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Further information: Bikol languages
The people of the Bicol Region, called Bicolanos,
macrolanguages, an Austronesian
the Visayan languages and Tagalog. The four major groups of language in Bikol are Coastal Bikol
(with four sub-languages), Inland Bikol (with six sub-languages), Pandan Bikol (lone language) and
Bisakol (with three sub-languages). The majority of Bicolanos understand and speak Central Bikol
language (a member of Coastal Bikol group of languages) since it is the language used in literature
and mass media, but with varying degrees. A known misconception of many Bicolanos is that
Central Bikol, used in the cities of Legazpi and Naga, is the standard Bikol. Central Bikol, though
spoken by the majority and with speakers represented in all provinces in the region, is not a
standard Bikol since other form of Bikol used in the region are separate languages and usually
unintelligible. However, the standard form of Central Bikol language is the Canaman dialect.
Other Bikol languages are Rinconada Bikol spoken in southern part of Camarines Sur
province; Pandan Bikol spoken in northern part of Catanduanes island; and the Albay Bikol group of
languages that include Buhinon, Libon, West Miraya and East Miraya. Albay Bikol speakers can be
found in Buhi, Camarines Sur, central and eastern part of Albay, and Donsol, Sorsogon. The
standard form of Rinconada Bikol both in pronunciation and writing is the Sinabukid (Highland)
dialect of Iriga variant. On the other hand, Buhinon of Buhi, Camarines Sur and Libon of Libon,
Albay are the languages that are only used in their respective municipalities. Rinconada Bikol and
Albay Bikol group of languages are members of Inland Bikol, while Pandan Bikol is the only
language with no sub-languages or division.
The majority of the population in Masbate and Sorsogon
speaks Masbateo and Sorsoganon respectively. The two are Visayan languages but heavily
influenced by Bikol languages, thus tagged and collectively referred to as Bisakol, a portmanteau of
Bisaya (Visayan) and Bikol (Bicolano).
Three Visayan languages are spoken in Masbate, including Hiligaynon/Ilonggo is spoken in the
southwestern tip, while Cebuano and Waray-Waray are spoken in the southern part of the island
province respectively. Tagalog is the dominant and native language of Bicolanos living in the
municipalities in the northern half of Camarines Norte.
Bicolanos also speak and understand Filipino, the national language of the Philippines. English is
widely understood in businesses, schools and public places.
Tourism[edit]
The municipality of Daet and Catanduanes province have long been destinations for surfers. [15] The
opening of the Southern Luzon International Airport in Legazpi City, which is under construction, is
hoped to further boost tourism in the region.
BICOL EXPRESS
Good
morning/afternoo
n/evening
Marhay na
aga/hapon/banggi
Thank you
Dios mabalos
The Ibalong Festival is a non-religious festival in Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines and is held in
August. The festival celebrates the epic story Ibalong who was accompanied by three legendary
heroes, namely Baltog, Handyong, Oryon and other ancient heroes. People parade in the streets
wearing masks and costumes to imitate the appearances of the heroes and the villains, portraying
the classic battles that made their way into the history of Bicol. The Ibalong Festival aims to express
warmth and goodwill to all people; visitors and tourists are encouraged to celebrate with the
Bicolanos. The Ibalong Festival is also known as the Ibalon Festival.
However, according to renowned historians and anthropologists such as Domingo Abella, Luis
Camara Dery, Merito Espinas, F. Mallari, Norman Owen, Mariano Goyena del Prado, et al., the
present location of the ancient settlement of Ibalong is in Magallanes, Sorsogon.
The word Kasanggayahan is one of the local words that could mean anything, from kagandahan to kasiyahan,
the word only conveys one thing; a positive and optimistic celebration of life in peaceful Sorsogon. It is
celebrated every year to mark the separation of Sorsogon from Albay more than a hundred years ago.
______
Legazpi, officially the City of Legazpi (Bikol: Ciudad nin Legazpi; Filipino: Lungsod ng
Legazpi) and often referred to as Legazpi City, is a component city and the capital of
the province of Albay in the Philippines.
Legazpi City is the administrative center and largest city of the Bicol Region.[10][11] It is a center of
tourism, education, health services, commerce[12] and transportation[4] in the Bicol Region.
Mayon Volcano, one of the Philippines' most popular icons and tourist destinations, is partly within
the city's borders.[13] The city is composed of two districts: Legazpi Port and Albay district.
