Naga, Camarines Sur

Naga
Independent Component City
(From top,left to right) Holy Rosary Seminary, Universidad de Santa Isabel, Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Ateneo de Naga University, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine, Malabsay Falls, Naga City Hall, Carmelite Monastery, Peñafrancia Festival
Official seal of Naga Seal
Nickname(s):  The Heart of Bicol; Queen City of Bicol; Pilgrim City; Spanish Royal City; University City; Titan City; An Maogmang Lugar (The Happy Place)
Motto(s):  Uswag, Naga! (Progress, Naga!)
Map of Camarines Sur showing the location of Naga City
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol (Region V)
Province	Camarines Sur
District	3rd district
Founded	1575
Royal City-charter (archaic)	1595
Renamed	1919
Cityhood	1948
Founded by	Capt. Pedro de Chavez
Barangays	27
Government
• Mayor	John G. Bongat (LP)
• Vice Mayor	Nelson S. Legacion (LP)
• Councillors	list Gabriel H. Bordado Jr. (LP) Cecilia V. De Asis (LP) David Casper Nathan A. Sergio (LP) Esteban R. Abonal III (LP) Ma. Elizabeth Q. Lavadia (LP) Joaquin F. Perez Jr. (LP) Elmer S. Baldemoro (LP) Mila R. Arroyo (LP) Jose A. Tuazon (LP) Ray-An Cydrick G. Rentoy (LP) Alex C. Nero (ABC President) Paolo R. Morales (SKF President)
Area
• City	84.48 km2 (32.62 sq mi)
• Metro	1,258.54 km2 (485.93 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• City	174,931
• Density	2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi)
• Metro	741,925
• Metro density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Demonym	Nagueños
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4400
Dialing code	54
Income class	1st Class (2010), urban
Website	naga.gov.ph

The City of Naga (Bikol: Ciudad nin Naga, Maogmang Naga; Template:Lang-tgl) is an independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The town was established in 1575 on order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande, the city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Caceres (New Caceres City), earned its status as the third Spanish royal city in the Philippine islands, after Cebu and Manila.

Naga City is Camarines Sur's economic, commercial, trade, tourism, medical, technological, religious, cultural, industrial, educational, and social center. It is also Camarines Sur's most populous city.It is also provincial center of trade, commerce, and industry, as it is home to large international companies, high-rise hotels, and condominiums. Known as the Convention City of Camarines Sur, Naga City is also the cultural center of Camarines Sur because of large convention centers, and most cultural food, festivals, and poetry are located in the city, as well as the second largest coliseum in the Philippines, the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum.

Naga City is known as the Queen City of Camarines Sur; as the Sacred Heart of Bicol due to its central location in the Bicol peninsula; and as the Pilgrim City because Naga is also home to the largest Marian pilgrimage in Asia, the Our Lady of Penafrancia.

The city is the seat of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres, which makes the city Bicol's religious center, whose jurisdiction includes all the suffragan sees of Bicol, the Dioceses of Daet, Legazpi, Libmanan, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Virac.

Moreover, the city is also the seat of the widely venerated Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of Bicol. The image is one of the most popular objects of devotion in the country.

Naga is at the core of Metro Naga, an official designation given the city and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council. MNDC covers the entire 2nd district of the province of Camarines Sur, and part of its 1st, 3rd and 4th districts.

Naga City per se generally refers to Naga City, Camarines Sur, as it became quite confusing especially for Cebuanos and nearby towns, since there is also a city in Cebu named Naga City, which is dubbed as the industrial city of Naga.

Geography

The city of Naga is located within the province of Camarines Sur in the southeastern tip of Luzon at the near the center of the Bicol Region, surrounded on all sides by rich agricultural, forest and fishing areas. It covers a land area of 8,448 hectares (20,880 acres) and is located around the serpentine and historic Naga River, at the confluence of the Naga and Bikol Rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade and as center for schools, church and government offices. Included in its territory is Mount Isarog, a declared protected area in Region V known as Mount Isarog Natural Park.

Naga City is located 377 kilometres (234 mi) southeast of Manila, the nation's capital, 45 km north of Iriga City and about 380 kilometres (240 mi) northeast of Cebu City, the largest city in the Visayas.

Barangays

The City of Naga is politically subdivided into 27 barangays.

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Climate

Naga
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     293     29 22     189     29 22     158     30 23     153     31 24     168     32 24     255     32 24     266     32 24     281     32 24     271     32 24     341     31 23     480     30 23     475     29 23 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: [11]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     12     83 72     7.4     85 72     6.2     86 73     6     88 75     6.6     90 76     10     90 75     10     89 75     11     89 75     11     89 75     13     88 74     19     86 74     19     84 73 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Under the Köppen climate classification system, Naga features a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification).

The weather in the city from March to May is hot and dry with temperature ranging from 24 to 34 °C (75 to 93 °F). From June to October is the typhoon season and it 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%.

Climate data for Naga City
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)
Average precipitation 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

History

Spanish colonial period

In 1573, on his second expedition to this region, the conquistador Juan de Salcedo landed in a village and named it "Naga" because of the abundance of Narra trees ("Naga" in Bikol) in the place, although some local historians now believe the term naga came from a similar word found in the languages of the Bataks of Sumatra and the Dayaks of Borneo, meaning "serpent/dragon", which originally conmes from the Indian Sanskrit "Naga" meaning "Serpent". The same word is found in other Philippine languages and according to local historian Danilo Gerona, the ancient Tagalogs and Pampangos used a decorative figurehead on the prows of their seacrafts in the shape of the head of a dragon or snake which they called naga, just like in India (see Snake Boats) and rest of South East Asia.

