Naga | |
|---|---|
| City of Naga | |
.jpg) San Francisco Church and Quince Martires Plaza  Naga City Hall  Malabsay Falls  Peñafrancia Festival | |
 Flag  Seal | |
Nicknames:
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| Motto: Naga Na, Uswag Pa! (Naga Now, Prosper More!) | |
| Anthem: Heart of Bicol March | |
 Map of Camarines Sur with Naga highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Naga Naga (Philippines) Show map of Philippines | |
| Coordinates:13°37′28″N123°11′11″E / 13.6244°N 123.1864°E /13.6244; 123.1864 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol Region |
| Province | Camarines Sur(geographically only) |
| District | 3rd district |
| Founded (as Ciudad de Nueva Caceres) | 1575 |
| Royal City-Charter | 1595 |
| Renamed as Naga | 1919 |
| Cityhood | June 18, 1948 |
| Founded by | Capt. Pedro de Chavez |
| Barangays | 27 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlungsod |
| • Mayor | Maria Leonor G. Robredo[1] |
| • Vice Mayor | Gabriel H. Bordado, Jr.[2] |
| • Representative | Nelson S. Legacion |
| • City Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 121,773 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
| 84.48 km2 (32.62 sq mi) | |
| • Urban | 225.79 km2 (87.18 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,342 km2 (518 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,864 m (6,115 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | −1 m (−3.3 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[5] | |
| 210,545 | |
| • Density | 2,492/km2 (6,455/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 342,769 |
| • Urban density | 1,518.1/km2 (3,931.8/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 858,414 |
| • Metro density | 639.7/km2 (1,657/sq mi) |
| • Households | 45,984 |
| Demonym(s) | Nagueño (masculine) Nagueña (feminine) Nagueñians (English, unofficial) |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st city income class (R.A. 11964) |
| • Poverty incidence | 21.37 |
| • HDI |  0.767 (High) |
| • Revenue | ₱ 1,764 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 6,225 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 1,580 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 1,256 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Camarines Sur 2 Electric Cooperative (CASURECO 2) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 4400 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)54 |
| Native languages | Central Bikol |
| Feast date | Third Saturday and Third Sunday of September |
| Catholic diocese | Archdiocese of Caceres |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of Peñafrancia |
| Website | naga |
Naga (officially theCity of Naga;Central Bikol:Siyudad nin Naga;Rinconada Bikol:Siyudad ka Naga;Tagalog:Lungsod ng Naga;Spanish:Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres; or thePilgrim City of Naga) is anindependent component city in theBicol Region of thePhilippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 210,545 people.[7] It is the most populous city in Camarines Sur and the smallest city inBicol by land area.
The town was established in 1575 by order ofSpanishGovernor-GeneralFrancisco de Sande. The city, thenNueva Cáceres (NewCáceres), was one of the Spanish royal cities in theSpanish East Indies, along withManila,Cebu City, andIloilo City. Historically, it is to be the third oldest.[8]
Geographically and statistically classified, as well as legislatively represented withinCamarines Sur, but administratively independent of the provincial government, Naga is considered to be theBicol Region's trade,[9][10] business,[10] religious, cultural, industrial, commercial,[11] medical,[12][13] educational,[11][14][15] and financial center.
Naga is known as the "Queen City of Bicol" due to the historical significance of Naga in the Bicol Region;[16] as the "Heart of Bicol",[17][18] due to its central geographical location on theBicol Peninsula; and as "Pilgrim City," since Naga is also the destination of one of the largest Marianpilgrimages in Asia to the shrine ofOur Lady of Peñafrancia, an image that is one of the country's most popular objects of devotion.[19] Naga is described as "One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun" byNick Joaquín.[20]
It is one of the two Philippine cities named Naga, the other being inCebu.
Naga is the native pre-colonial name of the city. It is named after thenarra tree (Pterocarpus indicus), which is known asnaga in theBicol language. It was abundant in the region and was part of a pre-colonial industry of wooden cups and bowls made from narra that produced distinctive blue and yellow opalescent colors when water is poured into them (later known to Europeans aslignum nephriticum). During theSpanish colonial era, they were exported toMexico as luxury goods for their purporteddiuretic properties via theManila-Acapulco Galleons, and from there, toEurope. They were often presented as gifts to European nobility.[21][22]
TheJesuitmissionary and historian Juan José Delgado (1697–1755) describes the industry in the following:
The city called Nueva Caceres by the Spaniards bears among the natives the name Naga, on account of the abundance of this tree throughout those provinces of Camarines and Albay, where they carve very curious cups out of it for drinking water. Those made of female naga (pale white wood) are much the better, for this wood tinges the water very quickly to a celestial color, more quickly than the male (reddish wood). These cups are much esteemed in Europe and are regarded as a gift well worthy of any prince. Out of one of these cups they made me drink when I was a child, in Cadiz (Spain), as a remedy for hydropsy and oppilation, and I think that it might have helped me had I not drunk too much.
