Albay | |
|---|---|
    .jpg) From top, left to right:Mayon Volcano,Daraga Church inDaraga,Tabaco Church inTabaco,SM City Legazpi,Old Albay District | |
 Flag  Seal | |
Nicknames:
| |
| Anthem: "Albay Forever" | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:13°14′N123°38′E / 13.23°N 123.63°E /13.23; 123.63 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol Region |
| Founded | April 3, 1574 |
| Capital and largest city | Legazpi |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Noel Rosal |
| • Vice Governor | Farida 'Diday' Co |
| • Legislature | Albay Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,575.77 km2 (994.51 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 52nd out of 82 |
| Highest elevation | 2,463 m (8,081 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 1,379,398 |
| • Rank | 21st out of 81 |
| • Density | 535.528/km2 (1,387.01/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 12th out of 81 |
| Demonym |
|
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 720 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Albay |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)52 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-ALB |
| Spoken languages | |
| Website | albay |
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(June 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Albay (IPA:[ɐlˈbaɪ]), officially theProvince of Albay (Central Bikol:Probinsya kan Albay;Tagalog:Lalawigan ng Albay;ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is aprovince in theBicol Region of thePhilippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the island ofLuzon. Its capital (and largest city) is the city ofLegazpi, the regional center of the wholeBicol Region, which is located in the southern foothill ofMayon Volcano.[3]
The province was added to theUNESCOWorld Network of Biosphere Reserves in March 2016.[4]
Long before the Spaniards arrived, Albay had a thriving civilization. Formerly calledIbat, and thenLibog, Albay was once ruled by Gat Ibal, an old chief who also founded the oldbarangay of Sawangan, now part of theCity of Legazpi. HistorianWilliam Henry Scott wrote that in the local epic calledsiday entitled "Bingi of Lawan", an Albay datu by the name of Dumaraog went to Lawan (present-dayLaoang,Northern Samar) to ask for the hands of Bingi bringing with him 100 ships. Datu Iberein came from the settlement of Lawan. He was described by Scott as a “Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains.”[5]
In July 1569,Luis Enriquez de Guzman, a member of the expedition led byMaestro de Campo Mateo de Saz and CaptainMartin de Goiti, led a group that crossed fromBurias andTicao islands and landed on a coastal settlement calledIbalon in what is now the province ofSorsogon. From this point, another expedition was sent to explore the interior and founded the town ofCamalig.
In 1573,Juan de Salcedo penetrated theBicol Peninsula from the north as far south asLibon, establishing the settlement of Santiago de Libon. Jose Maria Peñaranda, a military engineer, was made “corregidor” of the province on May 14, 1834. He constructed public buildings and built roads and bridges.
The entire Bicol peninsula was organized as one province with two divisions,Camarines in the northwest andIbalon in the southeast. In 1636, the twopartidos were separated, and Ibalon became a separate province with Sorsogon as the capital. In the 17th century,Moro slave raiders from the southern Philippines ravaged the northeastern coastal areas of the province of Albay.[6] By the end of the 1700s, Albay had 12,339 native families and 146Spanish Filipino families.[7]: 539 [8]: 31, 54, 113
Mayon Volcano, in one of its most violent eruptions, destroyed the five towns surrounding its base on February 1, 1814. This eruption forced the town of Cagsawa to relocate to its present site,Legazpi.
Adecree was issued byGovernor-GeneralNarciso Claveria in 1846 separatingMasbate,Ticao, andBurias from Albay to form thecomandancia of Masbate. Albay was then divided into four districts:Iraya, Cordillera orTabaco, Sorsogon, andCatanduanes.
Glicerio Delgado, a condemnedinsurecto (insurgent), started revolutionary activities in the province. With a headquarters in the mountain ofGuinobatan town, he joined therevolutionary government of Albay as a lieutenant in the infantry.
A unit of thePhilippine Militia was then organized by the Spanish military authorities. Mariano Riosa was appointed major of the Tabaco Zone, which comprised all the towns along the seacoast fromAlbay toTiwi while Anacieto Solano was appointed major for the Iraya Zone, which was made up of the towns fromDaraga toLibon. Each town was organized into sections of fifty men under the command of a lieutenant.
