Negros Oriental

Negros Oriental
Province
Province of Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental Provincial Capitol in Dumaguete
Flag Seal
Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 9°45′N 123°00′E / 9.75°N 123°ECoordinates: 9°45′N 123°00′E / 9.75°N 123°E
Country	Philippines
Region	Negros Island Region (NIR/Region XVIII)
Founded	March 10, 1917
Capital	Dumaguete
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Panlalawigan
• Governor	Roel Degamo (PDP-LABAN/UNA)
• Vice Governor	Mark Macias (Liberal Party)
Area[1]
• Total	5,385.53 km^2 (2,079.36 sq mi)
Area rank	18th out of 80
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	1,286,666
• Rank	18th out of 80
• Density	240/km^2 (620/sq mi)
• Density rank	33rd out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	6 Bais Bayawan Canlaon Dumaguete Guihulngan Tanjay
• Municipalities	19 Amlan Ayungon Bacong Basay Bindoy Dauin Jimalalud La Libertad Mabinay Manjuyod Pamplona San Jose Santa Catalina Siaton Sibulan Tayasan Valencia Vallehermoso Zamboanguita
• Barangays	557
• Districts	1st to 3rd districts of Negros Oriental
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP code	6200–6224
ISO 3166 code	PH-NER
Spoken languages	Cebuano Hiligaynon Filipino English
Income classification	1st class
Website	www.negor.gov.ph

Negros Oriental (Cebuano: Sidlakang Negros; Filipino: Silangang Negros), also called Oriental Negros or Eastern Negros, is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island Region. It occupies the southeastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists.

Negros Oriental faces Cebu to the east across the Tañon Strait and Siquijor to the south east (which happened to be part of the province). The primary spoken language is Cebuano and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism. Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of government, and most populous city of the province.

History

Negros Island, the third largest island in the Philippines, is believed to have once been part of the island of Mindanao, but was cut off by rising waters at the end of the last ice age.^[3]

Among the early inhabitants of the island were Negritos and later the Malays, as well as Han Chinese, who are merchants.^[4] They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".^[3]

The Dumaguete Church with its belfry built in the 1760s and 1870s to warn townsfolk of attacks by marauding pirates. (1891)

Spanish explorers on the expedition of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi first came to the island in April 1565. Legazpi dropped anchor in Bohol and sent his men to scout the island.^[4] Because of the strong currents of the Tañon Strait between Cebu and Negros, they were carried for several days and forced to land on the western side of the island. They reported seeing many dark-skinned inhabitants, and they called the island "Negros" (Negro means "black" in Spanish). The island was sparsely settled at the time, except for a few coastal settlements including Ilog and Binalbagan. In 1571, Legaspi assigned encomiendas on the island to 13 of his men.^[4] Augustinian friars began the Christianization of the island the next year. The island was administered as part of the jurisdiction of Oton until 1734 when it became a military district, and Ilog became the capital of the island. The capital was transferred to Himamaylan in 1795. Negros became a politico-military province in 1856 and the capital was transferred to Bacolod.

Due to its proximity to Mindanao, the southeastern coast of Negros was in constant threat from Moro marauders looking for slaves, and watchtowers were built to protect the Christian villages. The Moro raids and Negros Oriental's distance from the Negros capital in Bacolod induced 13 Recollectionist priests to petition for the division of the island in July 1876.^[4] The island of Negros was then divided into the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental by a royal decree executed by Governor General Valeriano Weyler on January 1, 1890. Dumaguete was made the first capital of Negros Oriental. In 1892, Siquijor became a part of Negros Oriental, having previously been administered by Spain under the politico-military province of Bohol.

The Philippine Revolution reached the province in 1898, disrupting government functions but without bloodshed. Revolutionary troops in the province were composed mostly of farm laborers and other prominent people of the Negros Oriental province who were organized and led by Don Diego de la Viña. The Spanish government in Dumaguete was overthrown on November 24, 1898. Later, the Negros Occidental area under the leadership of Gen. Araneta only, in contrast to the Negros Oriental area under the leadership of Don Diego de la Viña, formed the Cantonal Republic of Negros, a separate government from the more familiar Malolos Republic established in Luzon.^[5] In 1901 the Negros Oriental province was reorganized by the United States and a civil government was established with Demetrio Larena as governor. The American government made Siquijor a "sub-province" of Negros Oriental. Negros Oriental became a province under the American civil government on March 10, 1917 through Act 2711.^[6] In 1934 Negros Oriental became a corregimiento, a separate military district. Under the American colonial government, transportation infrastructure was developed with improvements of roads and new bridges.^[7]

