• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Property giant Megaworld continues to celebrate one of the most distinguished icons of the former Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company (BMMC) complex with the unveiling of The Upper East House Historic Gallery inside its 34-hectare The Upper East township.
The gallery pays homage to the glory days of the old ‘White Mansion’ inside the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company complex, which showcases a variety of photos and memorabilia that pay tribute to the Executive Guesthouse that once stood inside the sprawling former BMMC complex, where The Upper East continues to rise today.
The story of this iconic structure was eventually brought back to life through Megaworld’s The Upper East House, the company’s three-story Township and Information Center in Bacolod.
First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos led the unveiling of the gallery on October 21, where she was joined by Kevin L. Tan, chief executive officer, Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI), Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso, chief operating officer, Megaworld, and Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
Among the historic items that form part of the gallery include photos of some of the hacienderos of Negros who are acknowledged as founders of the BMMC, old pictures of the sugar central from the early 1900s, as well as the original BMMC Executive Guesthouse, which hosted some elegant gatherings participated by people who figured prominently in the rise of the sugar industry in Bacolod, and the century-old Murcia train, which was used to transport sugar canes from the plantations all the way to the sugar central back in the day.
Occupying a prominent space in the gallery is a preserved portion of one of the windows of the original guesthouse.
The historic gallery is the latest addition to Megaworld’s The Upper East, a sprawling township development that continues to take shape as Bacolod’s modern and iconic central business district.*