— Juan José Delgado,Biblioteca Histórica Filipina: Historia general sacro-profana, política y natural de las islas del poniente llamadas Filipinas (1751),[21]
The Bicolandia was closely allied with theKedatuan of Madja-as Confederation, which was located southeast onPanay Island. According to the epicMaragtas, twodatus and their followers, who followed Datu Puti, arrived atTaal Lake, with one group later settling aroundLaguna de Bay, and another group pushing southward into theBicol Peninsula, placing the Bicolanos between people fromLuzon and people from theVisayas. An ancient tomb preserved among the Bicolanos, discovered and examined by anthropologists during the 1920s, refers to some of the same deities and personages mentioned in theMaragtas.[23] It is however worth noting that no other material written records remain that can accurately back the epic's narrative.[24]
Prior to the arrival of the first Spanishconquistadors in what is now present day Naga City, the pre-colonial settlement of Naga was a regionallyhegemonicpolity geographically located on a strategictributary, now known as theNaga River, flowing fromMount Isarog to theBicol River.[25]: 8
According to historiansWilliam Henry Scott and Danilo Madrid Gerona, precolonial societies were referred to by the natives asduluhan, a broader socio-political structure than the purported familiality of the natives.[26]: 17 In Naga and in the rest of Bicol during that period, the only known tripartite social classes derived from Visayanbarangays were themaguino ("maginoo" in Tagalog), the richest noble class addressed asKagoangnan ("elder" in Bikol) that were only permitted to datoship;timagua, ortimawa, the commoners that constituted the general population; and theoripon ("alipin" in Tagalog), a slave class composed of other subclasses, such as theguintubo (pandoan in plural).[27]: 183–184 [26]: 16–17
Naga's tributary was highlypotable due to the prevalence of cascadingsprings from Mount Isarog, purifying the mountain's downstream.[25]: 15 A richecosystem offlora andfauna sparsely inhabited withinmangrove thickets were largelyendemic to this district.[28]: 21 From theigenous composition of Mount Isarog and within the vicinity of the Bicol River as the peninsulardrainage basin, thesoil of Naga was highlyfertile in nature, attesting to its natural wealth.[28]: 21
Theterritorial extent of the settlement of Naga was contained on the tributary's easternbank, adjacent to a highly dependentbarangay that was Tabuc, now present day barangays Tabuco and Abella[28]: 20 ; the name derived from the Bikol word "taboc", a"cockfighting blade", due to the landform's resemblance.[25]: 15 The Naga settlement is now roughly within the area where the present-day barangays of Lerma and Tinago are located.[28]: 18
Tabuco was highly instrumental in the development of Naga,[25]: 15 simultaneously with the othervassal barangays in the riverine district payingtribute to Naga in gold and rice. Coupled with the tributary'schoke point, these effectively made Naga a highly influential village in domestic inter-barangic politics.[25]: 12
The settlement of Naga, attributed to its strategic location, was a major trading outpost, controllingtraffic between thegold mining barangays ofParacale and Mambulao (nowJose Panganiban) and therice cultivating district of Yraya, where pre-HispanicBato andLibon were located.[25]: 14 The settlement's prowess in trading, not limited to domestic ties but to inter-maritime affairs, acquired Naga a comparatively advanced armament consisting of "iron corselets, greaves,wristlets,gauntlets,helmets,arquebuses, andculverins"[29][30] from foreign Asian traders, evidently Chinese traders of theMing dynasty from theSilk Road.[25]: 16
The fertile soil in Naga reflected the "export-scale" rice andabaca production, also harboring an abundance ofhardwoods such as narra, yakal (Shorea astylosa), guijo (Shorea guiso), kamagong (Diospyros blancoi), and molave (Vitex parviflora).[28]: 21 Popular regional livelihoods in the Naga district also includedfishery, accompanied by the Bicol River'smarine biodiversity offreshwater fish,mollusks, andcrustaceans.[28]: 21 Additionally, Naga once led a major regionalmetal industry that the Spanish came to soon propose of further territorial ambitions into the purported opulence ofLos Camarines.[25]: 15
In July 1573,Governor-GeneralGuido de Lavezaris ordered the first Spanish expedition intoSouthern Luzon. Led byconquistadorJuan de Salcedo, they eventually landed in the settlement of Naga. Augustinianchronicler Fray Gaspar de San Agustin, detailed the amount of the barangay's nativeedifices to number 3,000, beyond Libon's 800.[25]: 11 [28]: 18 Disputedly, as San Agustin infamously inflated statistics beyond proportion, it was indicated in his report that "in the river of Vicol and Camarines whichcapital was the village of Naga and had one hundred thousand armed men excludinglaborers andmerchants."[25]: 11 [31]
Reporting Naga'scraftsmanship inmetallurgy and affluence from maritime trading afforded the establishment of agarrison and Bicol's firstCatholicmission base, now the San Francisco Parish Church, formerly made ofwood andhay; on the western bank of Naga's river.[25]: 15 Three months after Salcedo's return toManila with his 800taels (400grams) ofgold, his garrison stationed in Naga hoarded a total of 2,800 taels (140kilograms) of gold from the riverine district.[25]: 17–18
In 1574,Doctor Francisco de Sande, in continuation of the archipelagic colonization, executed themilitary campaign to conquer the newly discoveredpolities in Southern Luzon.[25]: 19 [28]: 24 Thiscontingent was led by Salcedo's most prominentfield commanders:Captain Pedro de Chavez,Alferez Cristobal de Saldaña, Francisco Saavedra, and Esteban de Solis.[25]: 19 Armed with hundreds ofsoldiers and native alliedwarriors, the overall contingent departed Manila southbound and initially engaged with the hostile villages of Mambulao and Paracale, then, upon further incursions down south,Baao,Bula, and Naga.[28]: 24
In Naga, the armed residents waged a fiercedefensivebattle on the settlement's river banks against the Spanish forces.[25]: 19 Ultimately, despite the stubborn resistance, the natives succumbed to the Spanish; throughout the ordeal, the locals suffered substantial casualties.[25]: 19 Upholding the warriors of the conquered barangay in profound esteem, Augustinian chroniclerFray Martin de Rada once said,[25]: 19 [32]
"The people there are the most valiant and best armed men of all these islands. Consequently, although they never attacked the Spaniards, they defended themselves in all their villages, and would not surrender unless conquered by force of arms. Consequently, all those villages were entered in the same way, by first summoning them to submit peacefully, and to pay tribute immediately unless they wished war. They replied that they would first prove those to whom they were to pay tribute, and consequently, the Spaniards attacking them, an entrance was made among them by force of arms, and the village was overthrown and whatever was found pillaged."
— Fray Martin de Rada to Viceroy Martin Enriquez, pp. 286-288
In 1575, Captain Pedro de Chávez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on garrison grounds a temporary settlement.[33] He christened the settlement after incumbent Gov.-Gen. Sande's hometown ofCáceres, Spain.[25]: 27 [28]: 26
The Spanish administrative capital settled in Libon was transferred to the area of Naga due to its centrally strategic location administering the other newly erectedencomiendas, rapidly populating the riverine district.[28]: 25 By 1578,Christianization efforts were first spearheaded in the Camarines region by Franciscans Pablo de Jesus and Bartolome Ruiz in collaboration with the encomiendas through the system ofreducción,[25]: 36–37 [28]: 25 embodied in the voluminious compendium of theRecopilacion de Leyes de los Reinos de las Indias (Laws of the Indies) urging for:[34]
"the natives for their own advantage and comfort should live together in the pueblos, and not scattered around the hills and mountains, deprived of all material and spiritual benefits of the minister and of the natural interaction by law of nature, among men."