By the mid-thirties, shorter plays became the fashion. The new themes were poor
vs. rich, laziness vs. hard work and Rizal and nationalism. Outstanding was Anti
Cristo by Justino Nuyda who wrote of the inevitable conflict between individual morality
and material comfort. This play is still presented today in schools in the region.
The rawitdawit or narrative poem was a vehicle of social and political criticism.
Personal poems were most plentiful. The period also produced about twenty
translations of Jose Rizals Mi Ultimo Adios to Bikol. Four poets and their works stand
out: Manuel
Fuentebellas
An
Pana (The
Arrow), Clemente
AlejandriasPagaroanggoyong(Perseverance), Eustaquio
Dinos Balosbalos
Sana
(Retribution) and Mariano Goyenas HareDali(NoDont). Great sensitivity and
exquisite images are marks of these poems, reaching up to lyricism.
The Post-War Period was unproductive. It was the Cathedral Players of the Ateneo
de Naga that sparked the cultural scene. The students led by Rev. James Reuter, S.J.
translated english plays into Bikol and delighted the Naga folks with Sunday
presentations at the plaza kiosk. In the rural towns they played in church patios and
plazas. If post-war writing was not as significant, the Bikol milieu was not encouraging
either. The stories and novels written in the fifties were insipid and mere narrations; the
novels fantastic and improbable. Writing in the Rainbow journal were largely cerebral
and critical of politics, church and society. It was the peoples interest in the folk
story, Ibalon, that inspired two musicals the Handyong written and presented by Orfelina
Tuy and Fe Ico, and Ibalon Opereta written by Jose Calleja Reyes.
Contemporary writing has just began to burst with creative energy. The writers now
possess the courage to deal with big themes. It began with Francisco Penones, Jr. who
sounded a clarion call in his poem An Opon sa Ibalon: Kan mahale an Maskara (The
Board in Ibalon When Unmasked). Society, he declared, is the boar that brought
hunger and poverty to the land. For this poem, Penones received a CCP award.
Merlinda C. Bobis in a masterly poetic drama titled Daragang Magayon (Beautiful
Maiden) overturns the passive maiden in the legend and makes her decisive to do her
part in changing society. In her poems, Bobis subtly presents an idealism associated
with remembering ones childhood, each of them a strong and evocative protrait only
thoughtful, sensitive poet can create. For this, she merited a Palanca award. Carlos O.
Aureus weaves together theology and philosophy to present Bikol values and a
panorama of Bikol scenes. In ten well-written stories, a novel and a play, he wins the
coveted Palanca, CCP, Free Press and Graphic literary awards. The young literary
fictionists, Marco Lopez, Alvin Yaban, Ulysses P. Aureus and Lorenzo D. Paran III are
searches for self, identity and nation.
The seasoned writers include Luis Cabalquinto, Gode Calleja and Ruby Alano. The
young writers are Home Life magazine winners Angelica Gonzales, Honesto Pesimo,
Jazmin Llana, Victor Velasco, Nino Manaog, Xavier Olin and Cynthia Buiza. Emelina G.
Regis has a Palanca Award for her environmental play Dalawang Mukha ng
Kagubatan(Two Faces of the Forest). Barbara Barquez Ricafrente writes poems and
paints with rage. She is the first novel awardee of the U.P. Creative Writing Center.
The Bikolano can write memorable and significant pieces. The native literary
tradition has been resurrected and kept. How to make the people aware and how to
make them read as well and how to multiply these writings so they can be disseminated
have to be resolved.
LEGAZPI CITY Legazpi is fast-rising as an economic and tourism hub with its
massive infrastructure development, better governance, business growth, and big
influx of foreign and domestic tourists in this city,
Our city ranks fifth as fast-rising city in the Philippines in terms of infrastructure
and business development and in peace and order situation based on an AIM
study, Mayor Geraldine Rosal said.
A recent study made by the Asian Institute of Management disclosed that Legazpi
will be the next hub after Davao and Cebu in terms of infrastructure development,
business growth, and notable peace and order condition.
The development of Legazpi is expected to accelerate further because the city
government, under the PPP, will put up a P300-billion reclamation project within
coastal Puro-Dapdap area here, she added.