In 1575, Captain Pedro de Chávez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on the site of the present business centre (across the river from the original Naga) a Spanish city which he named La Ciudad de Cáceres, in honor of Francisco de Sande, the governor-general and a native of the city of Cáceres in Spain. It was still by this name that it was identified in the papal bull of August 14, 1595 that erected the See of Cáceres, together with those of Cebú and Nueva Segovia, and made it the seat of the new bishopric under the Archdiocese of Manila.

In time, the Spanish city and the native village merged into one community and became popularly known as Nueva Cáceres, to distinguish it from its namesake in Spain. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with an ayuntamiento and cabildo of its own. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines. Nueva Cáceres remained the capital of the Ambos Camarines provinces and later of the Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent chartered city of Naga under the Philippine Republic.

Naga Metropolitan Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres

The bishops of Cáceres occupied a unique place in the Philippine Catholic hierarchy during most of the Spanish regime. By virtue of the papal bull of Gregory XIII, ecclesiastical cases originating in the Spanish East Indies, which ordinarily were appealable to the Pope, were ordered to be terminated there and no longer elevated to Rome. Decisions of bishops were made appealable to the archbishop and those of the latter to the bishop of the nearest see. Thus, in the Philippines, the decisions of the Archbishop of Manila were subject to review by the Bishop of Cáceres whose jurisdiction then extended from the whole Bicol region, the island-province of Marinduque and the present-day Aurora, which was once part of the former Tayabas province, which is now the province of Quezon. In this sense, bishops of Bikol were delegates of the Pope and could be considered primates of the Church of the Philippines.

This was the reason why bishops of Cáceres and archbishops of Manila were sometimes engaged in interesting controversies in the sensational Naga case and in such issues as canonical visitation and the secularization of the parishes. As papal delegate, Bishop Francisco Gaínza, then concurrent bishop of Cáceres, sat in the special ecclesiastical tribunal which passed upon the civil authorities' petition to divest Fathers Burgos, Gómez, and Zamora of their priestly dignity. Gaínza did not only refuse the petition but also urged their pardon.

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.

American colonial period

With the advent of the American rule, the city was reduced to a municipality. In 1919, it lost its Spanish name and became officially known as Naga. It acquired its present city charter in 1948, and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year by virtue of Republic Act No. 305. Rep. Juan Q. Miranda sponsored this legislative act which put flesh into the city's bid to become among the only few independent component cities in the country.

World War II and Japanese Occupation

Japanese fighter and bomber planes attacked the town municipality of Naga in December 1941 and it was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops in 1942. The military garrison of the Japanese Imperial Army was located in Naga during Japanese Occupation.

The Philippine Commonwealth Army on 1942 to 1946 and the Philippine Constabulary 2nd Infantry Regiment on 1944 to 1946 was founding establishment and military active on 1942 to 1946 at the general headquarters and stationed in Naga. Many Bicolano resistance groups was downfall conflicts and insurgent invasion of Naga on 1942 to 1945 and aided and supporting them by the local ground troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units and attacking Imperial Japanese soldiers. After the conflict siege, some Bicolano freedom fighters are retreating by the Japanese and before the liberation on Naga by Allied troops until 1945.

On 1945, combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth troops liberated the town municipality of Naga and aided by the Bicolano resistance groups and defeated Imperial Japanese troops and ended in the Second World War.

Independent Philippines

After Naga was liberated from the Japanese, Naga began on rebuilding the town. With only a few casualties, Naga City was able to rebuild quickly after the war. After many petitions, Naga became a city in June 18, 1948.

Demographics

Population census of Naga

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	115,329	—
1995	126,972	+1.82%
2000	137,810	+1.77%
2007	160,516	+2.13%
2010	174,931	+3.18%
Source: National Statistics Office

Religion

The Metroploitan Naga Cathedral

Peñafrancia Parish. The old home of Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Roman Catholicism

The city is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres which oversees the Catholic population in the Bicol Region. The city is also the seat of the Primate of the Bicol region. This dominant faith is supported by the presence of old and influential Catholic institutions, from universities to churches run by different religious institutes, notably the Ateneo de Naga University by the Jesuits; the Universidad de Sta. Isabel by the Daughters of Charity; the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral; which is the oldest cathedral that is still standing in Luzon outside Metro Manila, Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, which is the largest Catholic structure in Southern Luzon in terms of size and land area; Peñafrancia Shrine; and Our Lady of Peñafrancia Museum.

Evangelicalism

Other Christian organizations are represented by Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) whose imposing church is a landmark along Panganiban Drive, Also having considerable number of members are Members Church of God International popularly known as Ang Dating Daan, Seventh-day Adventist and Bible Baptist whose churches are located along Magsaysay Avenue; while other Christians go to the Methodist Church which is among the old structures along Peñafrancia Avenue. There is also a medium concentration of Jesus Miracle Crusade in the City.

