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Published April 23, 2025 8:56pm
Within Negros Occidental is the beautiful city of Silay, dubbed the “cultural and intellectual hub” of the province.
According to Aileen Pedreso’s report on “24 Oras" Wednesday, Silay was developed when several families migrated from Iloilo.
It became the center of the azucarera or the sugar mills of the province and is a great place to go if you’re up for some culture rush, mixing history, art, and local flavors in one spot.
“The sugar planters had the capacity to send their kids to Europe to study, to travel. Nakita nila ‘yung mga magagandang architecture. And when they came back to the island, they copied it,” tourism officer Gerle Sulmaca said.
Here are 5 things to check out when visiting Silay City!
1. Step back in time at the heritage houses
Silay City’s Heritage Zone is home to ancestral houses, with many built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
These homes are recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as heritage houses, including Balay Negrense, also called Victor Fernandez Gaston Ancestral House, and the Hofileña Heritage House.
Balay Negrense is owned by the family of Frenchman Yves Leopold Germain Gaston, who built Horno Economico, the leader in commercial sugarcane production in Silay.
Meanwhile, the Hofileña Heritage House was built in 1934 by Manuel Severino Hofileña for his wife, Gilda Hojilla, and their children.
Some heritage buildings in the city center now house commercial establishments, such as the Maria Ledesma Golez Heritage House, which now houses a bank.
2. Discover Silay’s role in history
Just a few blocks away from the Hofileña Heritage House is the Cinco De Noviembre Mark Point, which was built as a symbol of the Negrenses’ freedom from Spanish people in 1898.
Nearby is Farmacia Locsin, the site where the Negrenses secretly planned the revolution against the Spanish.
3. Visit the San Diego Pro-Cathedral
The city is also home to the San Diego Pro-Cathedral, a perfect spot to pray and reflect.
The notable religious structure was designed by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi.
4. Try the famous guapple pie
You can find proudly Silaynon dishes in some of the heritage mansions that have been converted into food establishments.
Inside the Cesar Lacson Locsin Ancestral House is a bakery known for Silay delicacies like piaya and their most famous guapple pie.
“Sinimulan ng aking great grandfather, si Cesar Locsin, during the 1920s as a home-based bakery. ‘Yung grandmother ko, si Alice Locsin Villanueva, mga 1980s na-create niya ‘yung guapple pie sa kasagsagan ng sugar crisis,” Mark Locsin said.
5. Have some empanada
Aside from piaya and guapple pie, another must-try dish is empanada.
Inside the Soledad at Maria Montelibano Lacson Ancestral House, visitors may taste the empanada made using their great grandmother’s recipe from 1925.
—Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News
