NEGROS ORIENTAL LINKS

NEGROS ORIENTAL LINKS:

http://negrostours.blogspot.com/
http://originofnegros.blogspot.com/2008/10/history-and-origin.html (History of Negros Oriental)
http://originofnegros.blogspot.com/2008/10/dumaguete-city.html (Dumaguete City)
http://originofnegros.blogspot.com/2008/10/buglasan-festival-events.html (Buglasan 2008 Schedule)

NEGROS ORIENTAL

Negros Oriental has a lot of historical and otherwise interesting sites to visit both as a tourist and as an local. so sightseeing in Negros Oriental is quite interesting wether you are interested in nature or history. I am more interested in nature myself and Negros Oriental has not dissapointed me in that regard.

There are 19 municipalities and 6 cities, which are further subdivided into 557 barangays.
Dumaguete City is the provincial capital and seat of government. It is also the most populous city, despite having the smallest land area.

The cities and municipalities are grouped into three congressional districts, with each district electing a congressman to the House of Representatives of the Philippines.

1st District: Canlaon City, Vallehermoso, Guihulngan City, La Libertad, Jimalalud, Tayasan, Ayungon, Bindoy, Manjuyod
2nd District: Amlan, Bais City, Mabinay, Pamplona, San Jose, Sibulan, Tanjay City, Dumaguete City
3rd district: Bacong, Basay, Bayawan City, Dauin, Santa Catalina, Siaton, Valencia, Zamboanguita

Each town in Negros Oriental celebrates an annual town fiesta, usually dedicated to a saint who is the patron of the town. In some of the larger towns, there are particular fiestas for specific neighborhoods or barangays.
Additionally, the Buglasan Festival, which was revived in 2001, is celebrated annually in December in the provincial capital of Dumaguete and is hailed as Negros Oriental's "festival of festivals".
Negrensee has a vast fertile land resources, Negros Oriental's major industry is agriculture. The primary crops are sugarcane, corn, coconut and rice. In the coastal area, fishing is the main source of income. People are also involved in cattle ranches, fish ponds and logging. There are also mineral deposits like gold, silver and copper.
Negros Oriental is emerging as a technological center in Central Philippines with its growing business process outsourcing (BPO) and other technology-related industries. Negros Oriental is also becoming a notable tourist destination in the Visayas.

GETTING TO DUMAGUETE CAPITAL OF NEGROS ORIENTAL
Dumaguete City can be reached via air and sea transportation from Metro Manila. Hotel accommodation in the city is never a problem. There are several hotels to choose from with all basic amenities such as air condition, hot and cold bath, cable TV and telephone connections.

By Air
There are two daily flights direct to and from Metro Manila to Dumaguete, one in the morning for Cebu Pacific Air and one in the afternoon for Air Philippines. Travel time is only an hour and 10 minutes.

By Sea
If one chooses to travel by sea, there are also ships that can be boarded from Metro Manila to Dumaguete with a travel time of 36 hours. From Cebu City, Pier 1 and Pier4 one can take a fast ferry craft that reaches Dumaguete in 4 hours.

By Land From Cebu to Dumaguete City
For those who would like to travel by road to do some sightseeing and to have a little adventure, there is a bus liner that leaves every hour from its Cebu terminal to the town of Bato where it boards a barge that will cross Tañon Strait. The barge then docks at Amlan, a port in Negros, the bus liner disembarks and takes you all the way to Dumaguete City in less than an hour. Total travel time is approximately 6 hours at regular speed.


Transportation in Dumaguete City
The public mode of transportation in the city is a tricycle, otherwise known as the pedicab. It is a 4-seater cab powered by a 2-wheel motorcycle. However there are also vans or other vehicles for hire.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Twin Lake National Park: (Sibulan 15 mins drive north of Dumaguete)

beautiful lakes where you can enjoy canoeing and walking along the lakeside trails. To get to the lakes you can rent a motorcycle, jeepnie, or have a tour guide take you. The lake is 18 kms from Sibulan.

Dolphin and Whale Watching Tours: ( Bais City. 1 hour drive north of Dumaguete) see whales and dolphine; visit Campuyowhite sands bar, swim and then ride through 400-hectare protected mangrove. Tours ae available at the Capinahan Warf 15 minutes form Bais City. rates are 2,500 to 3,500 fro 15-20 people.

Casaroro Falls: (Valencia, 15 minutes from Dumaguete) then rent motorcycle at the palza . Hike down 335 steps and then up a river to reach a falls, not a trip for the faint hearted! Rent a motorcycle at Valencia plaza to take you to the trail entrance.

Cave Tours/ Spelunking: ( Mabinay, 1.5 drive North from Dumaguete) Explore 7 different caves from beginners level to extreme spelunking! Tour guides and info are available through the vice mayor office at Mabinay City Hall. Prices range from 50-100 per person and 400 for the tour guide.

Lake Balanan Nature Park: ( Siaton, 1 hour drive south of Dumaguete) a tranquil nature park and lake where you can enjoy canoeing and hiking. Rides to Balanan are available at the plaza, a 25-min ride to Siaton.

DIVING and WATER SPORTS

Apo Island and Dauin: ( 3o mins drive south of Dumaguete) featuring some of the best diving in the Philippines with over 20 dive sites around the island. There are several resorts and dive shop in dauin that can provide dive tours, kayaking, jet ski rentals and other water sport activities. take a boat from Malatapay Pier to go to Apo Island.

DINNING and NIGHTLIFE

The Boulevard: (Rizal Boulevard,Dumaguete) Take a walk along Rizal Boulevard and enjoy the ocean view, fine restaurant, bars, karaoke, and dancing.