Rosal said the city government is fast-tracking the P500-million Legazpi City Urban
Drainage project known as the pumping stations at Tibu and Baybay rivers to
resolve the perennial flooding problem during rainy seasons.
The city government is also anticipating the operation of the Southern Luzon
International Airport two years from now where new developments are being done
in the seaside coast up to the road network that connects to the proposed airport in
Barangay Alobo in neighboring Daraga town.
We will also build man-made amenities like water sports in Barangay Puro where
our new development is located to cater to the increasing demands of visiting
tourists and in preparation for the operation of the international airport, Rosal said.
The Regional Development Council (RDC) headed by Salceda aimed to turn Bicol as
the countrys most livable region in 2020.
Aside from fast rapid development, Legazpi has been the hub of big convention
events.
Last year, the city government hosted at least 12 big national convention activities
where 16,000 people throughout the Philippines and other countries converged.
The series of national convention events in this city brought about higher economic
growth, increase in the number of tourist arrivals and created new jobs with the
opening of several hotels here.
Currently, there are 1,000 rooms available in the city but, Rosal said, there is a need
for at least 500 additional rooms to be more competitive for big conventions in the
future.
Bicol Region has a large amount of rich flat land, and agriculture is the largest component of the
economy, followed by commercial fishing. Coconuts, abaca, banana, coffee and jackfruit are the top five
permanent crops in the region. Rice and corn are among the chief seasonal crops. Mining is also one of
the contributors to the region's economy.
GEOLOGY
Bicol Region is volvanic in origin and part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Volcanism is evident by
the number of hot springs, crater lakes, and volcanoes that dot the region starting from
Mount Labo in Camarines Norte to the Gate Mountains in Matnog, Sorsogon. Mayon Volcano
is the most prominent of the volcanoes in the region, famous for its perfect conical shape
and for being the most active in the country. Other volcanoes include Bulusan Volcano,
Mount Isarog, Mount Iriga, Mount Malinao, Mount Masaraga, and the Pocdol Mountains.
MINERAL
RESOURCES
The region is endowed with rich mineral resources, which include gold, copper, guano, rock
phosphate, marble, silver, lead and manganese.
WILDLIFE
The Bicol Region is home to both the world's largest and smallest fishes.
Donsol, a fishing town in Sorsogon province, serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale
sharks (Rhincodon typus), which are considered as the largest fish in the world. Locally
known as "butanding", whale sharks visit the waters of Donsol from November to May. They
travel across the oceans but nowhere else have they been sighted in a larger group the in
the waters of Sorsogon. They measure between 18 to 40 feet in length and weight about 20
tons.
Despite the enormous size and the popular misconceptions about all sharks being "maneaters", this species does not pose any significant danger to humans. In fact, they are quite
gentle and can be playful with divers. Divers and snorkellers can swim with this giant fish
without any risk apart from unintentionally being hit by the shark's large tail fin.
The world's smallest commercial fish, sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis), can be found only
in Lakes Bato and Buhi in Camarines Sur province. Sinarapan is a goby which grows to an
average length of 1.25 centimeters, just slightly longer than the dwarf goby. Today,
unabated fishing in teh two lakes threatens the population of sinarapan.
Another species endemic to the region is the Isarog shrew-mouse, which inhabits in Mt.
Isarog, Camarines Sur.
PROTECTED
AREAS
The following sites in the region have been declared by law as protected areas and
components of the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS): the Malabungot
Protected Landscape and Seascape (Garchitorena, Camarines Sur), Chico Island Wildlife
Sanctuary (Cawayan, Masbate), Naro Island Wildlife Sanctuary (Cawayan, Masbate), Lagonoy
Natural Biotic Area (Lagonoy, Camarines Sur), Abasig-Matogdon-Mananap Natural Biotic
Area ( Camarines Norte), Bongsalay Natural Park (Batuan, Masbate), Mayon Volcano Natural
Park (Albay), Bicol Natural Park (Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur), Bulusan Volcano
Natural Park (Sorsogon), and Mt. Isarog Natural Park (Camarines Sur).
DENR
JURISDICTION
Six (6) Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices (PENROs) and eleven (11)
Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENROs) are serving the mandate
of the DENR in Region 5. These are: PENROs Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay,
Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes; and CENROs Daet, Naga City, Iriga City, Goa, Sipocot,
Legazpi City, Guinobatan, Sorsogon City, Mobo, San Jacinto, and Virac.