Islam, Buddhism and other faiths

One of the other major religions that are represented in Naga City is Islam where a mosque is located at Greenland in Brgy. Concepcion Pequeña. Followers of Hinduism has a temple along Basilica Road in Brgy. Balatas. A shrine for the followers of Taoism is located along Lerma Street in Brgy. Triangulo.

Economy

The Central Business District

Naga City is cited as one of the "Most Business-Friendly Cities in Asia" and is considered to be one of the "Philippines Top 10" cities, being the 9th Most Competitive City in the Philippines, and most competitive city in Bicol, that major in export, commerce, trade, electronics, manufacturing, education and high-employment. Naga City is the only place in Bicol where large, long offices of the most massive international companies in the Philippines. Naga City is also the only city in where there is a cyber zone that specializes in free internet to everyone. Foreign and local tycoons also reside in the city. Many entrepreneurs cited the city as the most business-friendly in the Bicol region.

Strategically located at the heart of Bicol, Naga City is also the trade city in Bicol that is the embarkation point and resting point of goods from Visayas and Manila.

Central Business District 1

Elias Angeles Street

The first Central Business District, commonly known as 'Downtown Naga' or simply 'Centro' which means center is located in the southern part of the city. In the north, it boundaries on the Naga University Belt and boundaries to the south by the historical Naga City Peoples Mall or simply Naga City Community Supermarket. It surrounds the triplet plazas of Naga City, The Plaza Kinse (15) Martires, The Plaza Quezon, and the main monument that is the center of the Central Business District 1, the Plaza Rizal. The Central Business District 1's main road are the Elias Angeles Road that starts from the Metropolitan Cathedral and ends at the Naga City Supermarket. The Central Business District 1 is the location of some large local businesses that sells a few local delicacies and native products from neighboring municipalities and provinces.

Central Business District 2

Panganiban Drive

The second Central Business District is the location of international, and national businesses and is located along the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum which is the second largest coliseum in the Philippines, after Smart Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila. The Central Business District 2 is also the location of the largest mall in Bicol, the SM City Naga, the largest, and busiest bus terminal in the Bicol Region, the Naga City Central Bus Terminal, to be renamed as Bicol Central Station, and the large Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park which houses several Business Process Outsourcing Offices such as Accenture. Though comparably larger, the second Central Business District also is the location of the delivery point, and resting point of trade goods from Legazpi City, Sorsogon City, Masbate City, and Catanduanes. This is also the place where the Naga City Regional Trade Center opened beside the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum. The district also is the location of some hotels and some cheap convention centers.

South Riverfront Growth Area

The South Riverfront Growth Area is found only a few blocks west of CBD-I. It is geared to accommodate medium- to high-end commercial development. It is one of the largest economic allocations made by the local government of Naga.

South Riverfront is composed of the whole of Brgy. Sabang– except those areas which are socialized housing sites or are otherwise excluded by the Naga City Land Use Plan for commercial or industrial development. Aside from CBD-I, it is bounded by the Naga River and the town of Camaligan, Camarines Sur.

The development of the area is anchored on Naga City’s biggest shopping mall– LCC Central Mall.

The development area is the location of the Naga City IT Park.

Agro-Industrial Zone

This area is envisioned as an agro-industrial hub, capitalizing on Bicol’s extensive agricultural resources, the market offered by Naga itself, and the city’s character as the regional center of trade and services– providing access to markets in Metro Naga, Camarines Sur, Bicol and South Luzon.

The Agro-Industrial Zone spans barangays Del Rosario, Cararayan, San Isidro, Pacol and Carolina– Naga’s traditional agricultural areas. It has an area of 309 hectares. It will be the site of the 105-hectare Naga Agro-Industrial Ecozone, operated by the Pacol Agro-Industrial Corporation with incentives from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

Magsaysay District

The main road in the city is Magsaysay Avenue or Magsaysay Boulevard which starts from the City Hall district, connecting it to the Magsaysay District where accommodations and restaurants catering to travelers are found. Businesses are open till late at night with some shops also open 24/7. Naga City also has its share of fastfood restaurant chains. The city hall, provincial capitol and several provincial offices are also located in the district around the Peñafrancia Basilica.

Banking and Finance

Naga City is the Financial Center of the Bicol Region. The Total Banks in the city is around 62 including the regional office of Banco Sentral ng Pilipinas. The city hosts the Regional offices of Banco De Oro, Philippine National Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, RCBC, Allied Bank,and the Philippine Postal Savings Bank. Banks with many branches are Banco De Oro with 7 branches, Bank of the Philippine Islands has 5 branches including BPI family bank, MetroBank has 4 branches, China bank and Landbank has 3, RCBC and Security bank 2 branches . A leading thrift bank, RCBC Savings Bank, enjoys patronage from both Filipino and Chinese businessmen. Robinsons Bank of the Gokongwei group has also set up its branch in the city. One of the biggest rural banks in the country, Bank of Makati, is also found in the city. Land bank -Magsaysay branch, Security Bank-Diversion branch and Philippine Planters Bank, are the three latest banks to open in the city this year 2013. Meanwhile Banco de Oro opened their seventh branch in Deca building and Maybank at Panganiban Drive.

