As one open house for a Philippines temple concludes, another has just begun, only three days later.
The Bacolod Philippines Temple open house is underway for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s the third temple open house in the Philippines within the past year.
Public tours for Bacolod’s house of the Lord will run from April 16 to May 2, excluding Sundays. Before then, a media day is April 13, and invited guests will tour the sacred edifice April 14-15.
Two General Authority Seventies are guiding news representatives on the media day tour: Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong, first counselor in the Church’s Philippines Area presidency, and Elder K. Brett Nattress, assistant executive director in the Temple Department.
As the media day began, the Church’s Philippines Newsroom published interior and exterior photos of the Bacolod temple on Monday morning, April 13, Philippines time.
After the open house, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the sacred edifice May 31. The single dedicatory session — at 10 a.m. local time and transmitted to all units in the temple district — will be rebroadcast later that day, at 2 p.m.
This will be the third Philippines temple dedicated in 2026, following the Alabang Philippines Temple on Jan. 18 and the Davao Philippines Temple on May 3. An open house for the Davao temple ended April 10.
That means the number of temples in the country is doubling in 2026, from three to six.
Design and features
Reaching 36.1 meters tall (about 118 feet), the Bacolod temple was built with a structural steel-braced frame. Exterior and interior patterns draw inspiration from Filipino barong shirt designs, with colors from local flora, like the bird of paradise and native lilies.
Art glass throughout the building includes green, magenta and blue tones. Crema Marfil stone is used in the flooring, along with 100% nylon-tufted rugs and Bentley carpet in custom colors and patterns.
Doors are made of stained mahogany with decorative brass hardware, and millwork through the building uses stained mahogany and painted local hardwoods. Chandeliers, made of brass and crystal, use acrylic pendant lighting
The 2,591.5-square-meter temple (or about 27,895 square feet) stands on a 12.3-acre site located at Airport Access Road, Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, in the central Visayas islands.
About the Bacolod temple
The Bacolod temple is currently planned to be the Church’s 217th operating house of the Lord, the sixth in the Philippines.
On Oct. 5, 2019, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple for Bacolod, Philippines. It was one of eight temples he announced during the women’s session of October 2019 general conference.
Ground was later broken for the Bacolod temple on Dec. 11, 2021, presided over by Elder Taniela B. Wakolo. Elder Wakolo — a General Authority Seventy and then president of the Church’s Philippines Area — also dedicated the site and construction process.
“This temple will then stand not only as a symbol of our membership in the Church,” he said, “but as a sign of our faith in life after death and as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families.”
The Church in the Philippines
Four houses of the Lord have been dedicated in the Philippines, two are scheduled for dedication, two are under construction, and six are in planning stages — for a total of 14.
The four in operation are the Manila (dedicated in 1984), Cebu City (2010), Urdaneta (2024) and Alabang temple (2026) temples.
In addition to the Bacolod temple’s May 31 dedication, the Davao temple will be dedicated earlier that month, on May 3, by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Another two houses of the Lord are under construction in the country, for Cagayan de Oro, with ground broken August 2024, and Tacloban City, ground broken January 2025.
The final six Philippines temples are planned for the following cities: Naga (announced 2022), Santiago (2022), Tuguegarao City (2023), Iloilo (2023), Laoag (2023) and San Jose del Monte (2025).
Since the Philippines opened for missionary work in 1961, Church growth in the country has been among the fastest in the world. By 1970, the Church had a presence on eight major Philippine islands. In 1973, then-Elder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles organized the first stake in the Philippines.
The country is now home to around 905,000 Latter-day Saints in 1,370 wards and branches. With its high number of Church members, the Philippines has the fourth-largest population of Latter-day Saints in the world.
Bacolod Philippines Temple
Address: Corner of Bacolod Airport Access Road and Buri Road, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Announced: Oct. 5, 2019, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: Dec. 11, 2021, presided over by Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: April 16 through May 2, 2026, excluding Sundays
To be dedicated: May 31, 2026, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 12.3 acres
Building size: 2,591.5 square meters (27,895 square feet)
Building height: 36.1 meters (118 feet)