— Recopilación de Leyes de las Indias
During the period of protracted pacification, theencomienda system was officiallyratified in the region, supplanting the inter-barangic and hegemonicadministrative order overImperial rule.[25]: 20—21 [28]: 24
The first wards incorporated in theencomienda system were Naga andCamaligan, assigned to encomendero Pedro Cid.[25]: 20 The Crown appropriated the conquered lands to the highly decorated Spanish soldiers who participated in the incursions, enjoining them to a "threefold responsibility" of "(1) to maintain peace among the natives within theencomienda, (2) to support the missionaries, (3) to protect and defend the natives from any hostile elements."[25]: 20 [28]: 24
In return, the encomenderos were formally authorized to exact a tribute of eightreales annually upon their male subjects, ranging from ages of nineteen to sixty. The former polities'chieftains had to regularly collect tributes from his residents, then forward thecurrency orcommodity to the encomendero in charge, who typically resided in the administrative capital. A quarter of a ward's tribute was madetaxable to royal coffers, simultaneously funding the clergy.[25]: 20–21 [28]: 24
Thecentralized bureaucracy of the Spanish dealt a crucial role in itsurban planning thereafter, which in turn, influenced the establishment of Nueva Caceres.[25]: 24 Imperiallegislation, prescribed primarily by the Laws of the Indies, tailored the preferable urban settlement to acosmopolitan congregation ofself-sustainable industries, a naturalbottle neck of commerce, and the strategic base of bothecclesiastical and military operations.[25]: 24—25 [34]
On 27 May 1579, Capt. Juan Arce de Sadornil, the garrison commander in Naga, received instructions from the Imperial administration in Manila pertaining to the appropriate selection of a Spanish settlement in Bicol.[25]: 37 Capt. Sadornil coordinated with the Franciscan missionaries at the San Francisco de Naga convent to chart their settlement's expanse to observe the logistical, strategical, and technical feasibility of a formal settlement's construction.[28]: 26
Sometime in 1579, the departure of the two pioneering missionaries brought about Fray Geronimo Aguilar, who sat at the San Francisco de Naga convent from 1579 until 1586. He was the first missionary to teach the nativesIberian music such as Spanishcantos, including Western notation such astonic sol-fas that made their way toward the 1700s in Camarines parishes.[25]: 39 Cáceres, which were mostly wired to missionary operations, had gained theSt. John the Evangelist parish church (now the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral) upon Philip II's royal order to construct an explicitly secular parish attending the ecclesiastical needs of the Spanish community of Nueva Cáceres. (adivision of labor between those ofreligious orders serving as missionaries and secular priests serving to Cáceres residents only)[25]: 39–43 Its first curate, founded in 1579 as evinced by a report he wrote in Nueva España dated 10 May 1580, wasBachiller Balthasar de Miranda.[25]: 39–43
The parish priest was allotted stipends of fifty thousandmaravedis directly from the royal treasury, converting the balance to three hundred pesos, parallel to the alcalde mayor's which were shouldered by the residents of Nueva Cáceres.
Composed of a couple hundred Spanish colonists at this point, on 16 September 1579, Gov.-Gen. Sande acquired royal recognition decreeing the appellation of "villa" onto the newly dubbed settlement of Cáceres.[25]: 27 [28]: 26 In subsequent documents within the Manila bureaucracy, "nueva," Spanish for "new," was prefixed to "Cáceres," thus "Nueva Cáceres," to distinguish the locality from itsnamesake in themainland.[25]: 27
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The prerequisites of being elevated to villa, historically subject by Nueva Cáceres, were the settlement had to have atleast a semblance of preliminaryurbanization sheltered by a strategicmilitary base with aims for further conquest.[25]: 26 The Villa de Cáceres had about 24 encomenderos taking quarters in it by 1581 according to a report from Capt. Miguel de Loarca.[25]: 29 [35]
From 1580—1581, the burgeoning Spanish community in Nueva Cáceres laid the framework for the earliest city-styledlocal governance in Southern Luzon. Inspired by Latin American municipal bureaucracies, thealcaldia (the province) Nueva Cáceres had analcalde mayor with a salary of three hundredpesos, serving as itsCapitan de Guerra (military commander); counciled by a lower echelon ofpublic officials referred to as thecabildo (municipal council), which consisted of 2 alcaldes-in-ordinary and 6regidores, the council of elderlies, appointed by the governor-general.[25]: 29 [35]
Thealcaldia's (referring to the pacified province)territorial jurisdiction in 1581 extended from Camarines towardCatanduanes, instilling the regidores to "elect" (although it was represented as democratic, elections were merely an elitist selection of whom the governor-general could appoint) among the general populace of thevecino (colonists), mayors, and thealguaciles (constables).[25]: 29–31
On 8 September 1585,Gov.-Gen. Santiago de Vera ordered the municipal government, in collaboration with Fray Juan de Garrovillas of the San Francisco convent, to[25]: 38–39
"inspect the poblaciones to be built, the size and form of the churches, you must also consider the work to be carried out by the natives where these poblaciones and churches will be established."
— Gov.-Gen. Santiago de Vera
This eventually culminated to a decree in 1594 formally authorizing the Franciscans at the helm of the San Francisco church to take over all ecclesiastical operations in all of the region.
By the start of 1586, the Franciscans from the San Francisco convent established the Hospital de San Diego, referred to more popularly as the Hospital de San Lazaro. This was also granted upon royal degree byPhilip II of Spain.[36]
In 1586, recognizing the cruciality of thecuidad (city) status, a formal letter was sent to Philip II, thereby requesting the King:[25]: 32 [28]: 33 [37]
"...(a) to confirm the present status of Caceres as a city created by virtue of the governor-general's will and authority; (b) to allocate a propio of about 1,000 men or more to the city; (c) to preserve the present set-up of the city government; (d) to confirm and honor the appointments to the various offices."
— Memorial de lo que se ha pedir a su Magestad haga merced a la cuidad de Caceres en la provincia de Bicor y Camarines en las isla de Luzon, en estas islas del poniente
In this document, the Spanish officials mentioned were Luis Briceño,alguacil mayor; and Juan de Guzman and Sebastian Garcia,regidores.[25]: 32 [37] Augmenting the elevation of a cuidad meant apropio (native settlement providing basic goods to the city) was required to supplement such substantial urbanization of Nueva Cáceres, ultimately to the expense of the natives in thealcaldia.[25]: 32–33 The rapidgentrification of Nueva Cáceres prompted the assignment of the "component villages" Naga and Tabuc topropio's bidding.
By 1588, the population of Nueva Cáceres were numbering the hundreds upon upholding of city status. The incipient city consisted of 30 citizens, 20 of whom married (some settling after Capt. Juan Maldonado's expedition in 1585) and 6 among them married to native women; 30 soldiers; "a church with avicar, a Franciscan Monastery with twopriests and two brothers besides and one alcalde mayor."[25]: 33 [38] Encouragement from authorities tointerbreed with the native population was decisively a means to maintain the growth of the city, "even blurring the racial gap."[25]: 33
Up toward the 1590s, the honorifics ofvilla andcuidad were often used interchangably, denoting the blurred distinctions of the locality among its vast residencies, especially among clerical spheres in contast to the newfound municipal bureaucracy.
By the 17th century, almost most of thepropios under the Spaniards had been completely converted to Catholicism, abandoning their animistic heritage altogether.
"Nueva Cáceres" was identified in thepapal bull ofPope Clement VIII on 14 August 1595, which established the see of Cáceres, together withCebú andNueva Segovia, and made it the seat of the new bishopric subject to theArchdiocese of Manila. Unfortunately, the Diocese's first priest passed away before his assumption,Luis Maldonado,O.F.M., with a successor who also had the same fate,Francisco Ortega,O.S.A., in 1599.
Nueva Cáceres was settled by around 100 Spaniards from Europe[39], reinforced by migrations fromMexico during Capt. Maldonado's expedition. From a report by Don Antonio Morga of theOidor of theRoyal Audencia, he characterized the urban life of Nueva Cáceres as:[25]: 44–45
"...well populated since the time of Doctor Sande, Governor of the Philippine Islands. It has approximately one hundred Spaniards, with its city corporations and mayors, aldermen, and officials."
