Negros Oriental Sidlakang Negros | |
|---|---|
   .jpg)  (from top: left to right)Apo Island,Silliman University,Lake Balinsasayao, Negros Oriental Provincial Capitol inDumaguete, andLake Balanan | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: | |
| Anthem:Garbo sa Kabisay-an ("Pride of the Visayas") | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
 Interactive map of Negros Oriental | |
| Coordinates:10°03′N123°07′E / 10.05°N 123.12°E /10.05; 123.12 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Negros Island Region |
| Founded | January 1, 1890 |
| Capital and largest city | Dumaguete |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Manuel "Chaco" L. Sagarbarria (PFP) |
| • Vice Governor | Cezanne Fritz H. Diaz (PFP) |
| • Legislature | Negros Oriental Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,385.53 km2 (2,079.36 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 17th out of 82 |
| Highest elevation | 2,465 m (8,087 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 1,492,038 |
| • Rank | 19th out of 82 |
| • Density | 277.046/km2 (717.545/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 35th out of 82 |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 557 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Negros Oriental |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)35 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-NER |
| Spoken languages | |
| Highway routes | .svg) .svg) .svg) .svg) .svg) .svg) .svg) .svg) |
| Income classification | 1st class |
| Website | www |
Negros Oriental (Cebuano:Sidlakang Negros;Tagalog:Silangang Negros), officially theProvince of Negros Oriental (Cebuano:Lalawigan sa Sidlakang Negros;Tagalog:Lalawigan ng Silangang Negros), is aprovince in thePhilippines located in theNegros Island. Its capital is the city ofDumaguete, one of the two regional centers of Negros Island Region, with the other beingBacolod. It occupies the southeastern half of the large island ofNegros, and bordersNegros Occidental, which comprises the northwestern half. It also includesApo Island, a populardive site for both local and foreign tourists.
Negros Oriental facesCebu to the east across theTañon Strait andSiquijor to the southeast. The primary spoken language isCebuano, and the predominant religious denomination isRoman Catholicism.Dumaguete is the capital, seat of government, and most populous city of the province. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,432,990 people,[2] making it the second most-populous province in the region after Negros Occidental, the fifth most-populous province in theVisayas, and the 19th most-populous province of thePhilippines.
Negros, the largest island in theVisayas, is believed to have once been part of a larger landmass that was cut off by rising waters at the end of the lastice age.[3] Among the early inhabitants of the island were theNegritos and theAustronesians, and later theHan Chinese, who are mainly merchants.[4] They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".[3]
Spanish explorers on the expedition ofMiguel Lopez de Legazpi first came to the island in April 1565. Legazpi dropped anchor inBohol and sent his men to scout the island.[4] Because of the strong currents of theTañon 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" inSpanish). The island was sparsely settled at the time, except for a few coastal settlements includingIlog andBinalbagan. In 1571, Legaspi assignedencomiendas on the island to 13 of his men.[4]Augustinian friars began theChristianization of the island the next year. The island was administered as part of the jurisdiction ofOton until 1734 when it became a military district, andIlog became the capital of the island. By 1818, Negros Oriental had large numbers of Spanish-Filipino families settling in it.[5]: 359 WithAmlan having 155 Spanish-Filipino families[5] and Dumaguete having 25 Spanish-Filipino families.[5] The capital was transferred toHimamaylan in 1795. Negrosbecame a politico-military province in 1865 and the capital was transferred toBacolod.
Due to its proximity to Mindanao, the southeastern coasts of Negros were in constant threat fromMoro marauders looking for slaves, sowatchtowers were built to protect the Christian villages. The Moro raids and Negros Oriental's distance from the Negrense capital of 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 andNegros Occidental by a royal decree executed by Governor GeneralValeriano Weyler on January 1, 1890.Dumaguete was made the first and only capital of Negros Oriental. In 1892,Siquijor became a part of Negros Oriental, having previously been administered by Spain under the politico-military province ofBohol.
