(also called '''Oriental Negros''') is a , with
Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes
Apo Island — a popular
Dive Site for both local and foreign tourists. Negros Oriental faces
Cebu to the east across the
Tañon Strait and
Siquijor to the south east. The primary spoken language is
Cebuano , and the predominant religion is
Catholicism .
Dumaguete City is the capital, seat of government, and most populous city.
Negros Island , the fourth largest island in the
Philippines , is believed to have once been part of the island of
Mindanao , but was cut off - either by
Continental Drift or the rising waters at the end of the
Ice Age .
Panay News - Negros History
Among the early inhabitants of the island were dark-skinned peoples belonging to the
Negrito ethnic group, as well as
Han Chinese and
Malays .
WOW Philippines - Negros Oriental history They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".
Spanish explorers on the expedition of
Miguel Lopez De Legaspi first came to the island in April 1565. Legaspi dropped anchor in
Bohol and sent his men to scout the island. Because of the strong currents of the
Tanon Strait between
Cebu and Negros, they were carried for several days and forced to land on the western side of the island. They reported seeing many dark-skinned inhabitants, and they called the island "Negros" ("Negro" means "black" in
Spanish ). The island was sparsely settled at the time, except for a few coastal settlements including
Ilog and
Binalbagan . In 1571, Legaspi assigned
Encomienda s on the island to 13 of his men.
Augustinian friars began the
Christianization of the island the next year. The island was administered as part of the jurisdiction of
Oton until 1734 when it became a military district, and
Ilog became the capital of the island. The capital was transferred to
Himamaylan in
1795 . Negros became a politico-military province in 1856 and the capital was transferred to
Bacolod .
Due to its proximity to Mindanao, the south eastern coast of Negros was in constant threat from
Moro marauders looking for slaves, and
Watchtowers were built to protect the Christian villages. The Moro raids and Negros Oriental's distance from the Negros capital in Bacolod induced 13
Recollectionist priests to petition for the division of the island in July 1876. The island of Negros was then divided into the provinces of Negros Oriental and
Negros Occidental by a royal decree executed by Governor General
Valeriano Weyler on
January 1 ,
1890 .
Dumaguete City was made the first capital of Negros Oriental. In
1892 ,
Siquijor became a part of Negros Oriental, having previously been administered by Spain under the politico-military province of
Bohol .
The and a civil government was established with
Demetrio Larena as governor. The American government made Siquijor a "sub-province" of Negros Oriental. Negros Oriental became a province under the American civil government on
March 10 ,
1917 . In 1934 Negros Oriental became a ''corregimiento'', a separate military district. Under the American colonial government, transportation infrastructure was developed with improvements of roads and new bridges.
Asia-planet.net - Dumaguete/Negros Oriental
During
World War II , the province was invaded by
Japanese forces and many residents were forced to flee to the mountains to escape. Negros Island was taken back from the Japanese on
August 6 ,
1945 .
On
September 17 ,
1971 , Siquijor finally became an independent province by virtue of Republic Act No. 6396. (See Province of
Siquijor )
Negros Oriental occupies the south-eastern half of the island of region, Negros Oriental belongs to the
Central Visayas region. Negros Oriental faces
Cebu to the east across the
Tañon Strait and
Siquijor to the south-east. The
Sulu Sea borders it to the south.
The province's topography is characterized by low, grooved mountain ranges which mostly lie close to the shoreline. At the southern end of the province is the
Cuernos De Negros (Horns of Negros)
Stratovolcano which rises to a height of 1864
Meters . At the northern end of the province is
Mount Canlaon , the highest peak in the island with a height of 2465 meters and an active volcano. There are a few plateaus in the interior to the west of the province.
the oldest bell tower is the Dumaguete Bell Tower.
Negros Oriental has a and
Dry Season . Also because of the mountain range, the province is sheltered from the full impact of
Typhoons originating from the southwest. However, the northern part of the province (from
Canlaon City to
La Libertad ) is in the path of typhoons from the east.
.]]
Negros Oriental's total population as of the ,
Bayawan ,
Tanjay ,
Bais ,
Canlaon , and
Guihulngan . The province's average population density is 208 persons per km&
2, lower than the national average of 276 persons per km&
2. Population growth per year is about 2.11%, higher than the national average of 1.92%.
Negros Oriental economic indicators
Cebuano (sometimes known as
Visayan is the main language of the province, spoken by 95% of the population.
Hiligaynon is spoken by the remaining 5%, and is common in areas close to the border with
Negros Occidental .
Filipino and
English are generally understood, and are used for official, literary, and educational purposes.
Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion.
Dumaguete City, the provincial capital, is known as a
University Town due to the existence of four universities and colleges in this relatively small city.
Silliman University (established 1901), the first American-Protestant university in Asia, is the largest in the province and distinguished as an institution of higher education in the Visayas. The city is also the site of St. Paul University of Dumaguete City (SPUD), the first Paulinian school in the Philippines and founded in 1904. The other universities are
Negros Oriental State University and
Foundation University . The Colegio De Sta. Catalina De Alejandria (COSCA) and Don Bosco Schools can be also found in the city. There are also institutions and colleges inside (e.g. AMA Computer College) and outside the city.
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
Barangay s.
Additionally, the Buglasan Festival, which was revived in 2001, is celebrated annually in October in the provincial capital of Dumaguete and is hailed as Negros Oriental's "festival of festivals".http://www.inq7.net/reg/2003/oct/25/reg_8-1.htm Inq7.net - The 'fantastic' Buglasan
Festival of Dumaguete
With its 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 Pond s and
Logging . There are also mineral deposits like
Gold ,
Silver and
Copper .
Negros Oriental is also becoming a notable tourist destination in the
Visayas .
Negros Oriental is subdivided into 20
Municipalities and 5
Cities , which are further subdivided into 557
Barangay s.
Dumaguete City is the provincial capital and seat of government. It is also the most populous city, despite having the smallest land area.
For purposes of legislative representation, the cities and municipalities are grouped into three congressional districts, with each district electing a
Congressman to the
House Of Representatives Of The Philippines .
- : Canlaon City, Vallehermoso, Guihulngan, La Libertad, Jimalalud, Tayasan, Ayungon, Bindoy, Manjuyod
- : Amlan, Bais City, Mabinay, Pamplona, San Jose, Sibulan, Tanjay City, Dumaguete City
- : Bacong, Basay, Bayawan City, Dauin, Santa Catalina, Siaton, Valencia, Zamboanguita
in
Dumaguete City .]]
Negros Oriental has a network of roads, including a national road that spans the circumference of Negros Island. National and provincial roads in the province total more than 900 kilometers, though only about half of these are paved.
Agribiz Oriental - Transportation
A large portion of residents do not own private vehicles, and are totally reliant on public transport. 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 , served by
Air Philippines and
Cebu Pacific . Based on
2002 statistics, an average of 5,800 outgoing passengers and 5,700 incoming passengers pass through the airport every month.
The primary
Seaport of the province is located in
Dumaguete City . Additionally, there are five other seaports in the province classified as tertiary.
Department of Trade and Industry - Negros Oriental