— Don Antonio Morga's report of the Oidor of the Royal Audiencia
A bishrophicvacuum brought about by the diocese's shortlived episcopasies, an insufficient taxation system, the constancy of hostile Dutch naval incursions, led by two ships from Van Noort's fleet of Lambert Vleisman starting in 1600; and Moro raids resulted in a demented civic development of Nueva Cáceres.
One of the causes of poverty was the inadequent population, bothindio and Spaniard, to sufficiently fund Nueva Cáceres' public systems. Coupled with this is the dependence of Hispanic Naga on the now defunct regional trade amongduluhans in the Vicor riverine district.
Baltazar de Cobarrubias y Múñoz,O.S.A. was officially appointed as successor, taking on the diocese in 1603, but ultimately losing it in 1605.[25]: 51 The following,Pedro de Godinez,O.F.M., was among one of those who passed before seating the diocese; he was however the only one with a preliminary plan such as a document revealed inSeville to construct aconcrete cathedral upon immediate arrival.[25]: 51
The first to be elected among the ensemble of the former missionaries of the Diocese of Cáceres wasPedro Matía, O.F.M., serving from 1612 then perishing a year later.[25]: 51 Diego Guevara, O.S.A. followed in 1617 until 1621, thenLuis de Cañizares,O.M. dying before being seated in the diocese in 1624. In 1628, Cañizares' successor,Francisco de Zamudio y Avendaño, O.S.A., breathed new hope to the city's ecclesiastical sphere, not succumbing as immediately as many before had.[25]: 51 Despite this, Zamudio's episcopate was marred with controversies, ultimately passing in 1639.Nicolás de Zaldívar y Zapata, O.S.A. arrived in 1642, then died in 1646.
In 1653,Antonio de San Gregorio, O.F.M. was the first to serve the post five years onward, dying only eight years later in 1661.[25]: 52–55 Abhorring the squalor of the city, San Gregorio provided a comment through a letter requesting royal assistance, stating:[25]: 52–54
"there is in the city of Nueba Cazeres the following: the cathedral, which is a small chapel of bamboo without bells nor ornaments, burned down by the Dutch enemy years before. After the cathedral is the house of the alcalde mayor, made of good bricks and lime; there are also the houses of the escribano and the alguacil mayor which are of bamboo. Following this is a structure which they call the hospital, also of bamboo and the last is the convent of San Francisco, a very massive structure of lime and bricks."
San Gregorio also proposed toPhilip IV the complete rehaul of the cathedral edifice, which was considered largely decrepit and neglected. In 20 March 1660, the king officially decreed its renovation, but by this point, San Gregorio had already passed a year later, not living to see the completion of the cathedral.[25]: 55
Succeeding San Gregorio wasAndrés González,O.P., the longest of which ruled the See of Cáceres. Assuming the episcopate in 1661, González ordered further repairs in the cathedral. This backfired however, resulting in a fissured wall "made worse by the earthquakes."[25]: 55 After González,Domingo de Valencia seated the diocese in 1718, dying a year later.[25]: 55 His successor was Felipe de Molina, now appalled at the backward state of Naga. Molina also pointed out the rundown condition of the house of priests turned bishop's residence through his comment, "that there was no place for him to live in."[25]: 56
This demonstrates the underdeveloped edifices scattered across the city, implying the episcopacy's ineffectivity resulting in such thwarted advancement of the city. In time, the Spanish city and the native village merged into one community. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with anayuntamiento andcabildo of its own. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were only five otherciudades in thePhilippines. Nueva Cáceres remained the capital of theAmbos Camarines provinces and later of Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent chartered city of Naga under a sovereign Philippines.
For hundreds of years during the Spanish colonial era, Naga grew to become the center of trade, education, and culture, and the seat of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Bicol.
Under the commands of Corporals Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo,revolutionaries planned arevolt against the Spanish on September 18, 1898. The revolt was mistakenly taken as fact from gossip among the maids of the Franciscans in Naga. Gunfire rang out until 5 a.m., and the remaining Spaniards sought shelter at the convent of San Francisco Church. When the Spaniards could no longer withstand the pressure, they signed a peace treaty at theUniversity of Sta. Isabel, a school. The aforementioned "peace treaty" is displayed at the USI Museum.
This revolt marked a turning point in Naga City's history, bringing an end to over 323 years ofSpanish rule since the founding ofNueva Cáceres. A city ordinance, passed by the Naga City Government, designates September 19 as Liberation Day in the City of Naga. This is ordinance number 2006-050. The ordinance also outlines activities for commemoratingLiberation Day and allocates funds to support them.[40]
With the advent of American rule, the city was reduced to a municipality. In 1919, it has been renamed asNaga.
Naga came under Japanese occupation on December 18, 1941, following theJapanese invasion of Legaspi a few days earlier.[41]
On May 1, 1942, the Camp Isarog Guerilllas fromUpper Partido, led by Teofila Padua and Faustino Flor, along with other local resistance contingents, stormed the Japanese garrisons in Naga to liberate American and Filipino prisoners from the Naga Provincial Capitol (now the site ofPuregold Naga) . After two days of besieging the Naga Provincial Capitol, the guerilla forces liberated Naga fromImperial Japanese forces and released the prisoners. In response,Governor-General Masaharu Homma, on May 5, dispatched 8,000 Japanese soldiers fromManila to relieve the garrison in Naga, prompting the contingents to flee and concede.[42][43]
In March 1945, heavyAlliedfirebombing from theUnited States Army Air Forces’Fifth Air Force levelled most of Naga’s infrastructure, with only the Cathedral, Capitol, Seminary,Peñafrancia Shrine, and a house north of Naga being left unscathed. This elicited the Japanese garrisons to resort to more stalwart strongholds and to strengthen their local counter-intelligence capabilities.[44]
On April 5, 1945,Allied Intelligence Bureau (AIB) officer Major Russel Barros, in a meeting at Pamukid Central School,San Fernando, organized a local taskforce to liberate Naga.Major Juan Q. Miranda, one of the famed commanders of the Tangcong Vaca Guerilla Unit, was voted as its overall commander. The task force was composed of six other company columns; Capt. Mamerto Sibulo, Lt. Honorato Osio, Lt. Nicolas Penaredondo, all of the Tancong Vaca Guerilla Unit (TVGU); The Blue Eagle under Lt. Felicisimo De Asis; thePhilippine Army Air Corps under Lt. Delfin Rosales; and the Blue Eagle under Capt. Serenilla.[45]
On April 9, the joint task force recaptured the abandoned garrisons ofAteneo De Naga campus and Naga Provincial Capitol, engaging only then with the encamped Japanese garrison at the Abella residence by the Panganiban Bridge and theMRR-ownedNaga Station at Tabuco.[45]
On April 10, the joint task force met heavy resistance at the Manley residence, requisitioned HQ of theKempeitai inCamarines Sur, by the Colgante Bridge, with the siege lasting all night until the depleted Japanese fortification fled for the Dayangdang Street. On the following day, the guerillas pursued thetactical withdrawal of the Japanese, until the retreat manned the Diaz hardware. Adeadlock was
then set in place between the guerillas and the Japanese for the entire day.[45]
On the next day of the 12th, with the overwhelming firepower of a50. caliber machine gun however, the contingents forced theJapanese to retreat the hardware onwards toward Palestina and Cadlan and eventually out of the town's premises. Some strayingJapanese units retreated toMt. Isarog via Pacol, consigning them to theU.S Army’sFifth Cavalry Regiment commencement of mopping up operations afterward.[45]
On April 13, 1945, Naga was officially liberated from Japanese occupation.