ThePhilippine Revolution reached Negros in 1898, disrupting government functions but without extreme violence and bloodshed. Revolutionary troops in the island were composed mostly of farm labourers and other prominent people of the province of Negros Oriental, who were organized and led by Don Diego de la Viña. The Spanish colonial government in Dumaguete and the rest of the island was overthrown on November 24, 1898. Later, the Negros Occidental area under the leadership of Gen. Araneta, along with the Negros Oriental area under the leadership of Don Diego de la Viña, merged to form theCantonal Republic of Negros, a separate government from the more familiarMalolos Republic established inLuzon.[6]
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In 1901, the Negros Oriental province was reorganized by theUnited States and a civil government was established, withDemetrio 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, throughAct 2711.[7] In 1934, Negros Oriental became acorregimiento, a separate military district. Under the American colonial government, transportation infrastructure was developed with improvements of roads and new bridges.[8]
DuringWorld War II, both Negros provinces were invaded byImperial Japanese forces, resorting many residents to flee to the inland mountains.[9] Negros Island was liberated by combined Philippine & 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 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 7th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Oriental.[clarification needed] They started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Negros from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial forces.[further explanation needed]
On September 17, 1971,Siquijor became an independent province by virtue ofRepublic Act No. 6396.[10]
The beginning months of the 1970s had marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Negros Oriental.[11][12] During hisbid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused[13][14] the Philippine economy to take a sudden downwards turn known as the1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest.[15][16][17][18]: "43" With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines underMartial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years.[19] This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record ofhuman rights abuses,[20][21] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[22]
Dumaguete was one of the first cities in the country to learn aboutMarcos' declaration ofmartial law on September 23, 1972. Local news station DYSR was able to pick up the news from an Australian broadcast. Elsewhere in the country, media outlets such as newspapers and broadcast stations had already been shut down, but DSYR was able to make the announcement before Information SecretaryFrancisco Tatad did at around noon. DYSR itself would be shut down later that day.[23]Silliman University was one of the last four universities in the Philippines to be allowed to reopen for classes, with Marcos himself complaining about instances where members of the political opposition such as SenatorsJovito Salonga andJuan Liwag were invited to speak at the university.[23]
In the mid-1980s, thecrony capitalism which characterized the Marcos administration had a major effect on the island of Negros in which Dumaguete is located.[24][25] Asugar hoarding scheme byNational Sugar Trading Corporation (NASUTRA) ofRoberto Benedicto backfired,[25] resulting in the mass-firing of sugar workers in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. Worsened by the economic nosedive which had begun in 1983, it eventually became known as the 1985Negros famine.[25]
The municipality ofGuihulngan became a component city by virtue ofRepublic Act No. 9409 which sought to convert the municipality into a city. The law was ratified on June 14, 2007. However, the cityhood status was lost twice in the years 2008 and 2010 after theLCP questioned the validity of the cityhood law. The cityhood status was reaffirmed after thecourt finalized its ruling on February 15, 2011 which declared the cityhood law constitutional.
On May 29, 2015, theNegros Island Region was formed when PresidentBenigno Aquino III signedExecutive Order No. 183, s. 2015.[26] Negros Oriental was separated from theCentral Visayas region and transferred to the new region along withNegros Occidental andBacolod. However, on August 9, 2017, PresidentRodrigo Duterte dissolved the Negros Island Region, revokingExecutive Order No. 183, s. 2015 through the signing ofExecutive Order No. 38, citing a lack of funds to fully establish the region according toBenjamin Diokno, theSecretary of Budget and Management. This returned Negros Oriental to the Central Visayas region.[27]
In 2018, with theDuterte administration promotingfederalism, the idea of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental reunified into one federal region was discussed with local provincial politicians, with some additional support from the known nativeNegrenses. There is also a suggestion, jointly approved by the provincial governors, that Negros Oriental along with Negros Occidental, be renamed with their pre-colonial names as "Buglas Sidlakan" and "Buglas Nakatundan" respectively, with Negros, as a federal state, be named as "Negrosanon Federated Region", due to the negativeracial connotation associated with the name "Negros".[28][29][30][31]
On June 13, 2024, Negros Oriental was transferred from Central Visayas to the Negros Island Region after PresidentBongbong Marcos signedRepublic Act 12000.[32]
On May 17, 2024, the 1924Grecian-IonicDaniel Burnham "Negros Oriental Capitol" building's historical marker for thecentennialanniversary-"Jubilee Year" commemoration was installed by theNational Historical Commission of the Philippines' Directress Carminda Arevalo. GovernorManuel "Chaco" L. Sagarbarria signed the marker's Certificate of Transfer in the presence ofImee Marcos,Francis Tolentino,Mark Villar,Risa Hontiveros,Lito Lapid,Jinggoy Estrada, Irish Ambassador William John Carlos and Philippine Tour Operators Association who graced the historic event along Dumaguete North Road,Dumaguete City.Kuh Ledesma,Silliman University Dance Troupe and Orchestra Sin Arco performed with others followed by the finale,Pyro Musical Competition at the Freedom Park.[33][34]
Negros Oriental occupies the southeastern half of the island ofNegros, withNegros Occidental comprising the northwestern half. It has a total land area of 5,385.53 km2 (2,079.36 mi2). A chain of rugged mountains separates Negros Oriental from Negros Occidental. Negros Oriental facesCebu to the east across theTañon Strait andSiquijor to the southeast. TheSulu Sea borders it to the south to southwest. Negros is primarily volcanic, making its soil ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent of all arable land in the island region is cultivated.