Shopping Malls

The Naga City Peoples Mall

SM City Naga is one of the most visited shopping mall in the Bicol Region, ranging from 100,000-250,000 every two days. SM City Naga is located at the second Central Business District and beside the Naga City Central Bus Terminal, the largest and busiest bus terminal in Bicol Region . Naga City also has another largest mall in the Bicol Region, the E-Mall that is strategically located in the Central Business District 1 or Centro Naga, with Robisons Supermarket as its anchor store. The mall is considered to be the largest homegrown commercial complex in the Bicol Region, due to its size. LCC Mall Naga is also located in Felix Plazo Street near Central Business District I and has the Naga City Integrated Westbound Transport Terminal, which caters transportation from Del Gallego, Camarines Sur, to Milaor, Camarines Sur and everything in between. There are two Puregold Malls in Naga City, the Puregold Centro Naga, and the Puregold Naga which is located in Diversion Road. The Gaisano Mall Naga has already started dumping by Bicol Medical Center, Robinsons Place Naga, and Ayala Mall-Naga are also set to open in the next years.

Business Process Outsourcing

Naga City was cited as one of the best places to conduct BPO business in the Philippines. The city currently has three IT parks—the Naga City IT Park, the Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park, and the newly inaugurated Naga City Technology Center that are all highly conducive for outsourcing businesses. The three facilities offer about 40,000 call center seats that could provide jobs to some 120,000 agents in three-shifts. Pioneering the business in Naga City is the Incubation Center of Southern Luzon Technological College Foundation Inc. (SLTCFI) and Philippine Computer Colleges which are extensions of Naga City Industries District, the third IT ecozone in the Bicol region inaugurated in August 13, 2011.

Naga City is also the location of IT schools, and cyberoffices in the Bicol Region. The Philippine Computer Foundation Inc. has opened their South Luzon Call center in Naga City in order to get more clients at reach. The Worldtech Resources Institute also has constructed their own edifice that can hande 5,000 to 9,000 call center agents per shift. The Computer Communication Development Institute has also headquartered their operations in Naga City. This institute is the overall watcher of government-owned BPO companies in the Bicol Region.

Sutherland Company had already opened their call center and is located at Pili, Camarines Sur. The Australian BPO Company is set to open their own respective call centers in Naga City in the next few years. The international BPO company IBM also constructed their own call center office just infront of SM City Naga. IBM is to undergo a major expansion this 2014 constructing a new 6-floor building and heightening the first building from 2 floors to 5 floors. Accenture is already under land acquisition in the city, and is set to construct their own call center in Naga City. Convergys and Sykes Asia are also planning to institute their own call centers in Naga City.

Industry

The Naga City Industries District, and the Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park produce 56% of the total industries in the Bicol Region.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the second highest in production of all industries in Naga. One of the old industries is the Plastic Manufacturing Factory but was closed due to the plastic-ban in the city. Naga City usually manufactures canned goods like corned beef, and canned sisig. Other manufacturing industries are the Meat-Packing manufacturers, and the Brewery manufacturers. The manufacturing industries are located at the Naga City Industries District.

Native Industries

After the one town, one product provincial project was released in Camarines Sur, many native making and food industries moved to Naga City. One of this industries is the Manila Hemp bag-making factories along the Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park. This factories produce the most beautiful and most famous bags in the Bicol Region. Another native industry is the cloth-making industry that makes clothes that are made of native materials. Another industry is the small-time wood-sculptors factories.

Places of interest

The rotunda in front of the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral.

San Francisco Church

Churches and monasteries

• Naga Metropolitan Cathedral is the oldest cathedral established in the whole southern Luzon. It was built in 1573, and was inaugurated in 1575. It is also the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Caceres.
• Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine is the original home of Our Lady of Peñafrancia for two centuries. It was established in 1750.
• Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, established in 1985, it is the new home of Our Lady of Peñafrancia where the Traslacion starts when her image is led into procession around the city streets then brought to the cathedral.
• San Francisco Church, established in 1578, it is the first church in the region built by the Franciscan Friars. The surrender of the Spanish forces to the Bikol revolutionaries Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo took place here on September 18, 1896. The church was reduced to rubble by the heavy bombing of Naga in World War II, and the church remained in ruins until the present new edifice was constructed.
• St. Jude Churches in del Rosario
• Carmelite Church and Monastery - home of the Carmelite nuns in Bicol.
• Holy Rosary Minor Seminary and Museum - oldest seminary in the Bicol Region, it houses the old paraphernalia, and items used by the old Catholic Church, including the documents of Our Lady of Peñafrancia’s verified devotion, and coronation.
• Holy Rosary Major Seminary and Church -the largest seminary in the Bicol Region.
• Immaculate Conception Church
• Caritas Mariae Church in Pacol
• Christ the King Church, Ateneo de Naga University
• Holy Cross Parish Church in Barangay Tabuco

Natural attractions

Malabsay Falls

• Mount Isarog is a dormant volcano and a national park open for trekking and mountain biking
• Malabsay Falls, a waterfall near Mt. Isarog
• Mt. Isarog Hot Springs and resorts
• Casa Ofelia Resort in Carolina
• Stonehouse Gardens Resort