During World War II, the province was invaded by Japanese forces and many residents were forced to flee to the mountains.^[8] Negros Island was liberated by combined Filipino & American troops with the local Negrense guerillas attacking the Japanese on August 6, 1945. The 7th, 73rd, 74th and 75th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were established from January 03, 1942 to June 30, 1946 and the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944 to June 30, 1946 at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Oriental. They started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Negros Oriental from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial forces.

On September 17, 1971, Siquijor finally became an independent province by virtue of Republic Act No. 6396.^[9]

Geography

Rock formations at Apo Island

Topography

Negros Oriental occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It has a total land area of 5,385.53 square kilometres (2,079.36 sq mi).^[1] A chain of rugged mountains separates Negros Oriental from Negros Occidental. Negros Oriental faces Cebu to the east across the Tañon Strait and Siquijor to the south-east. The Sulu Sea borders it to the south.

The province's topography is characterized by low, grooved mountain ranges which mostly lie close to the shoreline. At the southern end of the province is the Mount Talinis/Cuernos de Negros ("Horns of Negros") stratovolcano which rises to a height of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). At the northern end of the province is the active Kanlaon Volcano, the highest peak in the island with a height of 2,465 metres (8,087 ft). There are a few plateaus in the interior to the southwest of the province, which includes the Tablas Plateau.^[10]

One of the landmarks of Dumaguete is the Dumaguete Bell Tower which stands next to the Saint Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral.^[11] It once used to warn the city of impending pirate attacks.^[12]

Climate

Negros Oriental has a tropical climate. Because of the mountain range running from the north to the south, the province has two types of climatic conditions.^[13] The eastern part of the province is characterized by unpronounced maximum rainfall with a short dry season lasting from one to three months. The western half of the province is characterized by a distinct wet season and dry season.^[10]

Political map

Administrative divisions

Negros Oriental comprises 19 municipalities and 6 cities, further subdivided into 557 barangays.

Dumaguete is the provincial capital and seat of government. It is also the province's most populous city, despite having the smallest land area among all component cities and municipalities of Negros Oriental.

For purposes of legislative representation, the cities and municipalities are grouped into three congressional districts, with each district electing a congressman to the House of Representatives of the Philippines.

•  †  Provincial capital and component city
•  ∗  Component city
•      Municipality

