Sorsogon
—  Province  —
Flag Official seal of Sorsogon Seal
Map of the Philippines with Sorsogon highlighted
Coordinates: 12°50′N 123°55′E / 12.833°N 123.917°E / 12.833; 123.917Coordinates: 12°50′N 123°55′E / 12.833°N 123.917°E / 12.833; 123.917
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region (Region V)
Founded	October 17, 1894[1][2]
Capital	Sorsogon City
Government
• Governor	Raul Lee (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)
• Vice Governor	Antonio Escudero, Jr. (Independent)
Area
• Total	2,141.45 km2 (826.82 sq mi)
Area rank	61st out of 80
	[3]
Population (2010)
• Total	740,743
• Rank	35th out of 80
• Density	350/km2 (900/sq mi)
• Density rank	16th out of 80
	[4]
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	1
• Municipalities	14
• Barangays	541
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Sorsogon
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code	4700-4715
Spoken languages	Bikol, Sorsoganon, Tagalog, English
Website	www.sorsogontourism.com

Sorsogon is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. It is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities (towns) and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City (formerly the towns of Sorsogon and Bacon) and borders the province of Albay to the north. Sorsogon is at the tip of the Bicol Peninsula and faces the island of Samar to the southeast across the San Bernardino Strait and Ticao Island to the southwest. Sorsogueños is how the people of Sorsogon call themselves.

History[link]

In 1570 two Augustinian friars, Alonzon Jiménez and Juan Orta, accompanied by a certain captain, Enrique de Guzmán, reached Hibalong, a small fishing village near the mouth of Ginangra River, and planted the cross and erected the first chapel in Luzon. It was from this village that Ibalong, referring to the whole region, came to be. Moving inland with a northwesterly direction they passed by the territory now known as Pilar, before they reached Camalig, Albay. The establishment of the Abucay-Catamlangan Mission later was ample proof of this route.

Sorsogon was once a part of Albay, which also included the province of Masbate. The early towns established here were: Gibalon in 1570 (now sitio of Magallanes); Casiguran -1600; Bulusan – 1631; Pilar – 1635; Donsol – 1668; Bacon – 1764; Juban and Matnog - 1800; Bulan - 1801; Castilla – 1827; Magallanes – 1860; Sorsogon – 1866 and Irosin – 1880. The province was eventually separated from Albay on October 17, 1894 and adopted the name Sorsogon. The town of Sorsogon was also selected as its capital.^[1]

On 1935 Philippine Constitutional convention, Sorsogon had its own delegates. They were Adolfo Grafilo, Francisco Arellano, José S. Reyes, and Mario Guarino.

Geography[link]

Sorsogon, at the southeastern part of the Bicol Peninsula, is bounded on the north by the province of Albay, on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the south by the San Bernardino Strait, and on the west and northwest by the Ticao and Burias Passes. It has a total land area of 2,119 km².

It is characterized by an irregular topography, and, except for landlocked Irosin, all the towns lie along the coast. They are all connected by concrete and asphalt roads. Mountains sprawl over the northeast, southeast and west portions. Mt. Bulusan, the tallest peak, rises 1,560 meters above sea level.

Except for its overland link with the province of Albay to the north, it is completely surrounded by water. Sorsogon is the gateway of Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao through its Roll-on/Roll-off ferry terminal facilities located in the municipalities of Matnog, Pilar and Bulan.

Demographics[link]

As of 2007, the population increased by 9.1% to 709,673 from the 2000 census. The increase of population in 2007 from 2000 can be translated to an annual population growth of 1.21%.

The top 5 towns with the most number of population is Sorsogon City (151,454), Bulan (91,730), Pilar (63,539), Gubat (55,501), and Irosin (49,968). The least populated municipality both in 2000 and 2007 census is Sta. Magdalena.

Of the 704,024 household population in 2007, males accounted for 51.1% and while females compromised 48.9%.

The voting-age population of the province was 369,204 in 2007, equivalent to 52.1 percent of the household population.^[5]

Economy[link]

The province's economic activity is highly concentrated in its capital city, Sorsogon City, and the towns of Bulan, Irosin, Gubat, and Matnog as well. Sorsogon Province is classified as 2nd class with an average annual income of ₱339.4M (C.Ys. 2000-2003). This is about ₱11M short for the province to attain 1st class reclassification which requires at least ₱350M average annual income.

The Province of Sorsogon indeed had a great contribution on the 97-percent growth in investments for the first quarter of 2008 and increasing tourism arrivals that buoyed the Bicol Region economy, despite the damage brought about by incessant rains and a rice shortage. This is according to the Quarterly Regional Economic Situationer (QRES) released by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Office in Bicol (NRO 5).