DUMAGUETE CITY

Dumaguete City

OFFICIAL FESTIVAL AND EVENTS IN DUMAGUETE CITY

JANUARY

13thDARO SINULOG FESTIVAL
A street dancing and showdown competition participated in by
the different puroks of Barangay Daro, in honor of Senor Santo
Nino
28thPIT SENOR SA MANGGA
Held on the last Sunday of January, devotees honor the infant
Jesus at the Mangga chapel with age-old ritual dancing and
costumed procession


FEBRUARY

17-19 VIS-MIN TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE SHOW
A travel exhibit at SM City - Cebu featuring key players in the
tourism industry from the Visayas Mindanao area
17-25 INTERNATIONAL RONDALLA FESTIVAL
Sponsored by the Provincial Government of Oriental Negros
National Commission on Culture and the Arts, this events
showcases the finest Rondalla groups from all over the world


MARCH

9-11PHILIPPINE COUNCILORS LEAGUE
A conference sponsored by the Provincial Councilors League with
around 700 participants from the region


APRIL

25thLIBERATION AND VETERANS DAY
A commemoration of World War II heroes who fought during the
Japanese occupation of the Philippines


MAY

19-28 SANTACRUZAN
The Santacruzan is one of the best attended events in
Dumaguete. It dramatizes the search of Queen Helena (Reina
Elena) and her son Constantine (Constantino) for the Holy Cross,
a Filipino tradition institutionalized during the Spanish occupation.
In Dumaguete City, the the Santacruzan festival promises colorful
pageantry, a parade of beautiful "sagalas" and their handsome
escorts, with both local and movie celebrities, the latter invited
from Manila, who are great crowd drawers.


JUNE

12thINDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS
Commemorating the day the Filipinos declared their independence
from Spain in 1898


JULY
8-10SECOND TERRA COTTA ART FESTIVAL
Featuring Dumaguete pottery in various shapes & sizes, a
traditional Dumaguete art


AUGUST

1-31HIBALAG FESTIVAL
An annual booth-building festival celebrated since 1950.
Activities include exhibits and homecoming reunions, marking the
establishment of the first Protestant university in the Philippines,
founded in 1901.


SEPTEMBER

1-30TOURISM MONTH
A series of programs and activities to highlight the celebration
of tourism month and a venue for determining representatives
for Buglasan (see October)


OCTOBER

17-26 BUGLASAN
The festival of festivals that brings together the finest street
dancing contingents in the province for a whole day of
competition and merry-making. This week-long festival is filled
with activities that keep the mood festive at the Provincial
Capitol and Freedom Park, reinforcing the role of Oriental Negros
as a major travel and tourism destination in Central Visayas. All
20 towns and and cities of the province are showcased.
24-29 SAINT PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE FOUNDER'S DAY
Demonstrations, parades, and literary and musical contests mark
the celebration of the very first Sant Paul de Chartres insitution
founded in 1904


NOVEMBER

17thSANDUROT FESTIVAL
Held annually, on the 3rd Saturday of November, the Sandurot
Festival re-enacts the coming of foreigners and how they were
welcomed by the natives, with dance and song. Participated in
by the city barangays and schools, with each contingent
dressed in a different foreignn national costume, an intricately
choreographed dance will be performed interpreting the meaning
of Sandurot.


DECEMBER

PINASKUHAN, SAYAWIT & PAROL COMPETITION
CHRISTMAS GALA

History and Origin

History of Negros and its Capital City, Dumaguete City

Once upon a time, in a boot-shaped island called Buglas, there lived a group of natives with bronze skin and coiled hair, Situated at the island’s toe, the natives called their town Danaguet, a small settlement at the mouth of the Banica River Danaguet become Dumaguete, which originally came from the root word “danguet,” meaning “to match or kidnap”. The name sprang from the history of the frequent Moro attack from the south, with instances of captured natives, to be sold as slaves to the neighboring Borneo
In 1565, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi anchored his ship in nearby Bohol Island and decided to dispatch of grigate to reconnoiter Buglas. Upon seeing the aborigines of the island, the Spaniards decided to call the place Negros. They settled, and the population of Dumaguet increased, and was eventually made into an independent parish in 1620.
Negros was, at that time, undivided, with Bacolod serving as capital. With separation into Occidental and Oriental in 1st of January 1890, Dumaguete become the capital of the eastern part of the island. It was then a small town with out a pier, a small bamboo houses and coconut trees lined up its dirt roads. The only significant landmark was the old Bell Tower, which was built in 1811 to serve as a belfry and as a watchtower against piratical Moro raids.
With the revolution in 1896, Dumaguete remained placid, not yet an active participant in the uprising. But by 24th of November 1896, Gen Diego de la Vina entered and “liberated” Dumaguete from Spanish rule. On 1 May 1901, the Philippine Commission, headed by William H. Taft, decided to establish a civil provincial government marking the place’s American Periods. The famous boulevard was built in 1916, the pier 1919, and the small landing field in 1940. With the Japanese came a period of relative terror, Dumaguete, however, became one of Japan’s training centers for its war pilots. By 22nd of Spetember 1945, the Japanes surrendered to the Americans at Guisaon Bridge in Zamboanguita. The war’s aftermath left the town bare, neglected, dirty, and gloomy.
The last town liberated in the province, Dumaguete suffered the worst economic despairs, and the slowest rehabilitation. Food shortage was acute, and may die in starvation. The town was divided into eight districts to supervise the distribution of food to the needy. Through the help of the Philippine Civil Affairs unit and the Unites States copra shipment, Dumaguete again struck it out on its own. On 24th of November 1948, the bill creating the municipality into a city became Republic Act 327. This sounded the birth of the City of the Gentle People.