Historical landmarks

Nine sites and landmarks in the city with historical value

• Calle Via Gainza, now Peñafrancia Avenue, was first known as Via Gainza in honor of Bishop Francisco Gainza, O.P. (1863–1879), the 25th and considered as the greatest Spanish bishop of the See of Caceres.
• Calle Real, now Elias Angeles Street, was one of the earliest streets in Spanish Nueva Caceres laid out at the close of the 16th century. The street figured as a historic backdrop to the events of September 1898, which established the Filipino revolutionary government headed by Elias Angeles.
• Calle de Legaspi at the western portion of Panganiban Drive, was established in 1839 after the Naga River was straightened as a short cut from Calle Real to the new western bank of the river.
• Casa Real site on General Luna Street. The Casa Real, the government building of Nueva Caceres, was established at this location in 1588
• Casa Tribunal site on Elias Angeles Street was the original site of the Casa Tribunal or “common house” which provided free rooms to travelers until 1839.
• Casino Español site at the corner Elias Angeles and Arana Street, was the location of Casino Español, a spacious building of piedra china and wood that served as the social and recreational center of the male Spanish population of Nueva Caceres and neighboring towns.
• House of Tomas Prieto site at the corner Panganiban Drive and Peñafrancia Avenue was the home of the Bicolano martyr, Tomas Prieto, who was executed on January 4, 1897 at the Bagumbayan Field in Manila together with ten others, collectively known as the "Bicol Martyrs."
• The Naga City Police Station on Barlin Street was the site of the Cuartel General of the Guardia Civil in Camarines that was constructed in 1870, but was razed by fire caused by faulty electrical wiring.
• Puente de Naga, now Lt. Delfin Rosales Bridge, the massively designed concrete bridge was constructed in 1847 and was known as Puente de Naga, and until the 1920s when the bridge was renamed in honor of Bicolano Jose Maria Panganiban. It was renamed again in 1989, to honor Lt. Delfin C. Rosales in World War II, during the battle for Naga in April 1945.

Monuments

Plaza de Nueva Caceres

• Plaza Miguel Robles de Covarrubias is a monument in the plaza of Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine, the old home of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. It was constructed, along with the stage, to commemorate the 300 Years of love and devotion to the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the patroness of Bicolandia. It also depicts of how Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarrubias brought Ina to the Bicolanos.
• Plaza de Nueva Caceres, also known as the Oragon Monument, is a monument constructed by the local government of Naga City to commemorate Naga City's long history, and its charter anniversaries. The monument depicts Nueva Caceres during the Spanish Period. The yearly foundation day of Nueva Caceres is held in the monument.
• Plaza Rizal is the oldest plaza and monument in Naga City. It is the centerpiece of the Rizal Park which was the former park of the old Camarines Sur Provincial Capitol. It has Jose Rizal and some angels in the monument. Majority of trade fairs held in the city are sometimes done in the plaza. The plaza is also adjacent to the Plaza Quezon.
• Plaza Quezon is the largest plaza in Naga City. It is where the Regional Civic Parade, Voyadores Festival, Military Parade are done in September during the festivities of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. It is also where international artists and showbiz caravans are held when visiting the city.
• Plaza Barlin is the only monument constructed to commemorate Bishop Jorge Barlin, the first Filipino bishop, which was from Baao, Camarines Sur.
• Plaza Quince Martires is the monument located at the very heart of Naga's Central Business District I. It commemorates the martyrdom of 15 people from Naga who oppose Spanish Regime. It was on January 4, 1897 or barely 5 days after the National Hero –Dr. Jose P. Rizal – was executed when the 11 prisoners from Bicol were also executed on the same field in Bagumabayan (now Luneta). The four others had either died in prison as a result of torture or while in exile in the island of Fernando Poo (or Fernando Pó), off the coast of Africa. The monument was built on November 29, 1926 during the American occupancy.
• Jose Maria Panganiban Monument in Naga Central School I is a monument dedicated to the Bicolano hero Jose Maria Panganiban, who was an active member of the La Solidaridad Propaganda movement during the waning days of Spanish Colonial Rule.
• Jesse Robredo Monument in his burial site at Eternal Gardens Naga City located at Balatas Road where the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore is located and near to the monument. It is a commemorative monument to honor the late Jesse Robredo who was Naga City Mayor from 1988 to 2009. He was a great example of good governance in the country.
• Infantil de la Milagrosa Monument in front of the Universidad de Santa Isabel is a historic monument built by the Daughters of Charity that is the management of the Universidad de Santa Isabel and is a major component of Catholic life. The monument commemorates the thanksgiving of the nuns after World War II in which that they were saved from the impending danger.
• Sto. Niño Monument is a monument located inside the Parish of the Immaculate Conception. It is a monument unveiled by the Archdiocese of Caceres to commemorate the patronage of Santo Niño in the Archdiocese, being centered in the parish.

Museums

Bicol Science Centrum

• The Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Museum showcases Bicol's ancient relics and artifacts like burial jars, ancient china wares,rare stones and ritual objects. The museum also features local church history where old Church vestiges and sacred objects are displayed.
• The Penafrañcia Museum contains sacred vestiges related to Marian devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia.
• The University of Nueva Caceres Museum is one of the oldest museums outside Manila and recognized by the International Association of Museum. It houses historical artifacts of the ancient Bikol, its people and culture.
• Bicol Science and Technology Centrum is a science museum established in 1993 in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology to cater to the science and technology education for the young, professionals, teachers andenthusiasts alike. It features an exhibit of interactive gadgets, a skywatch gallery, a sci-cubby hole for the kids, an audio-visual room and a cybercafé for internet users.
• The Naga City Art Gallery, established by the Salingoy Art Group in partnership with the Naga City government, houses traditional and contemporary art works of Bicolano artists.

