of Bacolod City, drawing people toward it from across the islands.

The 37,063 guests who passed through its doors between April 13 and May 2 carried with them something they had not anticipated when they accepted their invitation or joined the public queue: a memory of peace in a sacred edifice, and the quiet knowledge of what that place was built for.

The Bacolod Philippines Temple is scheduled for dedication on May 31, 2026, by Elder Neil L. Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Its dedication will mark the fulfillment of a long-held hope for Latter-day Saints across Negros and Panay islands, and the beginning of decades of sacred service for generations of Filipino families.