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The province's topography is characterized by low, grooved mountain ranges, some of which lie close to the shoreline. At the southern end of the province isMount Talinis, also known asCuernos de Negros ("Horns of Negros"), which is a dormantcomplex volcano which rises to a height of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). At the northern end of the province is the activeKanlaon Volcano, the highest peak of the island region with a height of 2,465 metres (8,087 ft). There are a few flatlands and plateaus in the interior to the southwest of the province, which includes the Tablas Plateau.[35]
One of the landmarks of Dumaguete is the Dumaguete Bell Tower which stands next to theSaint Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral.[36] It was once used to warn the city of impending pirate attacks.[37]
Negros Oriental has atropical climate. Because of the mountain range running from the north to the south, the province has two types ofclimatic conditions.[38] The eastern part of the province is characterized as having a modestly distinct wet season, and a short dry season lasting from one to three months. The western half of the province is characterized by a distinctwet season anddry season.[35]
Negros Oriental comprises 19municipalities and 6cities, further subdivided into 557barangays.
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 threecongressional districts, with each district electing acongressman to theHouse of Representatives of the Philippines.
Population census of Negros Oriental | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[41][42][42] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Speakers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cebuano | 1,427,065 | |||
| Hiligaynon | 165,308 | |||
| Other Visayan languages | 39,174 | |||
| Boholano | 4,147 | |||
| Others | 8,318 | |||
| Not Reported | 8,065 | |||
The population of Negros Oriental in the 2020 census was 1,432,990 people,[2] with a density of 250/km2 (650/sq mi). In 2010, its registered voting population was 606,634.[44] 34.5% of the population are concentrated in the six most populous component cities ofDumaguete,Bayawan,Guihulngan,Tanjay,Bais andCanlaon. Population growth per year is about 0.99% between 2010 and 2015, lower than the national average of 1.72%.[41]
Residents of the whole Negros island are generally called "Negrenses" (and less often "Negrosanons") while residents of Negros Oriental sometimes refer to themselves specifically as "NegOrenses" to distinguish themselves from residents of Negros Occidental. Many NegOrenses are of either pure/mixedAustronesian heritage, with foreign ancestry (i.e.Chinese and/orSpanish) as minorities.
Negros Oriental is predominantly aCebuano-speaking province due to its close proximity toCebu, with 72% of residents reporting it as a first language.Hiligaynon is spoken by the remaining 28% and is common in areas close to the border withNegros Occidental.Filipino andEnglish, while seldom used as first languages, are generally understood and used for official, literary, and educational purposes. The indigenousMinagahat andKarul-an languages are spoken by theindigenous highlander peoples of Negros. The province is also said to be home of the last living remnants of theInatá language speakers.
Christianity is the predominant religion in the province withRoman Catholicism (75%) as the largest single denomination.[45] However, there is a strong and growing presence ofmainline andevangelicalProtestant which forms about 9% of the province population. TheIglesia ni Cristo forms 3–5% of the total population,[46] theSeventh-day Adventists,Jehovah's Witnesses and theAglipayan Church, also known as thePhilippine Independent Church, also have some presence. Adherents ofIslam andBuddhism constitute a minority of the population. Some Muslim places of worship are the Imam Khomeini Islamic Center and theBagacay Mosque, which is officially known as Masjidus Salam.[47]
With its vast fertile land resources, Negros Oriental's other major industry isagriculture. The primary crops aresugarcane,sweetcorn,coconut andrice.[35] In the coastal areas,fishing is the main source of income. People are also involved incattle ranches,fish ponds andrubber plantations, especially inBayawan. There are also mineral deposits likegold,silver, andcopper found throughout the inner areas of the province.
The province is already emerging as a major technological center in Visayas, with its growingbusiness 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 spill over into the province's secondary cities and fast-growing towns.
Other industries include water bottling and warehousing, as well as cold and dry storing. Retailing has penetrated other urban areas outside Dumaguete, with the entry of supermarkets and shopping malls in cities such as Bayawan, Tanjay, and Bais. The town of Bacong, which borders Dumaguete in the south, hosts many industrial plants geared for the local and export markets, which can bolster economic growth. Negros Oriental is also a notable tourist destination in theVisayas.
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.[56]
Many residents do not own private vehicles and rely solely on public transport. Buses andjeepneys link the cities and municipalities of the province. For short distances within a town,motorized tricycles ("tricycles" for short) are available. Moreover,motorcycle taxis, known locally ashabal-habal, are the primary mode of transportation in places that cannot be reached with other types of vehicles.