Culture

Naga City is considered to be Bicol's cultural center due to the largest festival in the region is held in the city, The Peñafrancia Festival.

Festivals

Fluvial Procession for Our Lady of Peñafrancia

The Peñafrancia Festival

The city celebrates the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of the Bicol Region starting second Friday of September each year. The start of the 10-day feast, the largest Marian devotions in the country, is signalled by a procession (called Traslacion) which transfers the centuries-old image of the Blessed Virgin Mary from its shrine at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore to the 400-year old Naga 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-called voyadores to the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia via the historic Naga River. The next day, marks the feast day of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Pontifical High Masses are celebrated in the Basilica Minore, attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful devotees.

Kamundagan Festival

Naga City celebrates the Kamundagan Festival every Christmas time. It begins with the lighting of the Christmas Village in the Plaza Quezon Grandstand. After the lighting of the Christmas Village, six locally handmaid stars, known locally as parols are lighted with different meanings. Love, progress, peace, happiness, prosperity, and joy symbolize the stars. The Giant Christmas Tree is lighted 2 weeks before Christmas. Every night, different fantasy-themed Christmas shows are held in the Plaza Quezon. A Grand Christmas Bazaar is also held near the Cathedral, exhibiting different talents in Magic, Trickery, Beauty, and Brains. The Bazaar also has some stores that sell locally made Christmas themed products for visitors.

Kinalas Festival

Naga City celebrates Kinalas Festival during its yearly anniversary of Chartership or Cityhood. It honors the most famous local delicacies, the Kinalas, and Siling Labuyo, with it having a food contest. Also known as Charter Day Festival, different organizations and schools, compete in Sports and Academics, as sponsored by the local government.

Food and delicacies

Naga is known to have some native foods and delicacies:

• Kinalas - Kinalas and log-log are noodle soup dishes served Bicol style, similar to mami except for a topping of what looked like a Pansit Palabok sauce, and the meaty dark soup made from boiling a cow or a pig’s head until the flesh fell off. Kinalas/luglog, from the Tagalog word "kalas", 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 call "bulalo". The soup is topped with very tender meat slices that also came from the pig's head. It is usually served hot with an egg, sprinkled with roasted garlic and spring onions. Kalamansi and patis may be added according to taste. Kinalas is usually paired with Baduya/Banana Cue or Camote Cue.

• Buko Juice - Juice freshly extracted from a young coconut.

• Nata de Coco

• Pan de Naga - the local bread of the city

Sports

• Metro Naga Sports Complex in Barangay Pacol has Olympic-sized swimming pools, tennis courts and a track oval.
• Naga City Coliseum- Later renamed as Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum in honor of the late DILG Secretary and Former Mayor of Naga City.

Nightlife

• The nightlife in Naga City is concentrated along Magsaysay Avenue where restaurants, bars and music lounges are lined up catering to tourist and locals alike. Nightlife in the city is considered as the Most Vibrant in Bicol.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Philippine National Railways Naga Station

Naga City is easily accessible by air and land. The city is served by the Naga (WNP) Airport which is located in the barangay of San Jose in the nearby town of Pili. Flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Naga takes approximately 35–40 minutes with services provided by Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines three and two times a day, respectively. By land, Naga is a 7 to 8-hour ride from Manila via Quirino & Andaya Highways or 10 hours via the Maharlika Highway. It is approximately 22 hours from Cebu City with ferry transfers in Sorsogon, the southernmost province of the Bicol peninsula. Buses ply to Sorsogon and Tacloban.

Railways

Naga City is the Regional head office and the Center point of the Philippine National Railway's Bicol Line. Naga Prosper and flourished as it serves as a transit point of Commerce in Camarines' Area. Daily rail services to and from Manila were provided by the Philippine National Railways under Bicol Express Service.

Naga with adjacent towns and cities from Tagkawayan, Quezon province to Ligao, Albay is served daily by Bicol Commuter's express. A plan has been expressed upon completion of the rehabilitation of the Line to Legazpi City the Bicol Commuter's Express will be extended up to Legazpi in the near future.

Phone services

Naga is served by landline and mobile phone companies like BayanTel and Digitel of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. Major mobile phone providers in the area include Globe, Smart, and Sun Cellular.

Health care

The Bicol Medical Center

AGO Foundation Hospital

Naga City hosts the largest hospitals in the Bicol Region. The government owned Bicol Medical Center and the Universidad de Sta. Isabel - Mother Seton Hospital owned and operated by the Daughters of Charity, along with the government-owned Camarines Sur Provincial Hospital are considered to be the largest hospitals in the Bicol Region in size and accommodation. Naga City also houses the only medical district in Bicol, The Metropolitan Naga Medical District. Naga City is the Medical Center of Bicol.

• Bicol Medical Center (BMC), the largest hospital in the Bicol Region, formerly called the Camarines Sur Regional Hospital, is located in Concepcion Pequeña, offers specialty training in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Obstetric and Gynecology, Anesthesiology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Orthopedics and Traumatology, the only in Bicol. This is also the base hospital of the Helen Keller Foundation where eye specialists all over the country are trained and later assigned in different parts of the Philippines.
• Universidad de Sta. Isabel- Mother Seton Hospital (USI - MSH), is the biggest private hospital in the Bicol Region for the number of admissions, medical equipment facility, 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, like in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and General Surgery.