After Naga was liberated from the Japanese, Naga began rebuilding. Having suffered only a few casualties, Naga was able to rebuild quickly after the war.
After many petitions, Naga once again became a city on June 18, 1948, when it acquired its present city charter; and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year by virtue of Republic Act No. 305.[46]
Naga is located within the province of Camarines Sur at the southeastern part of Luzon, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) fromPili and 435 kilometres (270 mi) southeast ofManila, the nation's capital, and near the center of theBicol Region.[47]
It is surrounded on all sides by forests and by rich agricultural and fishing areas. It has an area of 84.48 km2 and is located on the serpentine and historicNaga River, at theconfluence of the Naga andBikol rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade, and as center for schools, church, and government offices. Included its territory is a portion ofMount Isarog, Barangay Panicuason, a declaredprotected area known as Mount Isarog Natural Park covering 10,090.89 hectares.[48]
| Climate data for Naga | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.2 (86.4) | 31.1 (88.0) | 32.8 (91.0) | 34.3 (93.7) | 34.2 (93.6) | 32.4 (90.3) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.8 (87.4) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.3 (86.5) | 31.7 (89.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.1 (79.0) | 27.6 (81.7) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.5 (85.1) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.3 (81.1) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 27.4 (81.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.9 (69.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.8 (73.0) | 21.6 (70.9) | 23.1 (73.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 6.3 (0.25) | 3.3 (0.13) | 7.1 (0.28) | 9.3 (0.37) | 100.4 (3.95) | 272.7 (10.74) | 341.2 (13.43) | 398.3 (15.68) | 326.0 (12.83) | 230.0 (9.06) | 120.4 (4.74) | 48.8 (1.92) | 1,863.8 (73.38) |
| Average rainy days | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 16.0 | 19.0 | 17.0 | 13.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 104 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
According to theKöppen climate classification system, Naga has atropical savanna climate.
The weather in the city from March to May is hot and dry, with temperatures ranging from 24 to 34 °C (75 to 93 °F). Thetyphoon season is from June to October, and the weather then is generally rainy. From November to February, the climate is cooler with temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C (72 to 82 °F). The average year-round humidity is 77%.[49]
Naga is politically subdivided into 27barangays.[50] Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios.
| Barangays | Class | Population[51] | Barangay head |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abella | Urban | 5,757 | Hon. Apolinario Malana Jr. |
| Bagumbayan Norte | Urban | 2,203 | Hon. Raquel Tutanes |
| Bagumbayan Sur | Urban | 7,867 | Hon. Josephine Camba |
| Balatas | Urban | 11,112 | Hon. Ferdinand De Hitta |
| Calauag | Urban | 11,295 | Hon. Ma. Corazon Peñaflor |
| Cararayan | Urban | 19,692 | Hon. Rodrigo Agravante Jr. |
| Carolina | Urban | 6,870 | Ho. Leoncio Libuit |
| Concepcion Grande | Urban | 11,125 | Hon. Jerrold Rito |
| Concepcion Pequeña | Urban | 25,139 | Hon. Juan Francis Mendoza |
| Dayangdang | Urban | 4,130 | Hon. Julius Cesar Sanchez |
| Del Rosario | Urban | 10,337 | Hon. Jose Peñas III |
| Dinaga | Urban | 344 | Hon. Ma. Cristina Intia |
| Igualdad Interior | Urban | 3,008 | Hon. Angelito Bendiola |
| Lerma | Urban | 1,640 | Hon. Domingo Serrado |
| Liboton | Urban | 3,105 | Hon. Ronald Luntok |
| Mabolo | Urban | 8,125 | Hon. Arthur Matos |
| Pacol | Urban | 14,747 | Hon Ruben Limbo |
| Panicuason | Urban | 3,100 | Hon. Domingo Ramos |
| Peñafrancia | Urban | 4,503 | Hon. Jacky Villafuerte |
| Sabang | Urban | 6,838 | Hon. Cyrus Caballero |
| San Felipe | Urban | 21,098 | Hon. Alfonso Rodriguez |
| San Francisco | Urban | 722 | Hon. Efren Nepomuceno |
| San Isidro | Urban | 3,432 | Hon. Veronica Panganiban |
| Santa Cruz | Urban | 7,135 | Hon. Felix Matias Largo |
| Tabuco | Urban | 4,240 | Hon. Elisa Carmona |
| Tinago | Urban | 2,904 | Hon. Estelita Bautista |
| Triangulo | Urban | 8,702 | Hon. Raymund Arevalo |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 17,943 | — |
| 1918 | 9,396 | −4.22% |
| 1939 | 22,505 | +4.25% |
| 1948 | 56,238 | +10.71% |
| 1960 | 55,506 | −0.11% |
| 1970 | 79,846 | +3.70% |
| 1975 | 83,337 | +0.86% |
| 1980 | 90,712 | +1.71% |
| 1990 | 115,329 | +2.43% |
| 1995 | 126,972 | +1.82% |
| 2000 | 137,810 | +1.77% |
| 2007 | 160,516 | +2.13% |
| 2010 | 174,931 | +3.18% |
| 2015 | 196,003 | +2.19% |
| 2020 | 209,170 | +1.38% |
| 2024 | 210,545 | +0.16% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[52][53][54][55][56] | ||
According to the 2020 census, the population of Naga is 209,170 people, with a density of 2,300/km2. Naga had an average annual population growth of 1.29% between 2010 and 2020 according to same census. All populated areas of the city are classified as urban. Naga City has about the same population as Legazpi City (209,533).
The city is the ecclesiastical seat of theArchdiocese of Caceres, which oversees the Catholic population in theBicol Region, whose archbishop is theprimate of the region. This dominant faith is supported by the presence of old and influential Catholic institutions, from universities to churches run by differentreligious institutes, notably theAteneo de Naga University by theJesuits; theUniversidad de Santa Isabel by theDaughters of Charity; theNaga Metropolitan Cathedral, which is the oldest cathedral that is still standing inLuzon outsideMetro Manila;Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, which is the largest Catholic structure in southern Luzon in terms of size and land area;Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine; the historicSan Francisco Church; and Peñafrancia Museum.
