Bicol Region

The Bicol Region or Bicolandia (also known as Region V) is one of the 17 regions of the Philippines. Bicol (also spelled Bikol) is composed of four provinces in the Bicol Peninsula, the southeastern end of Luzon island, and two island-provinces adjacent to the peninsula.

Political division

Political map of Bicol Region

The region is composed of six provinces, namely, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and the island-provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate. It has one independent component city, Naga City, and six component cities - Iriga, Legazpi, Ligao, Masbate City, Sorsogon City, and Tabaco. Masbate City and Sorsogon City are cities within their namesake provinces.

The regional centers are Legazpi, the political and administrative center; and Naga City, the cultural, business and religious center. Together with Sorsogon City, they are the leading cities in the region in terms of urbanization and the hub of the economic activity.

Population

As of August 1, 2007, the population of the Bicol Region is 5,109,798 with Camarines Sur, the largest with a population of 1,693,821. Catanduanes is the least populated province with 232,757 people.

Geography

The total land area of Bicol Region is 17,632.5 km² (6,807.9 sq mi) or 5.9% of the total land area of the country. Camarines Sur is the largest province occupying 5,266.8 km² (2,033.5 sq mi) or around 30% of the total, while Catanduanes is the smallest with only 1,511.5 km² (583.6 sq mi) or 8.6% of the total. Of the region's total land area, around 71% is alienable and disposable while the remaining 29% is public forest areas.

The region is bounded by Lamon Bay to the north, Pacific Ocean to the east, and Sibuyan Sea and Ragay Gulf to the west. The northernmost province, Camarines Norte, is bordered to the north by the province of Quezon, thereby connecting the region to the rest of Luzon.

Geology

Bicol Region is volcanic in origin and part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Volcanism is evident by the number of volcanoes, hot springs, crater lakes that dot the area. Mayon Volcano is the most prominent of the several volcanoes in the province, and famous for its almost perfect conical shape. Its eruptions have repeatedly inflicted disaster on the region, but during lulls in activity, it is a particularly beautiful mountain. The southernmost tip of the peninsula is dominated by Bulusan Volcano, the other active volcano in the region. Tiwi in Albay and Bacon, Sorsogon are the sites of two major geothermal fields that contribute substantially to the Luzon Power Grid.

Volcanoes of the Bicol Region

From North to South

• 
  Mount Isarog is the closest to Naga City.
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  Mount Iriga with its large horse-shaped crater with Lake Buhi in the foreground
• 
  The geothermal field of Tiwi on the eartern slope of Mount Malinao
• 
  The extinct volcano of Mount Masaraga
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  The perfect cone of Mayon Volcano and other visitor attractions near the volcano
• 
  The BacMan Geothermal Power Plant is located on the slopes of the Pocdol Mountains.
• 
  The active cone of Bulusan Volcano, the southernmost volcano of the region, located on the remains of the Irosin Caldera

Language

Further information: [[:Bikol language]]

The people of the Bicol region, called Bicolanos, speak any of the several languages of the Bikol macrolanguage, also called Bikolano, an Austronesian language closely related to other Central Philippine languages such as Cebuano and Tagalog. Bicol languages include the Inland Bikol of Bikol-Rinconada (Rinconada area), Bikol-Albay (Buhi, Cam. Sur; Libon, Oas, Daraga, Albay and Donsol, Sorsogon), Bikol-Pandan (Northern Catanduanes). Standard Bikol is based from the coastal Bikol language of the dialect of Legazpi City and is understood widely throughout the region even though they cannot speak it fluently.

The Bikol macrolanguage is the dominant language of the region. The Filipino language (Tagalog) is also spoken in northern parts of Camarines Norte as well as in the municipality of Del Gallego, Camarines Sur. Two Visayan languages, Sorsoganon and Masbateño or Minasbate, are spoken in Masbate and Sorsogon; they are collectively referred to as Bisakol.

Religion

Celebration of Our Lady of Peñafrancia

The region retains Roman Catholicism as the overwhelming religion of the great majority. The Catholic religion has the highest number of followers than any other area in the Philippines.

Fiestas (Feast day of saints) are annual celebrations of parishes, from a simple barrio fiesta honoring a patron associated for good harvest, to a town fiesta honoring a miraculous saint, or a regional one such as the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Fiesta, a week-long celebration to honor the Virgin Mary, dubbed as the "Queen Patroness of Bicolandia". It is widely acknowledged that in Luzon, it is Bicol Region that holds the most number of men entering the seminary for Catholic priesthood, or women entering the religious life to become Catholic nuns.

Archaeology

Albay's archaeology shows concrete evidence of trade with China, Malaya and Indonesia going back two thousand years. The first Spanish contact was in 1565, when a treasure-galleon returning to Cebu from Acapulco, Mexico, was swept off course and the captain recorded his awe at the sight of Mt. Mayon erupting.

Economy

Bicol Region has a large amount of rich flat land, and agriculture is the largest component of the economy with close to 50% depending their livelihood on the industry. Coconuts, abaca, banana, coffee and jackfruit are the top five permanent crops in the region. Rice and maize are among the chief seasonal crops of the region. Commercial fishing is also important with thirteen major fishing grounds supplying fish markets in places as far as Metro Manila. Agriculture and fishing are the major factors in the province's economy.

Mining is also one of the contributors to the region's economy. Several handicrafts, jewelry manufacturing, other small-scale industries and manufacturing enterprises bolster rural incomes.

Tourism

Whale shark spotting in Donsol, Sorsogon

The region has recently seen a revival in its tourism industry, due to the popularity of Mayon Volcano, the new CamSur Water Sports Complex, whale shark spotting, among others, which consequently increased the number of upscale resorts in the region.

Owing to its location, Region V offers plenty of choices for visitors - beautiful natural features like beaches, mountains and waterfalls with lush vegetation; activities could include scuba diving to wrecked galleons, spelunking, mountaineering; or visits to man-made attractions like church architecture from the Spanish Colonial Period; etc.

The municipality of Daet and Catanduanes province have long been destinations for surfers. The opening of the Southern Luzon International Airport in Legazpi City, which is under construction, is hoped to further boost tourism in the region.

External links

• Bicolano Radio Stations Online
• Discussions and Photos at goBicol.com
• Department of Tourism at Wow Bicol
• List of Bicol Region Festivals & Fiestas
• Photo Gallery of beautiful spots in Bicol at www.mybicol.com
• DILG Bicol