• Camarines Sur Provincial Hospital another largest hospital in the Bicol Region and in Camarines Sur. It was created and founded in 1989 through Republic Act 9963. This integrated hospital is one of the first-class hospitals in the Philippines.

• The Plaza Medica houses the Naga Endocrine Laboratory (also called the Endolab), a modern specialty laboratory facility and hormone laboratory Naga.
• St. John Hospital (tertiary hospital)
• Ago Foundation Hospital (tertiary hospital)
• Dr. Nilo Roa Memorial Hospital (secondary hospital)
• Metropolitan Naga Medical Center (secondary hospital)
• Naga City Hospital (government hospital)
• Bicol Access Health Centrum (Private hospital)
• NICC Naga Doctors Hospital (Private hospital)

Education

Naga City is considered to be Southern Luzon's educational center due to its prestigious academic performances of schools, and is the home of three largest universities in the Bicol Region. The city is also the home of several colleges which produce high-quality people that can serve.

Tertiary education

Ateneo de Naga University

Universidad de Santa Isabel

The Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) is Jesuit university in the Bicol Region, and is the largest catholic university in the Bicol Region. The school is accredited with PAASCU since 1979, making it one of the best universities in the country. ADNU is the first university in the Philippines to achieve PAASCU Institutional Accreditation, on top of its Autonomous Status, Level III Status, and its Center of Excellence in Teachers Education, Center of Development in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, and Information Technology. It has produced top animators in the country since it launched its Bachelor's Degree in Animation. The university is also the alma mater of the very first Bicolano Jesuit priest, Father Juan Bonafe, S.J. --> The Universidad de Santa Isabel is the oldest normal school for girls in Asia inaugurated on April 12, 1869. It is a sectarian school run by the religious Daughters of Charity Sisters. The University of Nueva Caceres is the very first university south of Luzon, outside of Manila and is considered to be largest in the Bicol Region due to its population and size.

The Philippine Women's University has its Career Development and Continuing Education Center in the city, while the University of the Philippines opened its Open University in USI to cater to distant-education students. The Bicol College of Arts and Trade, Then Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, now Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology has also a large student base in the city. Arch. Antonio Imperial III, who placed 2nd in the 2007 Architecture Board Exam, is a graduate of this school. One of the leading maritime schools in the country, Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation, has two campuses in Metro Naga, one along Panganiban Drive and another in Canaman, a suburban town.

University of Nueva Caceres

The Naga College Foundation

The Naga College Foundation is the leading Criminology school in the region. It has produced topnotch placements in the National Police Commission Examinations and the Criminologist Licensure Exams through the years (Top 3 Criminology School in the Philippines, 1993; Alex Pederio, 1999; Henry Navarro, 7th place, 1999; Noel Cabral, 6th placer, 2002; Romeo Caballero, 8th placer, 2002; Xavier Mirasol, 11th place, 2004; Frederick R. Eboña, National 2nd Placer, Licensure Board Examination 2009). Naga College Foundation's Nursing and Health Sciences Department also Produced a number of topnotchers in Nursing as well as Midwifery(Asther de la Cruz, National 3rd Placer, Midwifery, 2001; Leslie Guerra, National 6th Placer, Nursing, 2005, Neri Grace Zapata National 11th Placer, Nursing, 2008; Florian Maureen Palma, 3rd Placer Nationwide Midwives Licensure Examination 2009 and 15th Placer Nationwide Nursing Board Exam; Clarissa Leonor Tible Escober, 4th Placer Nationwide Nursing Board Exam 2009) as well as being the Top performing nursing school in Bicol since 2003; 100% passing rate, 1997 -->

The oldest live-in Christian higher educational institute for the clergy in the country was established in the city in the early part of the 18th century. The Holy 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 Cardinal Sanchez. It has richly contributed as well to the national heritage through Jose Ma. Panganiban and Tomas Arejola and 7 of the 15 Bikol Martyrs. On January 29, 1988, the National Historical Institute declared the Holy Rosary Seminary as a National Historical Landmark.

University of Santo Tomas will open its own campus in Naga City in the next 10 years.

Secondary education and lower

The Naga Parochial School

The government-run Camarines Sur National High School registers over 15,000 enrollees every school year and it is the biggest secondary school in the region. Naga City Science High School was established in Naga City in 1994, it is considered to be one of the top-notch schools in the country. The school contains pilot curricula in Bicol Region, the Spanish Curriculum, which is the third in the Philippines, and the Journalism Curriculum, which are incubation for students to receive training and exposure to college-related situations. The school is also a consistent champion at the Doon Po Sa Amin or DPSA National Contest. Two schools in the city, Saint Joseph School(SJS) and Naga Hope Christian School (NHCS), caters to Filipino-Chinese students.