Protestant denominations in the city includeSeventh-day Adventists andBible Baptists, whose churches are located along Magsaysay Avenue, while other Protestants attend the Methodist Church which is among the old structures along Peñafrancia Avenue.
TheAssemblies of God maintains a fast-growing ministry in Naga. Aside from Naga Bethel Church (formerly Naga Bethel Temple), which is located on Felix Plazo Street, other local congregations are Philippians Christian Fellowship (in barangays San Felipe), Gethsemane Christian Ministries (in Carolina), and outreach ministries in other barangays.
The largest minority religion in Naga isIglesia ni Cristo (INC). INC has several chapels in different barangays in the city, and the local congregation is the largest in the district. It is followed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as "Mormon") which has several congregations (wards) with their main church building situated along Panganiban Drive not far from the INC's.
There is also a concentration ofJesus Miracle Crusade ministries in the city.
Muslims,Sikhs, andTaoists can also be found in the city.
The Coastal Bikol-Central dialect of the CoastalBikol language is the dominant dialect spoken by the population in Naga.[57] Central Standard Bikol is also the basis for other dialects in theBicol Region.[58] The majority of the city's population can understand and speak English,Filipino, andTagalog. Because of the influx of people from the Rinconada area that are studying in different universities,Rinconada Bikol can also be heard in different schools and throughout the city. Some Nagueños have varying degrees of proficiency with Rinconada Bikol, since the southern half of Pili, which is the boundary between Rinconada Bikol and Coastal Bikol speakers, is just few kilometers away from Naga. Although the main language is Bikol, and the medium of instruction in school is English, people in Naga usually tell time and count in Spanish.
In 2010,UNESCO released its 3rd volume ofAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger, where three criticallyendangered languages were in the Philippines. One of these is theIsarog Agta language, of the Isarog Agta people, who live on Mount Isarog and are one of the original Negrito settlers in the Philippines, belonging to theAeta people classification but with language and belief systems unique to their own culture and heritage.
Only five Isarog Agta spoke their indigenous language in the year 2000. The language was classified as "Critically Endangered", meaning the youngest speakers are grandparents and older, speak the language partially and infrequently, and hardly pass the language to their children and grandchildren. If the remaining 150 Isarog Agta do not pass their native language to the next generation, it will be extinct within one to two decades.
Poverty incidence of Naga
5 10 15 20 25 30 2000 18.91 2003 23.49 2006 16.60 2009 24.39 2012 15.69 2015 19.29 2018 9.12 2021 21.37 Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66] |
Naga is theBicol Region's center ofcommerce andindustry. Strategically located at the midway of Bicol, Naga is the trade center in Bicol for goods from Luzon and Visayas. Naga was inducted into the “Hall of Fame – Most Business Friendly City” by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry for being a reliable partner to the business community. Consistently, Naga is the No. 1 competitive independent component city of the Philippines from 2015-2016; and 2021-2024.[67]
The city's economy was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during mid-2020 and was estimated that its assets contracted by around 4% and an unidentified number of small to medium businesses closed. In the 2nd quarter of 2021 following the 11-12% quarterly growth of the country, several businesses in the city reopened. From 2021, the city is experiencing steady economic improvement and growth.
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Downtown Naga (commonly called "Centro") is located in the southern part of the city. It is bordered on the north by the Naga University Belt and on the south by the historical Naga City People's Mall or simply Naga City Community Supermarket. It encompasses the three public plazas of Naga: The Plaza Quince Martires, The Plaza Quezon, and the Plaza Rizal, which is the center of Central Business District 1 (CBD-1). Downtown Naga is the location of local businesses that sell local delicacies and native products from neighboring municipalities and provinces.
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A second business district, known as the Central Business District 2 (CBD-2), is located alongPanganiban Drive andRoxas,Ninoy, andCory avenues. It is also the location of several shopping complexes (S&R, Landers, SM, Robinsons and LCC Malls, a central bus terminal and PUV south-bound terminal,[68] and the Naga City IT Park, which houses several business process outsourcing offices.[9]
South Riverfront is composed of the whole of Barangay Sabang except those areas that are socialized housing sites or are otherwise excluded by the Naga City land-use plan for commercial or industrial development. It is bordered by CBD-1 (to the east), the Naga River, and the town ofCamaligan,Camarines Sur.[69]
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The main road in the city is Magsaysay Avenue, or Boulevard, which runs from Bagumbayan Road (Naga-Calabanga–Siruma–Garchitorena–Partido North Road), connecting it to Magsaysay district, where accommodations and restaurants catering to travelers are found.[70] Businesses are usually open until late at night, with some shops open 24/7. Naga also has its share offastfoodrestaurant chains. The city hall and several provincial offices are also located in the district, around thePeñafrancia Basilica.
A sprawling 25+ hectares of land is the Naga City Export Processing Zone in Barangay Carolina, Naga City (Proclamation No. 299, s. 2023), to cater light manufacturing industries focused on high-value engineering products destined for export. First of its kind in Naga and the Bicol Region, the export processing zone will boost the city's economy, provide employment opportunities, and bolster the country’s export manufacturing sector.
In 2017, the banks in the city numbered around 66, excludingBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The city hosts the regional bank offices ofBanco de Oro,Philippine National Bank,Development Bank of the Philippines,Metrobank,RCBC,Allied Bank,China Banking Corporation,Philtrust Bank,UnionBank of the Philippines,Philippine Veterans Bank,Asia United Bank,Maybank,Bank of Commerce,East West Bank,Bank of Makati,Bank of the Philippine Islands, and thePhilippine Postal Savings Bank. Other government banks includeLandbank of the Philippines andDevelopment Bank of the Philippines.
SM City Naga, the first SM Supermall inBicol Region opened in 2009. LCC Mall Naga arose at Felix Plazo Street, Sabang in 1997, while Nagaland E-Mall, set up in 2004, is in Downtown Naga. Built in 2005, Avenue Square is the region's first "lifestyle center", along Magsaysay Avenue. Metro Mall Naga (2012) is in front of Bicol Medical Center. Later, Robinsons Place Naga opened in 2017. Followed by Vista Mall (2018) alongMaharlika Highway, in Barangay Del Rosario. BothS&R Membership Shopping and Landers Superstore which opened in 2023 and 2024, respectively, are located along Roxas Avenue. Leisure hubs abound in the city proper and suburbs but most of which are in Magsaysay Avenue, Dayangdang, and along Roxas Avenue (Diversion Road). There are more than sixty (60) hotels and inns within the city proper, having two 4-star hotels: Avenue Plaza Hotel and Summit Hotel Naga, and ten (10) 3-star hotels.