City or municipality^[A] District[14] Population (2010)[14][15] Area[14] Density Brgy. Coordinates^[B] km^2 sq mi /km^2 /sq mi Amlan (Ayuquitan) 2nd 1.7% 22,206 111.85 43.19 200 520 8 9°27′49″N 123°13′36″E / 9.4636°N 123.2266°E Ayungon 1st 3.6% 46,146 265.10 102.36 170 440 24 9°51′31″N 123°08′37″E / 9.8587°N 123.1436°E Bacong 3rd 2.5% 32,286 40.30 15.56 800 2,100 22 9°14′43″N 123°17′42″E / 9.2452°N 123.2951°E Bais ∗ 2nd 5.8% 74,722 319.64 123.41 230 600 35 9°35′29″N 123°07′17″E / 9.5914°N 123.1213°E Basay 3rd 1.9% 24,913 162.00 62.55 150 390 10 9°24′36″N 122°38′27″E / 9.4099°N 122.6409°E Bayawan (Tulong) ∗ 3rd 8.9% 114,074 699.08 269.92 160 410 28 9°22′00″N 122°48′20″E / 9.3668°N 122.8055°E Bindoy (Payabon) 1st 3.1% 39,416 173.70 67.07 230 600 22 9°45′21″N 123°08′27″E / 9.7557°N 123.1408°E Canlaon ∗ 1st 3.9% 50,627 170.93 66.00 300 780 12 10°23′11″N 123°13′28″E / 10.3865°N 123.2245°E Dauin 3rd 2.0% 25,239 114.10 44.05 220 570 23 9°11′28″N 123°15′56″E / 9.1911°N 123.2655°E Dumaguete † 2nd 9.4% 120,883 33.62 12.98 3,600 9,300 30 9°18′19″N 123°18′29″E / 9.3054°N 123.3080°E Guihulngan ∗ 1st 7.3% 93,675 388.56 150.02 240 620 33 10°07′12″N 123°16′22″E / 10.1199°N 123.2728°E Jimalalud 1st 2.3% 29,044 139.50 53.86 210 540 28 9°58′45″N 123°12′01″E / 9.9791°N 123.2003°E La Libertad 1st 3.0% 38,904 139.60 53.90 280 730 29 10°01′35″N 123°14′02″E / 10.0264°N 123.2338°E Mabinay 2nd 5.8% 74,187 319.44 123.34 230 600 32 9°43′35″N 122°55′46″E / 9.7265°N 122.9294°E Manjuyod 1st 3.2% 41,107 264.60 102.16 160 410 27 9°40′46″N 123°08′57″E / 9.6795°N 123.1492°E Pamplona 2nd 2.7% 34,906 202.20 78.07 170 440 16 9°28′20″N 123°07′06″E / 9.4722°N 123.1184°E San Jose 2nd 1.5% 19,098 54.46 21.03 350 910 14 9°24′50″N 123°14′30″E / 9.4138°N 123.2417°E Santa Catalina 3rd 5.7% 73,306 523.10 201.97 140 360 22 9°19′59″N 122°51′47″E / 9.3330°N 122.8631°E Siaton 3rd 5.7% 73,285 335.90 129.69 220 570 26 9°03′51″N 123°01′56″E / 9.0641°N 123.0323°E Sibulan 2nd 4.0% 51,519 163.00 62.93 320 830 15 9°21′32″N 123°17′05″E / 9.3589°N 123.2847°E Tanjay ∗ 2nd 6.1% 79,098 276.05 106.58 290 750 24 9°30′58″N 123°09′26″E / 9.5162°N 123.1573°E Tayasan 1st 2.7% 34,609 154.20 59.54 220 570 28 9°55′23″N 123°10′20″E / 9.9231°N 123.1723°E Valencia (Luzurriaga)^[C] 3rd 2.4% 31,477 147.49 56.95 210 540 24 9°16′54″N 123°14′41″E / 9.2817°N 123.2446°E Vallehermoso 1st 2.9% 36,943 101.25 39.09 360 930 15 10°20′05″N 123°19′34″E / 10.3348°N 123.3260°E Zamboanguita 3rd 1.9% 24,996 85.86 33.15 290 750 10 9°06′07″N 123°11′55″E / 9.1019°N 123.1987°E Total 1,286,666 5,385.53 2,079.36 240 620 557 (see GeoGroup box) ^^ Former names are italicized. ^^ Coordinates mark the city/town center, and are sortable by latitude. ^^ Municipality applying for cityhood[16][17]

Demographics

Population census of Negros Oriental
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	925,272	—
1995	1,025,247	+1.94%
2000	1,130,088	+2.11%
2007	1,231,904	+1.20%
2010	1,286,666	+1.60%
Source: National Statistics Office[2]

Negros Oriental's total population as of the 2010 census is 1,286,666 ^[2] and its registered voting population are 606,634.^[18] 34.5% of the population is concentrated in the six most populous component LGUs of Dumaguete City, Bayawan City, Tanjay City, Bais City, Canlaon City, and Guihulngan. The province's average population density is 208 persons per km², lower than the national average of 276 persons per km². Population growth per year is about 2.11%, higher than the national average of 1.92%.^[19]

Residents of Negros are called "Negrenses" (and less often "Negrosanons"). Cebuano (sometimes known as "Bisaya") is the main language of the province, spoken by 95% of the population. Hiligaynon/Ilonggo is spoken by the remaining 5%, and is common in areas close to the border with Negros Occidental. Filipino and English, though seldom used, are generally understood and used for official, literary and educational purposes.

Languages Spoken (2000)[20]
Language			Speakers
Cebuano			541,757
Other Visayan languages			525,308
Hiligaynon			39,174
Kinaray-a			4,147
Kankanaey			2,241
Others			8,318
Not Reported			8,065

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion in the province with Roman Catholicism (91.4%) as the biggest single denomination. Other denominations include mainline and evangelical Protestant groups, the Iglesia Ni Cristo, the Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Aglipayan Church, also known as the Philippine Independent Church. Adherents of Islam and Buddhism constitute a minority of the population.

