The Bacolod Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be the third Latter-day Saint temple dedicated in the Philippines in 2026.
A recent church release states this temple will be dedicated next year on Sunday, May 31, by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The temple’s end of May dedication — to take place four weeks following that of the Davao Philippines Temple and nearly five months following that of the Alabang Philippines Temple — will make the Bacolod temple the church’s sixth operating temple in the Philippines.
Latter-day Saints in the area will be able to witness the Bacolod temple’s dedication via a dedicatory session that will be broadcast and rebroadcast to all church units in the area at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, on May 31.
Prior to the temple’s May 31 dedication, the Bacolod temple will first open its doors to the media on April 13, after which invited guests will tour the building April 14-15.
Then, starting April 16, guests of all faiths and ages will be welcome to tour the single-story building during a free public open house period that will run every Monday through Saturday until May 2.
Guests visiting the temple during this time can expect the experience to include an introductory video, followed by a guided walk-through with explanations of each area and its significance.
As the church grows, more temples will be built so that more families can have access to the “greatest of all blessings, that of eternal life,” said then church President Russell M. Nelson, just before he announced the Bacolod temple and seven others around the world during October 2019 general conference.
Latter-day Saints “regard a temple as the most sacred structure in the church,” he said. So “whenever plans are announced to construct a new temple, it becomes an important part of our history.”
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Bacolod Philippines Temple is one of 10 temples which President Nelson announced for the Philippines during his nearly eight-year tenure. It was announced during the women’s session of October 2019 general conference and broke ground on Dec. 11, 2021.
The church has 14 total temples currently announced, under construction, scheduled for dedication or operating in the Philippines.
Of these 14 temples, three — the Manila Philippines, Cebu City Philippines and Urdaneta Philippines temples — are in operation. Two are under construction. Six are in planning and design stages. And three — the Alabang Philippines, Davao Philippines and Bacolod Philippines temples — are scheduled for dedication.
A Church News report states that the growing number of temples in the Philippines has made it the nation with the fourth-most number of temples, after the United States (156), Mexico (27) and Brazil (24).
The Philippines’ 14 temples also mean the nation has more temples than any U.S. state, except for Utah, which has 32.
These 14 temples will help serve the nearly 900,000 Latter-day Saints in roughly 1,400 congregations that call the island nation home.