Naga was cited as one of the best places to conductinformation technology–business process outsourcing (IT–BPO) activities in the Philippines.[71]
As of 2024, the city currently has several IT parks and centers (registered special eco-zones) — the Naga City IT Park (Triangulo IT Park, Proclamation No. 616, s. 2013), ALDP E-Park, ANR Business Center, and the Robinsons Cybergate Naga.
Current clients includeIBM,[72] Quantrics,Concentrix, ProbeCX, Stellar, and Klasp Global Solutions, Inc.
Naga is considered to be Bicol's cultural center, due to the largest festival in the region, thePeñafrancia Festival, being held in the city.
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The city celebrates the feast ofNuestra Señora de Peñafrancia (Our Lady of Peñafrancia), the patroness of theBicol Region. Starting on the second Friday of September each year, the 10-day feast, the largestMarian devotion in the country. The start of the festival is signalled by a procession (orTranslacion) when the centuries-old image of theBlessed Virgin Mary is transferred from its shrine at thePeñafrancia Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia to the 400-year-oldNaga Metropolitan Cathedral. Coinciding with nine days of novena prayer at the cathedral, the city celebrates with parades, pageants, street parties, singing contests, exhibits, concerts, and other activities. Finally, on the third Saturday of September, the image is returned, shoulder-borne by so-calledvoyadores, to the basilica via the historic Naga River. The following day marks the feast day of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, whenPontifical High Masses are celebrated in the basilica, attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful devotees.
Naga celebrates the Kamundagan Festival everyChristmas. It begins with the lighting of the Christmas Village in the Plaza Quezon Grandstand.
Naga celebrates the Kinalas Festival during its yearly anniversary of chartership or cityhood. It honors local delicacies, includingkinalas andsiling labuyo, with a food contest.
Naga is known for some native foods and delicacies.
Kinalas and log-log arenoodle soup dishes served Bicol style, similar tomami except for a topping of what looks like a pansit palabok sauce, and the meaty dark soup made from boiling a cow's or a pig's head until the flesh falls off. Kinalas is from the old Bicol wordkalas,[73][74] which refers to the "fall off the bone" meat that is placed on top of the noodles. The soup is the broth of beef bone and bone marrow (sometimes skull and brain included) or what Manileños callbulalo.[75] The soup is topped with very tender meat slices that also come from the head. It is usually served hot with an egg, and sprinkled with roasted garlic and spring onions.Kalamansi andpatis may be added according to taste. Kinalas is usually paired withBaduya, or withBanana orcamote cue.
Other delicacies, such as,buko juice,nata de coco, andpan de Naga are found in the city.[76][77]
The Metro Naga Sports Complex, in Barangay Pacol, has Olympic-sized swimming pools, tennis courts, and a track oval.[78]
TheJesse M. Robredo Coliseum, formerly the Naga City Coliseum which is renamed in honor of the lateDILG secretary and former mayor of Naga, is the largest indoor arena in southern Luzon.
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The city is served byNaga Airport (WNP) located in Barangay San Jose in the neighboring town ofPili. It has a runway of 1,402 meters (4,600 ft) and thus is capable of handling only small aircraft.
Naga is the regional head office and the center point of thePhilippine National Railway's Bicol Line.
Naga, along with adjacent towns and cities fromTagkawayan,Quezon Province toLigao inAlbay, is served daily by the Bicol Express. Naga City to Ligao City, Albay route resumed operations in July 2023, while Naga toLegazpi route resumed in December 2023.
As of December 2009[update], Naga's total road network is 185.02 kilometers (114.97 mi) in length, of which 147.67 kilometers (91.76 mi) are paved with concrete, 14.63 kilometers (9.09 mi) with asphalt overlay, 4.10 kilometers (2.55 mi) with asphalt, 11.87 kilometers (7.38 mi) are gravel, while 5.76 kilometers (3.58 mi) are dirt. This translates to an increase of 19.74 kilometers (12.27 mi) since 1998.[79]
The city is connected to the capitalManila by theAndaya andMaharlika highways.
To spur development in the city, the Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 as the extension ofSouth Luzon Expressway.[80] A 420 kilometres (260 mi), four-lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the under-constructionSLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao inLucena City,Quezon, toMatnog,Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that it would fund the project, which would reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours.[81]
The most common vehicles used for intra-city travel are public utilityjeepneys (PUJ), multicabs, tricycles (trikes) and e-trikes, andpadyak.
PUJs and multicabs, a total of 300+ units, are a major mode of intra-city transport used by regular commuters.
Trikes are the most used land transport in the city. There are around 1,500 units available for hire while 1,150 are for private use. Concerns with abusive local transport drivers, overcharging and traffic violations are reported and handled by the Naga City Public Safety Office and city transport franchising.
Padyak is commonly used in short distances such as subdivisions and barangay roads transportation. They are generally slow and small, perfect for cul-de-sacs and alleys.
Inter-town trips are served by 400+ filcab vans and 700+ jeepneys, while inter-provincial trips are served by an average of 300+ airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses and 80+ Filcab vans.
Recently, about 50+ taxi units is available in the city. SM City Naga serves are their waiting area for passengers[79]
Naga is the medical center of theBicol Region. The largest hospitals include the government-ownedBicol Medical Center (1000-bed capacity by virtue of Republic Act No. 11478), Camarines Sur Medical Center in Bula, Camarines Sur, and theUniversidad de Sta Isabel – Mother Seton Hospital, owned and operated by the Daughters of Charity. The Metropolitan Naga Medical District, in Naga, is the only medical district in Bicol.
Bicol Medical Center (BMC) offers residency programs in anesthesia, otolaryngology, head and neck surgery (ENT), internal medicine, pathology and laboratories, obstetrics & gynecology, orthopedics, pediatrics, radiology, and surgery, among others. It is also a base hospital of theHelen Keller Foundation, where eye specialists from all over the country are trained and later assigned to different parts of the Philippines.[82]
Universidad de Santa Isabel - Mother Seton Hospital (USI – MSH), is the largest private hospital in the region by number of admissions, medical equipment facilities, number of beds available, physical structure, and number of board-certified medical consultants. It is the only private hospital in Bicol offering specialty training programs, accredited by the Philippine Medical Association's component society, in major fields of medicine, such as internal medicine, pediatrics, and general surgery.[83]
Located in Balatas Development Center, Balatas, Naga City, the Naga City General Hospital (NCGH) [Phase I], was inaugurated last December 12, 2023, to provide top-notch additional medical care and services to Naga City constituents.
NICC Doctors Hospital (Naga Imaging Center Cooperative Doctors Hospital, commonly “NICC”) is one of the leading private tertiary hospitals in Naga City, Camarines Sur, and a major component of the health care landscape of theBicol Region. Strategically located along Roxas Avenue, Diversion Road, Barangay Triangulo, the Level-II hospital has a capacity of 156 beds and serves as a modern referral center for patients in Naga City as well as neighboring provinces across the region.[84]
The Plaza Medica houses the Naga Endocrine Laboratory (also called theEndolab), a modern hormone laboratory and facility.
