QUICK FACTS:
Population: 1,432,990 (as of 2020 Census)
Land Area: 5,420.57 square kilometers
Capital: Dumaguete City
Dumaguete City Population: 134,103
Dumaguete City Land Area: 33.62 km2 (12.98 sq mi)
Negros Oriental Province is situated in the southeast of Negros Island and the middle point of the Central Visayas region, 1 hour flight away from Manila and 30 minutes away from Cebu, and has a total landmass of 5,420.57 square kilometers. It is rich in mineral resources, having such metallic minerals as copper, magnetite and manganese, and such non-metallic minerals as silica, coal, plaster, silicate and pottery clay. The climate in a year is divided into dry season from December to May and wet season from June to November.
The province consists of 6 cities, 19 municipalities and 557 barangays, with its capital named Dumaguete. Dumaguete City is known as a university city due to the existence of many universities and colleges in the city. These universities include: Silliman University (1901), the oldest American established university in Asia.
Its population is 1,432,990 (as of 2020 Census). Negros Oriental is predominantly a Cebuano-speaking province by 72%, due to its close proximity to Cebu. Hiligaynon/Ilonggo is spoken by the remaining 28% and is common in areas close to the border with Negros Occidental. Filipino and English, though seldom used, are generally understood and used for official, literary and educational purposes.
The City of Dumaguete was formally created on July 15, 1948, under Philippine Congressional Republic Act No. 327, also known as the "Charter of the City of Dumaguete". This was later amended on June 21, 1969, by Republic Act No. 5797, which clarified and refined the powers and functions of the local government unit in the earlier act.
HISTORY
Political History and Cultural History
The expedition of Ferdinand Magellan that arrived in the Philippines on March 16, 1521, and the succeeding expeditions in the following decades, has not been able to reach the island of Negros. It was only in 1571 or fifty years later when Legazpi came that the Spaniards discovered the island of Negros.
Legaspi and his men found the natives inhospitable, but there were plenty of food in the island. It was during the time of Legaspi that distribution of big tracts of land (encomiendas) to 15 encomenderos residing in Cebu and Iloilo was done. Three of the encomiendas were the Rios de Tanae (Tanjay), “Davi” (Dauin) and “Monalongon” (Manalongon) in the southern part of Negros Oriental. Tributes collected were, however, sent to Cebu or Iloilo governments where funds of Negros were administered. It was in 1734 when a separate military district government was established in the island.
As settlements in Negros Oriental continually grew and swelled out to other points along the coast, the sugar cane plantation expanded just as fast. Meantime, the government officials who resided in Bacolod could hardly cope up with government functions and rarely visited the Oriental part due to the inadequacy of roads and difficulty in communication facilities. Consequently, the socio-economic life of the Oriental Negrenses suffered a great setback. There was a pressing need for more officials to supervise closely government functions such as strengthening defenses against devastating Moro raids, apprehending and trying criminals, and opening of more curacies. A petition to separate Negros Oriental from Negros Occidental was presented to the Governor General, recommending the town of Dumaguete as capital. Thirteen years later, Governor General Valeriano Weyler, in compliance with a royal decree dated October 25, 1889, established Negros Oriental as a separate province on January 1, 1890 with an estimated population (the Negritos living in the hinterland had no accurate counts) of 94,782 consisting of 17 towns of Guihulngan, Jimalalud, Tayasan, Ayungon, Manjuyod, Bais, Tanjay, Amlan, Ayuquitan, Sibulan, Dauin, Nueva Valencia, Bacong, Dumaguete, Zamboanguita, Siaton and Tolong. The appointed Politico-Militar was Joaquin Tavera.
The new province left no time concerning itself with local administration and development. Public works and other needs of the towns were attended to with public funds. A court of peace was put up in every town and, at the provincial capital town, a Court of First Instance. But in the later part of 1898, Negros Oriental rebel forces, under the leadership of Don Diego de la Viña, succeeded in driving the Spanish forces and government officials from all towns. On November 25, 1898, the Provincial Revolutionary Government of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was established in Dumaguete, the capital town, with Don Demetrio Larena as Presidente.
In 1924, Hon. Herminigildo Villanueva was elected Governor and a Capitol Building was erected. The province experienced real war in a grand scale when World War II broke out in December 1941. The war, aside from the physical devastation wrecked throughout the province, also left painful scars, which up to this date remain unhealed. But the people came out stronger and more determined. However, the people found out that the political independence they gained did not equate economic independence and self-sufficiency. The struggle for the improvement of the quality of life still remains a quest for every Negrense along with the rest of the Filipino nation. Ninety years after 1901, the Local Government Code of 1991 (LGC) was made into law and took effect on January 1, 1992. With the advent of the LGC, a new era in local government finance and administration of reelectionist Governor Emilio C. Macias II spearheaded Negros Oriental in the development of the ‘90s.
ECONOMY/INDUSTRIES
The main sectors include agriculture, cottage industry, industry and tourism. The major agricultural products are copra, rice, corn, vegetable, fruit, abaca and tobacco. The cottage industry mainly includes stone craft, cloth weaving, basket knitting, food processing and reservation and T-shirt printing. The industry is made up of sugar manufacturing, ore mining and construction.
Total land area in the province devoted to agriculture consists of 302,729 hectares, 167,515 hectares of which are planted to major crops, the rest are utilized for the cultivation of indusrial and minor crops. Mango is the major fruit commodity in Negros Oriental. It remains a high priority in agricultural development due to its high export market potential. A total area of 2,706.50 hectares is planted to mango. Carabao mango is the most abundant variety in the province
Negros Oriental has, for a long time, been a major supplier of electricity to its neighboring provinces in the Visayas with its excess power capacity generated by the 192.5-MW Palinpinon geothermal plant. This plant has recently been expanded with an additional 49MW capacity, bringing total power output of the province to over 240MW.
ACCESSIBILITY
The main form of public transport between the cities and municipalities of the province largely consists of privately operated jeepneys that link major towns to rural areas. For short distances within a town, motorized tricycles (locally known as pedicabs) are available.
The Dumaguete Airport located in Sibulan is the province's only government-operated airport. It is a domestic airport with multiple daily flights to and from Manila. The province has also two private airports, one located in Tolong, Sta. Catalina and the other in the Pamplona Estate in Pamplona. Another private airport is soon to be constructed in Bayawan City.
The primary seaport of the province is located in Dumaguete City. Additionally, there are five other seaports in the province classified as tertiary.
TOURISM
The major tourism resources are the green villages, high mountain and cave adventure, pretty beach, world-class marine resources preservation zone, charming shallow water area and playful dolphins and whales.
Bais City hosts one of the most successful dolphin-and-whale watching operations in the country. The narrow channel between Negros and Cebu islands is acknowledged to have one of the biggest concentrations of cetaceans in the world. Out of twenty-four cetaceans sighted in Philippine waters, eleven species are found in the Bais Bay – Tañon Strait area. Visitors may include side trips to Talabong Island and the White Sand Bar.
Another popular destination is Apo Island, a volcanic island covering 74 hectares in land area. The marine habitat around the island is a marine reserve. It has become a popular dive site and snorkeling destination. Apo Island is approximately 45 minutes by motorized outrigger (pumpboat) from Dauin.