During thePhilippine Revolution on September 22, 1898, the provisional revolutionary government of Albay was formed with Anacieto Solano as provisional president. Major GeneralVito Belarmino, the appointed military commander, reorganized theFilipino Army in the province.
Following theSpanish–American War, the new colonial power theUnited States did not recognize the country's independence, which had been declared in June 1898, and the Americans subsequently acquired direct control of the country as a de facto colony, under the terms of theTreaty of Paris (1898), over which the Filipinos had no say.[9] During thePhilippine–American War, Brigadier GeneralWilliam August Kobbé headed the expedition that landed at the ports of Sorsogon,Bulan andDonsol. From there, the Americans marched to Legazpi and captured it.
Although acivil government was established in Albay on April 26, 1901, ColonelHarry Hill Bandholtz, Commanding Officer of the Constabulary in the Bicol Region, said that GeneralSimeon Ola, with a thousand men, continued to defy American authority after the capture of Belarmino in 1901. Ola was later captured with about six hundred of his men.
Following the December 12, 1941,Japanese invasion of Legazpi during theSecond World War, the Kimura Detachment of theImperial Japanese Army occupied Albay. The province was defended only by thePhilippine Constabulary unit under the command of Major Francisco Sandico.[10]
During the Japanese Occupation, the military general headquarters of theCommonwealth Army of the Philippines remained active from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 5th Constabulary Regiment of thePhilippine Constabulary was established from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, and stationed in Albay. Then came the clearing operations and anti-Japanese insurgency in theBicol Peninsula, helped by the local Bicolano resistance. Some Bicolanoguerrilla groups invaded around the province of Albay during the Japanese Insurgencies between 1942 and 1944 and were supported by local Filipino troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and pre-war Philippine Constabulary 5th Infantry Regiments attacking the enemy soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army. In the aftermath of three years of siege and conflicts, many Bicolano guerrillas were forced to retreat by the Japanese around the province before liberation in 1945 by Allied forces.
Oas, Albay, was one of the localities particularly harmed by theDictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos; in the waning days of the dictatorship, Oas was hit by a series ofpolitical killings targeting those who dared to speak out against the abuses of the Military and against Ferdinand Marcos.[11]
The most prominent of the victims was Clemente Ragragio, the municipal sanitation inspector ofLigao who was later also assigned to Oas. Known for his effectiveness, he had been awarded the 1983 Best Sanitary Inspector for Albay.[12] However, this led the dictatorship's local administrators suspecting him of being a rebel sympathizer, because his close relationship with locals in far-flung barangays allowed him to move around fearlessly, and because he expressed disagreements with the dictatorship's governance. A killer shot him three times in front of his house in the early evening of August 21, 1985, and the government did not investigate his murder. He was later honored by having his name inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani (lit. Monument of Heroes), which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought to restore democracy in the wake of the Marcos dictatorship.[11]
Albay has a total land area of 2,575.77 square kilometres (994.51 sq mi),[13] which makes it the 53rd biggest province. The province is bordered by the provinces ofCamarines Sur to the north andSorsogon to the south. To the northeast liesLagonoy Gulf, which separates the province fromCatanduanes. To the southwest of the province is theBurias Pass with the island ofBurias ofMasbate province located about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) offshore.
In 2016, an area of 250,000 hectares (620,000 acres) was declared aUNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The Albay Biosphere Reserve is home to 182 terrestrial plant species, of which 46 are endemic to the Philippines. Its marine waters and coastal area also provide habitat to five of the world's sevenmarine turtle species, as well as mangrove, seagrass and seaweed ecosystems.[14]
The province is generally mountainous with scattered fertile plains and valleys. On the eastern part of the province is a line of volcanic mountains starting with the northernmostMalinao in Tiwi, followed byMount Masaraga and the free-standingMayon Volcano. Separated by the Poliqui Bay is thePocdol Mountains in the town ofManito.
