Region V

THE BICOL REGION

Calvo, Patricia Anne

What we'll discuss:
History
Administrative Division
Geography
Religion
Culture
Language
Economy
Tourism
 History
The Bicol region was known as Ibalong, variously interpreted to derive
form ibalio, "to bring to the other side"; ibalon, "people from the other
side" or "people who are hospitable and give visitors gifts to bring home";
or as a corruption of Gibal-ong, a sitio of Magallanes, Sorsogon where
the Spaniards first landed in 1567. The Bicol River was first mentioned
in Spanish documents in 1572. The region was also called Los Camarines
after the huts found by the Spaniards in Camalig, Albay. No prehistoric
animal fossils have been discovered in Bicol and the peopling of the
region remains obscure. The Aeta from Camarines Sur to Sorsogon
strongly suggest that aborigines lived there long ago, but earliest
evidence is of middle to late Neolithic life.
A barangay system was in existence by 1569. Records show no sign of
Islamic rule nor any authority surpassing the datu. Precolonial leadership
was based on strength, courage, and intelligence. The native seemed
apolitical. Thus the datu's influence mattered most during crises like
wars. Otherwise, early Bicol society remained family centered, and the
leader was the head of the family.
The Spanish influence in Bicol resulted mainly from the efforts of
Augustinian and Franciscan Spanish missionaries. The first churches in
Bicol, the San Francisco Church, and the Naga Cathedral, both in Naga,
along with the Holy Cross Parish in Nabua, Camarines Sur, are instituted
by the Holy Order of the Franciscans. One of the oldest dioceses in the
Philippines, the Archdiocese of Caceres, was also instituted in the Bicol
Region. During this time, Bicol was dotted by many astilleros which were
focused on constructing Manila Galleons from the local hardwood forests.
 Administrative Division
The region is composed of six provinces, namely, Albay, Camarines Norte,
Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon. 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 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.
 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.
 Religion
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.
 Culture
Bicolanos use light material for their houses; others now have bungalows
to withstand the impact of strong typhoons. They wear light, western
styled clothes similar to Filipinos in urban centers. Seldom, if ever, there
are Bicolanos weaving sinamy or piña for clothing as in the past; sinamy is
reserved now for pillow cases, mosquito nets, fishing nets, bags and other
decorative items.
Coconut and abaca are two dollar-earning products that are grown in the
coastal valleys or slopes of several fertile volcanoes respectively. Bicol
River basin or rice granary provide the peasants rice, corn, and root crops
for food and small cash surplus when crops evade the dreaded frequent
typhoons. Bicol is also famed for its spicy food, which is based largely on
coconut and chilies – as evidenced in the likes of gulay na lada or Bicol
Express. Other dishes not to miss are laing and local specialties featuring
local pili nuts.
Some persisting traditional practices are the pamalay, pantomina and
tigsikan. Beliefs on god, the soul and life after death are strongly held by
the people. Related to these, there are annual rituals like the pabasa,
tanggal, fiestas and flores de mayo. Side by side with these are held beliefs
on spiritual beings as the tawo sa lipod, dwende, onglo, tambaluslos, kalag,
katambay, aswang and mangkukulam.
Bicolanos shows the influence of Spanish religious doctrines and American
materialism with the traditional animistic beliefs. Thus, a multi-cultural
system which evolved through the years to accommodate the realities of
the erratic regional climatic conditions. Such traits can be gleaned from
numerous folktales and folksongs that abound, the most known of which is
the Sarong Bangui. The heroic stories reflect such traits as kindness, a
determination to conquer evil forces, resourcefulness and courage. The
folksong come in the form of awit, sinamlampati, panayokyok,
panambitan, hatol, pag-omaw, rawit-dawit and children’s song and
chants.
 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.
 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 corn 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
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.
 lcano
Tourist Spots
Mayon Vo Caramoan
Daraga Church

CamSur Watersports Donsol Whale Shark

Complex (CWC) Sumlang Lake Interaction Center
 References:
https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-
on-cultural-communities-and-traditional-arts-sccta/central-
cultural-communities/the-bicolanos/
https://ati.da.gov.ph/ati-5/content/our-area-coverage
https://www.islandsproperties.com/places/bicol.htm
https://itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk/bicol/
https://guidetothephilippines.ph/articles/what-to-experience/top-
bicol-tourist-spots
Thank You for
listening!