Economy

A Geothermal power station in Valencia, Negros Oriental.

A BPO office in Dumaguete.

Negros Oriental has, for a long time, been a supplier of electricity to its neighboring provinces in the Visayas with its excess power capacity generated by the 192.5-MW Palinpinon geothermal plant.^[21] This plant has recently been expanded with an additional 49MW capacity, bringing total power output of the province to over 240MW. Despite the huge power excess of the Province, other power sources such as hydro, wind and solar are being explored to provide additional power capacities that can be sold to neighboring areas.

With its vast fertile land resources, Negros Oriental's other major industry is agriculture. The primary crops are sugarcane, corn, coconut and rice.^[10] In the coastal areas, fishing is the main source of income. People are also involved in cattle ranches, fish ponds and rubber plantations, especially in the City of Bayawan. There are also mineral deposits like gold, silver and copper.

Negros Oriental is emerging as a technological center in Central Philippines with its growing business process outsourcing (BPO) that has started to penetrate the Province's secondary cities, and other technology-related industries. Vehicle assembly is a growing industry in Amlan. Construction of mass housing and subdivisions is very evident in the periphery of Dumaguete, and is expected to spillover in the Province's secondary cities and fast growing municipalities. Other industries include water bottling, warehousing, and cold and dry storing. Retailing has penetrated urban areas outside Dumaguete with the entry of hypermarts in cities such as Bayawan, Tanjay and Bais. The town of Bacong, Dumaguete's neighbor in the south, hosts industrial plants geared for the local and export markets. Negros Oriental is also becoming a notable tourist destination in the Visayas.

Transportation

A motorized tricycle in Dumaguete City

Negros Oriental has a network of roads, including a national road that spans the circumference of Negros Island. National and provincial roads in the province total more than 900 kilometers, though only about half of these are paved.^[22]

A large portion of residents do not own private vehicles, and are totally reliant on public transport. The main form of public transport between the cities and municipalities of the province largely consists of privately operated jeepneys that link major towns to rural areas. For short distances within a town, motorized tricycles (locally known as pedicabs) are available.

The Dumaguete Airport located in Sibulan is the province's only government-operated airport.^[22] It is a domestic airport with multiple daily flights to and from Manila, served by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. Based on 2002 statistics, an average of 5,800 outgoing passengers and 5,700 incoming passengers pass through the airport every month. However, this airport is due for transfer to Bacong because of congestion in its current location.^[22]

The primary seaport of the province is located in Dumaguete City. Additionally, there are five other seaports in the province classified as tertiary.^[23]

Education

Silliman University

Dumaguete City, the provincial capital, is known as a university town due to the existence of many universities and colleges in the city.^[24] These universities include: Silliman University (1901), the oldest American established university in Asia;^[25] St. Paul University Dumaguete (1904), the first Paulinian school in the Philippines and oldest catholic school in Negros Island known for its Nursing, Tourism, Liberal Arts in History and English, Public Administration, Mass Communication, Business Administration and Education; Negros Oriental State University (formerly NOTS-1927, EVSAT, CVPC); and Foundation University (1949). The Colegio de Sta. Catalina De Alejandria (COSCA), Negros Oriental High School (1902), Ramon Teves Pastor Memorial-Dumaguete Science High School (1986), Dumaguete City High School (1967), Catherina Cittadini (St. Louis) School, Holy Cross High School and St. Louis School-Don Bosco (1967) can be also found in the city. There are also institutions and colleges inside (e.g. Metro Dumaguete College, STI, Maxino College, PTC, AMA Computer College, Asian College) and outside the city.

Culture

Each town in Negros Oriental celebrates an annual town fiesta, usually dedicated to a saint who is the patron of the town. In some of the larger towns, there are particular fiestas for specific neighborhoods or barangays.

Additionally, the Buglasan Festival, which was revived in 2001, is celebrated annually in October in the provincial capital of Dumaguete and is hailed as Negros Oriental's "festival of festivals".^[26] It is a week-long celebration where you can see unique booths of each town and city in Negros Oriental featuring their native products and tourist attractions. The highlight of the occasion is the float parade and street dancing competition.^[27]

Media

There are at least six local publications in general circulation around the province. These publications include the Dumaguete MetroPost,^[28] The Negros Chronicle,^[29] Dumaguete Star Informer, Times Focus, Island News and The Visayan Daily Star.^[30] Sun.Star Dumaguete publishes news online bi-weekly.