Sibulan Airport, located inSibulan, is the province's only commercial airport.[56] It is adomestic airport with multiple daily flights to and fromManila, served byPhilippine Airlines andCebu Pacific. The airport also serves flights to and fromCebu andCagayan de Oro. Based on 2002 statistics, an average of 5,800 outgoing passengers and 5,700 incoming passengers pass through the airport every month. In March 2021, upgrade works were made to the current Sibulan Airport which included pavement reconstruction, expansion of the terminal building, and expansion ofCAAP administrative buildings.[57] The airport is due for transfer toBacong because of congestion in its current location and has been proposed since 2014 and is still pending final approval as of 2022.[56][58]
The primaryseaport of the province is thePort of Dumaguete. Additionally, there are five other seaports in the province classified as tertiary.[59]
Most colleges and universities in the province are concentrated in Dumaguete, called the Center of Learning in the South, which is widely known as auniversity city. The following tables show a list of some universities, colleges, and other tertiary institutions located in the province of Negros Oriental.
| School | Location |
|---|---|
| AMA Computer College | Dumaguete |
| Asian College | Dumaguete |
| Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alejandria | Dumaguete |
| Diaz College | Tanjay City |
| Foundation University | Dumaguete |
| La Consolacion College Bais | Bais |
| Maxino College | Dumaguete |
| Metro Dumaguete College | Dumaguete |
| Negros College Inc. | Ayungon |
| Negros Maritime College Foundation Inc. | Sibulan |
| Negros Oriental State University Main & Bajumpandan Campuses | Dumaguete |
| Negros Oriental State University Bais Campuses I & II | Bais |
| Negros Oriental State University Bayawan-Sta. Catalina Campus | Bayawan/Santa Catalina |
| Negros Oriental State University Guihulngan City Campus | Guihulngan City |
| Negros Oriental State University Mabinay Campus | Mabinay |
| Negros Oriental State University Pamplona Campus | Pamplona |
| Negros Oriental State University Siaton Campus | Siaton |
| Presbyterian Theological College | Dumaguete |
| Saint Francis College – Guihulngan | Guihulngan City |
| Saint Joseph College of Canlaon, Inc. | Canlaon |
| Saint Joseph Seminary College | Sibulan |
| STI College | Dumaguete |
| Silliman University | Dumaguete |
| St. Paul University Dumaguete | Dumaguete |
| Southern Tech College | Bayawan |
| Villaflores College | Tanjay City |
| School | Location |
|---|---|
| Tanjay National High School (main) | Tanjay City |
| Tanjay Science High School | Tanjay City |
| Bais City National Science High School | Bais City |
| Dumaguete Science High School | Dumaguete City |
| Taclobo High School | Dumaguete City |
| Maria Macahig Memorial High School | Siaton |
| Don Emilio Macias Memorial National High School | Santa Catalina |
Each town in Negros Oriental celebrates an annualtown fiesta, usually dedicated to apatron saint of a particular town or city. In some of the larger towns, there are particular fiestas for specific neighborhoods orbarangays.
Additionally, the Buglasan Festival is celebrated annually in October in the provincial capital of Dumaguete and is hailed as Negros Oriental's "festival of festivals".[60] It is a week-long celebration where unique booths of each town and city in Negros Oriental feature their native products and tourist attractions. The highlights of the occasion are the float parade and street dancing competition.[61] ThroughPresidential Proclamation 695, October 25, 2024 was declared aspecial non-working day in celebration of its Buglasan Festival.[62]
There are at least seven local media publications in general circulation around the province. These publications includeDumaguete MetroPost,[63]The Negros Chronicle,[64]Dumaguete Star Informer,Times Focus, andIsland News.[65]PLDT,Globe Telecom,DITO Telecommunity and their subsidiaries are major providers of a network connection within the province. Major providers, in TV and radio areAdvanced Media Broadcasting System operating AllTV Channel 12 Dumaguete acquired from a defunctABS-CBN Dumaguete station,People's Television Network,GMA,GTV (Philippine TV network), andTV5 Dumaguete. Cable TV and pay TV providers likeG Sat,Cignal TV andSatLite provides access toKapamilya Channel,BBC,ESPN, and other international programs. The province is mainly served before by one regional newscast:TV Patrol Central Visayas (shared withABS-CBN Cebu).
The Province of Oriental Negros consists of territory in the south and eastern part of the Island of Negros, with adjacent small islands, and also includes 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.
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Geographic data related toNegros Oriental atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Negros Oriental | |
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 Province ofNegros Oriental | |
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Dumaguete (capital and largest city) | |
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