The Naga Parochial School (NPS) is the largest Parochial school in the Bicol region receiving 850 enrollees yearly. It is run by priests of the Archdiocese 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. This is an exclusive Catholic school for boys with Most Rev. Rolando Joven Tria Tirona as chair of the Board Trustees. Well-known personalities such as the late Raul Roco, Jesse Robredo, Francis Garchitorena, Luis R. Villafuerte, Jaime Fabregas, Jonathan Dela Paz Zaens, Archbishop Tito Yllana, Bishop Jose Rojas PC, DD are graduates of NPS. -->

STI Naga

Arborvitae Plains Montessori, Inc. (formerly Casa Dei Bambini Montessori), is a Montessori school with eleven branches spread all over the Philippines offering education according to the Montessori method modified for the Philippine curriculum. The Naga City Montessori School was established in 1989 offering pre-school, grade school and high school education. The Village Montessori on San Leandro St. is the only school in the Bicol Region that offers the real Montessori method which follows the continuous progression curriculum of the American Montessori Society.

Specialized computer schools have also mushroomed in the city due to popularity of computer courses, both degree and short-term. AMA Computer University and STI College have established campuses in the city. Other specialized computer schools include Worldtech Resources Institute (WRI), Philippine Computer Foundation College (PCFC) and CCDI.

Tutorial and review centers for higher education are found in the city. Some of these centers are Art Review Center, Edgeworth Review Center, and AimOne Review Center. Tutorial centers such as Asiawise Study Center], which is located along Barlin St. (near Naga Cathedral), also offer review programs for UP and other college entrance tests, Philippine Science High School qualifying exam, and Law Aptitude Exam.

City Youth Programs

Some of the reasons are the Youth Code authored by City Councilor Hon. Ray-an Cydrick Rentoy and co-authored by Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Hon. Dan Paolo Morales, the City Youth Officials Program, being member of the city council of the SKF President, recognition of various youth orgranizations, the Naga City Council for Youth Affairs, etc.

City Youth Officials Program

By virtue of SP Ordinance No. 2007-008, as amended by Ordinance No. 2009-017 dated March 19, 2007 and March 17, 2009 respectively Institutionalizing the Naga City Youth Officials Program and declared the period from April 15 to May 31 each year as City Youth Month. During this period, youth officials will be given the opportunity to handle the operations of the city government except in areas, which are policy determining or requiring monetary disbursements. Each year, 45 youths will be selected through a two-phase selection process (written and oral examinations) from a pool of qualified youth applicants/nominees in Naga City. The youths that will be selected will be appointed as follows:

• City Youth Mayor
• City Youth Vice-Mayor
• 12 City Youth Councilors
• City Youth Administrator
• City Youth Secretary to the Sangguniang Panglungsod
• City Youth Planning and Development Coordinator
• City Youth Treasurer
• City Youth Assessor
• City Youth Budget Officer
• City Youth Legal Officer
• City Youth Agriculturist
• City Youth Veterinarian
• City Youth Environment and Natural Resources Officer
• City Youth Secretary to the Mayor
• City Youth Market Superintendent
• City Youth Population and Nutrition Officer
• City Youth Accountant
• City Youth Engineer
• City Youth Metro Peso Manager
• City Youth Social Welfare and Development Officer
• City Youth Human Resource Management Officer
• City Youth Civil Registrar
• City Youth General Services Officer
• City Youth Health Officer
• City Youth Librarian
• City Youth Urban Poor Affairs Officer
• City Youth Science and Technology Centrum Administrator
• City Youth Public Safety Officer
• City Youth Electronics Data Processing Officer
• City Youth Chief of Hospital
• City Youth NCPC Program Director
• City Youth NCPC Chairperson
• 2 City Youth NCPC Sectoral Representatives

Media

Television networks

For the complete lists of the TV and radio stations, see List of television and radio stations in Naga City, Camarines Sur.

ABS-CBN Corporation had expanded its network in Bicol by establishing ABS-CBN Naga which operates ABS-CBN channel 11 Naga, Studio 23 channel 23 Naga and MOR!. Local shows such as TV Patrol Bicol, Marhay na Aga Kapamilya and MAG TV Na, Oragon! are aired in the whole region via ABS-CBN Regional Network Group which is also stationed in the city. Associated Broadcasting Company's TV5 airs shows via channel 22 and also through its affiliate station People's Broadcasting Network (PBN TV 5 Naga) but there are plans to establish its own regional station in the city. GMA Network's GMA channel 7 (including Baretang Bikol) and GMA News TV channel 28 is also available. All of the major television broadcasting channels' regional offices are located in the city.

Radio stations

Naga City has a good number of FM and AM radio stations of in the region, some of which operate 24 hours daily. The city's cable and satellite TV companies include Naga Cable TV, Caceres Cable TV and SkyCable.

Local newspapers

• Bicol Standard
• Bicol Mail
• Kaiba News and Features
• Bikol Reporter
• Vox Bikol
• Bicol Herald
• Ako Bicol
• Bicol Autonomy

Image gallery

• 
  Downtown Naga
• 
  Avenue Square
• 
  Naga City Hall
• 
  Plaza Oragon
• 
  Naga City Youth Center
• 
  Plaza de Nueva Caceres

Sister cities

• Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
• General Santos City, South Cotabato
• Cotabato
• Lucena City, Quezon
• San Fernando City, Pampanga
• Shishi City, China
• Su-ao Township, Yilan County, Taiwan
• San Leandro City, California, United States of America
• Shefa Province, Vanuatu

See also

• List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines
• Education in the Philippines
• List of colleges and universities in the Philippines

External links

• Official website of Naga City
• Official Site of the Archdiocese of Caceres
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information