Thestratovolcano ofMayon standing at around 2,462 metres (8,077 ft), is the highest point of the province. It is the most famouslandform in Albay and in the wholeBicol Region. Thisactive volcano falls under the jurisdiction of eight municipalities and cities of Albay:Camalig,Daraga,Guinobatan,Legazpi City,Ligao City,Malilipot,Santo Domingo, andTabaco City.
The western coast of the province is mountainous but not as prominent as the eastern range with the highest elevation at around 490 metres (1,610 ft).[15] Among these mountains are Mount Catburawan in Ligao and Mount Pantao inOas.
Albay comprises 15municipalities/towns and threecomponent cities (Legazpi,Ligao andTabaco).
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figures before 1948 exclude areas that became part ofCatanduanes. Sources:PSA[18][19][20][21][22][23] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The population of Albay in the 2020 census was 1,374,768 people,[24], making it the 20th most populousprovince in the country. It had a density of 530 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,400 inhabitants per square mile. Based on the 2007 census, there were 208,640 households in the province with an average size of 5.22 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99.
Prior to colonization, the region had a complex religious system that involved various deities. These deities include: Gugurang, the supreme god who dwells inside ofMount Mayon where he guards and protects the sacred fire that his brotherAswang was trying to steal. Whenever people disobey his orders, wishes and commit numerous sins, he would cause Mount Mayon to burst lava as a sign of warning for people to mend their crooked ways. Ancient Bikolanos had a rite performed for him called Atang.[25][26] Asuang, the evil god who always tries to steal the sacred fire of Mount Mayon from his brother, Gugurang. Addressed sometimes as Aswang, he dwells mainly inside Mount Malinao. As an evil god, he would cause the people to suffer misfortunes and commit sins.[25][26] Enemy of Gugurang and a friend of Bulan the god of the Moon; Haliya, the masked goddess of the moonlight and the archenemy of Bakunawa and protector of Bulan. Her cult is composed primarily of women. There is also a ritual dance named after her as it is performed to be a countermeasure against Bakunawa.;[27]Bulan, the god of the pale moon, he is depicted as a pubescent boy with uncommon comeliness that made savage beast and the vicious mermaids (Magindara) tame. He has deep affection towards Magindang, but plays with him by running away so that Magindang would never catch him. The reason for this is because he is shy to the man that he loves. If Magindang manages to catch Bulan, Haliya always comes to free him from Magindang's grip;Magindang, the god of the sea and all its creatures. He has deep affection to the lunar god Bulan and pursues him despite never catching him. Due to this, the Bicolanos reasoned that it is to why the waves rise to reach the Moon when seen from the distant horizon. Whenever he does catch up to Bulan, Haliya comes to rescue Bulan and free him immediately;Okot, god of forest and hunting; andBakunawa, a gigantic sea serpent deity who is often considered as the cause of eclipses, the devourer of the Sun and the Moon, and an adversary of Haliya as Bakunawa's main aim is to swallow Bulan, who Haliya swore to protect for all of eternity.[28]
Catholicism is the predominant religion in the province, affiliated by 96.1% of the men and 95.7% of the women of Albay.[29] Each town has its ownfiesta for theirpatrons and patronesses.
Other religious denominations are theIglesia ni Cristo (INC) has 2 percent of the province, otherProtestant churches such as theBaptist Church,Methodist, otherEvangelical Christians,Seventh-day Adventists,Mormons,Jehovah's Witnesses as well asIslam.
Albay is home to several languages and host to different native languages of Bicol Region. Out of seven Bikol languages (excluding theBisakol languages, which areBisayan languages), onlyPandan Bikol of northernCatanduanes is not used or which the origin is not from Albay. The languages in the province are very diverse which includes the languages ofAlbay Bikol group which comprises the languages ofWest Miraya, East Miraya,Libon andBuhinon. Of the fourAlbay Bikol languages, Buhinon is the only one not used in Albay but rather inBuhi, Camarines Sur.
Rinconada Bikol is a minority language in the province and used by people in barangays ofLibon andPolangui that are near the boundary ofBato andIriga inCamarines Sur. Another primary language used in the province isCentral Bikol which is thenative tongue of the population on the eastern coast of theBicol Peninsula. Both Albay Bikol languages and Rinconada Bikol are members ofInland Bikol group of languages whileCentral Bikol is a language member ofCoastal Bikol. The Tabaco - Legazpi - Sorsogon dialect of Central Bikol is spoken inLegazpi,Tabaco and neighboring municipalities on the east side of Albay, and some parts of northernSorsogon (especially inSorsogon City).