Bicol Access Health Centrum is another large hospital located in the city. It houses the Regional Disease Research Center, the first and only in the region.
Several secondary and tertiary hospitals can be found in the city.
The main pollutants in the city come in the form of solid waste generated daily. Generally, these wastes come from various sources: residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional.
Naga generates approximately 85.8 tons of waste per year, based on the latest 2009 estimates, where agricultural waste makes up a little more than one-fourth (26%) of the total volume.Food waste makes up a slightly smaller share, at 23%. Paper-based materials compose 12%, while other categories contribute smaller percentages.
Solid wastes are disposed of and collected via the city's garbage trucks, which traverse ten routes on a daily basis. Collected wastes are then dumped at the new sanitary landfill in Barangay San Isidro, where they are segregated according to type of waste, and whether biodegradable or non-biodegradable.[85][86]
A study of wastewater treatment facilities is incorporated in the proposed septage management ordinance, where the city will be very strict in forcing compliance with proper waste treatment by housing and establishment owners. The local water-utility agency has made the Metro Naga Water District its local partner in providing septage services, in exchange for adding environmental fees to water bills.
The new wastewater treatment facility of SM City Naga, operational since April 20, 2009, has a capacity of 500 cubic meters per day; but at present, it is treating only around 200.[86]
The Naga City Central Fire Station (BFP) is one of the most well equipped fire stations in the country. Other fire stations include Naga Chin Po Tong Fire Brigade, and the Naga White Volunteers.[87]
The city is the location of two of the largest police stations in theBicol Region. The historic Naga City Police Station (now Naga City Police Office), which had been the military base of operations of theGuardia Civil in the region, during thetime of Spanish rule.[88][89] Another police office, located in Barangay Concepcion Grande, is the provincial office of thePhilippine National Police forCamarines Sur.[90]
Sta. Cruz Development AreaBalatas New Development Area
Almeda New Development Area
Naga River Development Area
Naga is the home of the three largest universities in theBicol Region. The city is also the home of several colleges.
Ateneo de Naga University is aJesuit university and the largest Catholic university in theBicol Region. The school has been accredited byPAASCU since 1979 and is the first university in the Philippines to achieve PAASCU Institutional Accreditation, on top of its Autonomous and Level III status. It is a "center of excellence" in teacher education, and a center of development in business administration, entrepreneurship, and information technology. It has produced animators for the country since it launched its bachelor's degree in animation.
TheUniversidad de Santa Isabel was inaugurated on April 12, 1869, as a private Catholic university owned and run by theDaughters of Charity and is the "first normal school for women in the Philippines and Southeast Asia and the Heritage and Historical University of Bicol".[91][92] It was established by six sisters of the order who arrived in theBicol Region on April 4, 1868, with the Bishop of Caceres, Francisco Gainza,O.P., the founder of Colegio de Santa Isabel.
University of Nueva Caceres was the very first university in Bicol, and is considered to be largest in the region, due to its attendance and size, that offers courses from kindergarten to graduate school. Founded by Dr. Jaime Hernandez in 1948, it has grown to become one of the leading institutions of higher learning in thePhilippines. All course offerings are recognized by the government, and the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, and Commerce are accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACU-COA). Its College of Engineering and Architecture is now one of the few regional centers for technological education in thePhilippines.[93]
Technical colleges in the city include the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (South East Asian University of Technology), Naga College Foundation, Mariner's Polytechnic Colleges Foundation, AMA Computer College, andSTI College.[94][95] Specialized computer schools include Worldtech Resources Institute (WRI), among others.
The country's oldest live-inChristian higher educational institute for the clergy was established in the city in the early part of the 18th century. TheHoly Rosary Seminary (El Seminario del Santissimo Rosario), a Roman Catholic seminary run by the Archdiocese of Caceres, has produced 22 bishops, including the first Filipino bishop,Jorge Barlin, and the first Filipino cardinal to work in the Roman Curia,Jose Tomas Sanchez. The seminary has contributed, as well, to the national heritage, throughJosé María Panganiban,Tomás Arejola, and seven of theFifteen Martyrs of Bicol. On January 29, 1988, theNational Historical Institute declared the Holy Rosary Seminary a National Historical Landmark.
The government-runCamarines Sur National High School, which was established in 1902, registers over 10,000 enrollees every school year, and it is the biggest secondary school in the region. Among other secondary schools in the city is theTinago National High School.
Naga City Science High School was established in Naga in 1994. It has pilotcurricula, including the Spanish curriculum, which is the third one in the Philippines, and the journalism curriculum, which allows students to receive training and exposure to college-level situations. The school is consistently a champion at theDoon Po Sa Amin national documentary contest.[96]
Two schools in the city, Saint Joseph School (SJS) and Naga Hope Christian School (NHCS), cater to Filipino-Chinese students.
Naga Parochial School (NPS) is the largest parochial school in the region; it receives 850 enrollees yearly. It is run by priests of theArchdiocese of Caceres. It is the first PAASCU-accredited parochial school in the Philippines. Some members of the clergy (63 as of 2007 with 3 bishops) assigned to the city are alumni of the school. Well-known personalities—such as the lateRaul Roco,Jesse Robredo,Francis Garchitorena,Luis Villafuerte, Jaime Fabregas, Jonathan Dela Paz Zaens, ArchbishopAdolfo Tito Yllana, and Bishop Jose Rojas—are graduates of NPS.
Private schools—such as Arborvitae Plains Montessori, Inc.; Naga City Montessori School; and the Village Montessori School—can be found in the city. Tutorial and review centers for higher education are also found in the city.
All of the major television broadcasting channels' regional offices are located in the city.TV5 Network Inc.'sTV5 airs shows via channel 22,GMA Network's channel 7 andGMA News TV channel 28 are also available and the newscastBalitang Bicolandia. ABS-CBN TV, ceased operations prior to COVID-19 pandemic.
The city's cable and satellite TV companies include South Luzon Cable and DCTV Cable Network Naga (Formerly SkyCable Naga).
Internet service providers and Telcos include Globe, PLDT/Smart, DITO, Converge, and DCTV. 5G is available in selected areas.
Naga has a number of FM and AM radio stations, some of which operate 24 hours daily.
Other personalities include:
Bacolod,Negros OccidentalCotabato CityGeneral Santos,South CotabatoIloilo City,IloiloLucena,QuezonMakatiOzamiz,Misamis OccidentalParañaqueQuezon City[103]San Fernando,PampangaVigan,Ilocos SurPuerto Princesa,Palawan.jpg)
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Naga City was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).The City of Nueva Caceres, in the Camarines, was founded by Governor La-Sande. It, too, was the seat of a bishopric, and had one hundred Spanish inhabitants.
Geographic data related toNaga, Camarines Sur atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Naga, Camarines Sur | |
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