Among the provinces, Sorsogon posted the highest growth (293% respectively) in investments from the previous year. Next to Sorsogon is Catanduanes that posted a growth of 280%. Albay contributed 39 percent to the region's investments and posted a growth of 221% from the preceding quarter.

“For the third time, Bicol Region hosted the kick-off of Asia's premier extreme sailing event, the Philippine Hobie Challenge last February 16 at Gubat, Sorsogon. This 260-mile journey from Gubat-Sambuyan-Bacsal-Marambut-Suluan^[6] to Siargao enticed both local and foreign water sports enthusiasts. It opened the opportunity for the municipality of Gubat to showcase the town's best,” the QRES stated.

People and culture[link]

Festivals[link]

• Town Fiestas

Most of the inhabitants of the province belong to the ethnolinguistic Bicolano and Bisakol groups. Sorsogueños are very religious and fun-loving. Being mostly Roman Catholics, they are active in every festivity celebrated throughout the year. Like any other Filipino ethnolinguistic groups, each town honors their Patron Saint with celebration on its Feast Day. In Sorsogon City, the locals celebrate the Fiesta of the Patron Saints Peter and Paul on June 28–29 of each year. Another featured attractions during town fiestas are the Traveling carnivals that sets up near the town center or its vicinities.

• Kasanggayahan Festival

The festival, celebrated in the whole province in the last week of October, commemorates the founding of Sorsogon as a province. Festivities include a series of cultural, historical, religious, agro-industrial and economic activities, showcasing the province’s abundant agricultural products, particularly food and decorative items.

• Pili Festival in Sorsogon City honors the Pili nut and tree which is indigenous to province. The festival coincides with the town fiesta of Sorsogon City. Celebrations include street dancing by locals donning pili nut costumes, cooking competitions, fireworks displays, and even a nutcracking session along the road by the locals.^[7]

Minorities[link]

Minorities include Muslim immigrants from Mindanao, who engage in street vending and small shop businesses. A mosque is situated inside Sitio Bolangan on the outskirts of the city. A significant small Chinese population are owners of hardware stores and commodity shops and dwell in the business center. Indian communities are also present and are Hindus. They are typically known to engage in money lending businesses—colloquially called "five-six".

Education and language[link]

Education is highly valued as an investment for the future, as illustrated by the many state and private schools and colleges which dot the province. Almost all people understand Tagalog and Bicolano. The local language spoken by Sorsogueños varies from district to municipalities. To illusrate, the form of Bisakol (called Waray Sorsogon) spoken in Barcelona, Gubat, Irosin, Sta. Magdalena, Matnog and Bulusan slightly differs from the form (called Masbate Sorsogon) spoken in the city of Sorsogon and the municipalities of Juban and Casiguran. North of Sorsogon City, Castilla, Pilar, Magallanes, and Bacon (merged with Sorsogon city; see History), a form of Bikol is spoken. Also a different form of Bikol called Miraya similar to that of Daraga, Albay, is spoken in Donsol and some parts of Pilar. The former municipalities mentioned use words and intonations from Visayan languages such as Waray-Waray, Cebuano and Ilonggo, and Bisakol is considered a Warayan language like Waray-Waray of Samar and Leyte. English is also understood by most educated people. It is used in all government documents, schools, and in business. This language has also become increasingly important as businesses such as call centers and medical transcription require prospective applicants to be proficient in it.

City and municipalities[link]

Sorsogon is subdivided into 14 municipalities and 1 city. In 2000, Sorsogon City was created from the merging of the municipalities of Bacon and Sorsogon.^[8]

Places of Interest[link]

Tolonggapo Beach of Bacon District, located in the Eastern side of Sorsogon City.

• Bulusan Volcano, Bulusan and Bulusan Volcano National Park
• Bulusan Lake, Bulusan
• Bacon Beach and Paguriran in Sawanga, Sorsogon City
• Donsol for its whale shark watching
• Mangrove Forests of Pilar, Sorsogon
• Masakrot Spring,Bulusan
• Rizal Beach, Gubat
• PNOC/EDC EcoPark, Sorsogon City
• Sorsogon Hydro Electric Plant
• San Benon Hot Springs, Irosin
• Olango beach(Sta. Magdalena)
• New Port Beach (Sta. Magdalena)
• Balading Beach Resort (Sta. Magdalena)
• Pamana Beach Resort (Sta. Magdalena)
• Bayugin Falls, Bulusan
• Sabang Beach, Prieto Diaz

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sorsogon

• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Sorsogon
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (1)
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (2)
• Local Governance Performance Management System

	Masbate / Burias Pass	Albay
			Philippine Sea
		Sorsogon    East
	Masbate / Ticao Pass	Samar Sea	San Bernardino Strait / Northern Samar

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