References

1. "List of Provinces". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
2. "Population and Annual Growth Rates for The Philippines and Its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities" (PDF). 2010 Census and Housing Population. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
3. Panay News - Negros History
4. WOW Philippines - Negros Oriental history Archived August 19, 2004, at the Wayback Machine.
5. Worldstatesmen.org - Philippines - Republic of Negros
6. "An Act Amending the Administrative Code" (PDF). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. 10 March 1917. Retrieved 23 April 2016. The Province of Oriental Negros consists of territory in the south and eastern part of the Island of Negros, with adjacent small islands, and includes also the subprovince of Siquijor, which consists of the island of the same name. The province contains the following municipalities: Ayungon, Ayuquitan, Bacong, Bais, Dauin, Dumaguete (the capital of the province), Enrique Villanueva, Guijulñgan, Jimalalud, La Libertad, Larena, Lazi, Luzuriaga, Manjuyod, Maria, San Juan, Siaton, Sibulan, Siquijor, [Talingting], Tanjay, Tayasan, Tolong, Vallehermoso, and Zamboanguita. This province also contains the municipal district of Tambo.
7. Asia-planet.net - Dumaguete/Negros Oriental
8. Mills, S.A., 2009, Stranded in the Philippines, Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 9781591144977
9. "Republic Act No. 6398 - An Act Separating the Subprovince of Siquijor from the Province of Oriental Negros and Establishing It as an Independent Province". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. 17 September 1971. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
10. "Negros Oriental Provincial Agricultural Profile" (PDF). Department of Agriculture - Agriculture and Fisheries Market Information System (AFMIS). 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
11. "Dumaguete Belfry - Philippines". Dumaguete Info: the Website of Gentle People. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
12. Grele, Dominique; Lily Yousry-Jouve (2004). 100 Resorts in the Philippines: Places with a Heart. Asiatype, Inc. p. 247. ISBN 978-971-91719-7-3. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
13. Agribiz Oriental - Climate Archived January 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
14. "Province: Negros Oriental". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority - National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
15. "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of May 1, 2010 (Central Visayas)" (PDF). 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
16. Gallarde, Juancho R. (30 August 2013). "In Negros Oriental: Valencia town readies bid to become a city". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
17. Camion, Victor L. (21 November 2013). "House to hear Valencia cityhood". Sun.Star Dumaguete. Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
18. Negros Island Region statistics as of 2010
19. Negros Oriental economic indicators
20. "Negros Oriental: More Than One-Third of the Houses Were Built in the Latter 90's (Results from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, NSO); Table 4. Household Population by Ethnicity and Sex: Negros Oriental, 2000". Philippine Statistics Authority. 9 September 2002. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
21. Gatdula, Donnabelle L. (26 October 2009). "EDC takes over Tongonan, Palinpinon geothermal plants". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
22. Agribiz Oriental - Transportation Archived May 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
23. "Negros Oriental". Department of Trade and Industry. Archived from the original on 6 October 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
24. Bangayan, Dorothy (2006-12-14). "Let's do Dumaguete!". Sun.Star Davao. Archived from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-06. ...Dumaguete is also known as a university town due to the numerous colleges including their famous Silliman.
25. Dexter R. Matilla. "Heritage diary of Negros Oriental". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
26. Amarado, Romy G. (25 October 2003). "The 'fantastic' Buglasan Festival of Dumaguete". Philippine Daily Inquirer (Dumaguete City, Philippines). Inquirer News Service. Archived from the original on 30 August 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
27. "Buglasan Festival 2015 opens with ‘Fiesta sa Nayon’". Sun.Star Dumaguete. Philippine Information Agency. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
28. "Visayan News". Dumaguete MetroPost. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
29. "(Home page)". The Negros Chronicle. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
30. "Negros Oriental (home page)". The Visayan Daily Star. Retrieved 16 April 2016.

External links

• Negros Oriental travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Media related to Negros Oriental at Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related to Negros Oriental at OpenStreetMap
• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Negros Oriental
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Local Governance Performance Management System