Moises Padilla — Livestock Capital & Magayon Festival
Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental · about 54 km from 3ACs Apartment, Talisay City
A farm town on the road to Kanlaon, known for horse and carabao races at its fiesta.
About
Moises Padilla calls itself the livestock capital of Negros Occidental, and a giant carabao is its symbol. Its fiesta, the Magayon Hinuptanan Festival, brings back old rural sports like horse racing and carabao racing. It is also a handy stop on the inland highway: Kaitulari, a riverside resort right on the national road, is a long-time rest stop for travellers heading toward Kanlaon and Negros Oriental.
History
First called Magallon (the fiesta's name comes from it), the town was renamed after Moises Padilla, a mayoral candidate killed in 1951 for refusing to withdraw from the race — a case that shocked the nation and became a 1961 film.
Why visit
Rural Negros at its most authentic, especially at fiesta time.
How to get there
On the inland national highway between La Castellana and Isabela, about 2 hours from Bacolod.
- Bus/jeepney on the La Castellana–Isabela route
Prices (estimates)
- FestivalFree
- ResortAsk on site
Hours / best time: Fiesta dates vary — check with the LGU (moisespadilla.gov.ph)
Nearby places
- La Castellana Kanlaon Views & Bailes de Luces — Coffee farms and cafés with Kanlaon as the backdrop, and January's festival of lights — when the volcano allows.
- Glory Hill, Isabela — A hilltop pilgrimage site with a 45-foot steel cross and wide views of the sugarcane plains.
- Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park — Highest peak in the Visayas (2,465 m) — an active volcano.
- Binadlan Falls (Bambi Falls) — Binalbagan's upland waterfall, now easier to reach on a new concrete road.
- Guintubdan Nature Park (Seven Falls) — Mountain park on Kanlaon's slopes with seven waterfalls and a viewing deck.