Bacolod Philippines Temple Open House Begins – Church News

Just three days after the Philippine temple’s open house ended, another one just started.

The Bacolod Philippines Temple Open House of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is underway. This is the third time that a temple open house will be held in the Philippines this year.

Public tours of the Bacolod Lord’s House will be held from April 16 to May 2, excluding Sundays. Before that, April 13th will be Media Day, and invited guests will tour the sacred building on April 14th and 15th.

Two General Authority Seventies lead members of the media on a media day tour. Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, First Counselor in the Church’s Philippines Area Presidency, and Elder K. Brett Nattress, Deputy Executive Director of the Temple Department.

The celestial room of the Bacolod Temple in the Philippines. |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

As Media Day begins, on Monday morning, April 13, Philippine time, the Church’s Philippine Newsroom released photos of the interior and exterior of the Bacolod Temple.

After an open house, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the sacred building on May 31. This single dedication session will take place at 10 a.m. local time and will be transmitted to all units in the temple district, but will be rebroadcast that same day at 2 p.m.

This will be the third Philippine temple to be dedicated in 2026, following the Alabang Philippines Temple on January 18 and the Davao Philippines Temple on May 3.

This means that the number of temples in the country will double from three to six in 2026.

Baptistery of the Bacolod Philippines Temple. |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Design and function

Reaching a height of 36.1 meters (approximately 118 feet), the Bacolod Temple was built with a structural steel braced frame. The exterior and interior patterns are inspired by the design of the Philippine Barong shirt, and incorporate colors from local flora, including birds of paradise and native lilies.

Art glass throughout the building includes tones of green, magenta, and blue. Flooring is Crema Marfil Stone, with 100% nylon tufted rugs and Bentley carpet in custom colors and patterns.

Art glass window of the Bacolod Temple in the Philippines. |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The doors are made of stained mahogany with decorative brass hardware, and the factory throughout the building uses stained mahogany and painted local hardwood. The chandelier is made of brass and crystal with acrylic pendant lighting.

The 2,591.5 square meter temple (approximately 27,895 square feet) is located on a 12.3-acre site on Airport Access Road, Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Central Visayas.

The sealing room of the Bacolod Philippines Temple. |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

About Bacolod Temple

The Bacolod Temple is currently slated to become the Church’s 217th Lord-operated facility, and the sixth in the Philippines.

On October 5, 2019, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the temple in Bacolod, Philippines. This was one of eight temples he announced during the women’s session of October 2019 general conference.

Thereafter, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Bacolod Temple was held on December 11, 2021, presided over by Elder Taniera B. Wacolo. Elder Huacolo, a General Authority Seventy and then president of the Church’s Philippines Area, was also dedicated to the site and the construction process.

“This temple will stand not only as a symbol of our membership in the Church, but also as a sign of our faith in an afterlife and a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families,” he said.

The waiting room of the Bacolod Philippines Temple. |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

church in the philippines

In the Philippines, four Lord’s Houses have been consecrated, two to be dedicated, two under construction, and six in the planning stage, for a total of 14.

The four temples currently in operation are Manila (consecrated in 1984), Cebu City (2010), Urdaneta (2024), and Alabang Temple (2026).

In addition to the May 31 dedication of the Bacolod Temple, the Davao Temple will also be dedicated earlier in the month on May 3 by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Two more Lord’s houses are under construction in this country. Construction will begin in August 2024 in Cagayan de Oro, and in January 2025 in Tacloban City.

The final six Philippine temples are planned for Naga City (to be announced in 2022), Santiago City (2022), Tuguegarao City (2023), Iloilo City (2023), Laoag City (2023), and San Jose del Monte City (2025).

The bride's room at the Bacolod Temple in the Philippines. — The bride’s room at the Bacolod Temple in the Philippines. |The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Since the Philippines was opened for missionary work in 1961, church growth in this country has been among the fastest growing in the world. By 1970, the church was based on eight major islands in the Philippines. In 1973, Elder Ezra Taft Benson, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, organized the first stake in the Philippines.

There are currently approximately 905,000 Latter-day Saints living in 1,370 wards and branches in this country. The Philippines, with its large number of Church members, has the fourth largest Latter-day Saint population in the world.