The majority of the inhabitants also understandEnglish andFilipino as second languages.
Agriculture is the main industry in Albay, which produces crops likecoconut,rice,sugar andabacá.Handicrafts are the major source of rural income and comprises a fairly large share in the small-scale industries of the province. Forestry, cement production and paper-making are other sources of livelihood. The manufacture of abacá products such asManila hemp, hats, bags, mats, furniture, home decors,[38] and slippers is one of the main sources of income in the rural areas. Production of abaca fiber experienced a boom from the late 1800s until the American period.[39] Fishing is the main livelihood along both shores of the province. Tourism, especially related to Mayon Volcano, also creates income for Albay. For the year 2013, Albay had a total of 339,445 foreign tourist arrivals.
In the December, 2023 Pili Fiesta, Director Marita A. Carlos ofDOST-PCAARRD introduced technologies onpili (C. ovatum tree) production in Albay,Bicol Region. She aimed to promote pili as a flagship industry.[40]
The Philippine elementary school begins in Grades 1 to 6. The high school program takes six years, from Grades 7 through to 12, taken after graduating from elementary school. It has two large universities and several colleges and institutes, each with a number of college branches mostly throughout the capital,Legazpi City, and more than a dozen other schools and universities specializing in various courses such as Medicine, Engineering, Nautical courses, Nursing, Law, Commerce, Education, Computer and IT and other professions.
The most prominent of these universities are (in alphabetical order):
Other Higher Educational Institutions
Local Colleges in Albay
The Regional Office of the Department of Education - Region V-Bicol is located at thr Regional Site, Rawis, Legazpi City 4500.
Regional Director -GILBERT T. SADSADAssistant Regional Director -Bebiano I. Sentillas
Division of Albay
Division of Legazpi City
Division of Ligao City
Division of Tabaco City
Albay hasthreecongressional districts encompassing its 15 municipalities and 3 component cities.
| District | Representative[41] | Cityor municipality | District population (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st District (Coastal District) | Krisel B. Lagman | 398,050 | |
| 2nd District (Capital District) | Carlos A. Loria | 484,409 | |
| 3rd District (Miraya District) | Adrian E. Salceda | 499,589 |
Albay has 383.22 kilometers (238.12 mi) of national roads, mostly paved with asphalt, with 5.25 kilometers (3.26 mi) remaining unpaved.[42]Maharlika Highway (N1/AH26) serves as the principal road connection between other provinces. Most of the province is served bysecondary national roads, assigned route numbers in the series, namelyBicol-630 andBicol-640. Almost all of the cities and municipalities are connected by national roads, except forRapu-Rapu.
In order to spur development in the province, the Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 the extension ofSouth Luzon Expressway.[43] A 420-kilometer, four lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the now under construction SLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao,Lucena City inQuezon toMatnog, Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that they will invest the project which will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours.[44]
Albay is the region's principal trans-shipment point with its ports: Tabaco International Port, Legazpi National Port, Pio Duran Provincial Port, and the Pantao Regional Port.
Traveling to the province by air is served by theBicol International Airport in the municipality ofDaraga, adjacent municipality of Legazpi City. The airport is the province's gateway fromManila andCebu City in the Visayas. The province was formerly served by the now defunctLegazpi Airport.
Albay is served by the mainline of thePhilippine National Railways (PNR), and has commuter service betweenNaga inCamarines Sur. Trains to Manila (Tutuban), theMayon Limited, is suspended from November 2012. Four stations serve Polangui, Ligao, Guinobatan, and Legazpi, respectively.
icon marks thecity/town center.
Media related toAlbay at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toAlbay atOpenStreetMap
The dictionary definition ofAlbay at WiktionaryPlaces adjacent to Albay | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
| Province ofAlbay | |
|---|---|
Legazpi (capital and largest city) | |
| Municipalities | |
| Component cities | |
Articles related to Albay | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
