Naga, officially called City of Naga (Central Bikol: Ciudad nin Naga; Rinconada Bikol: Syudad ka Naga; Filipino: Lungsod ng Naga; Spanish: Ciudad de Naga), or simply Naga City, is an independent component city in the Bicol Region (Region V) of the Philippines. The town was established in 1575 on order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande, the city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres (New Cáceres City), earned its status as the third Spanish Royal City in the Spanish East Indies after Iloilo and Manila. As of the 2015 census, it has a population of 196,003, and has 77,784 registered voters. It has a labor force of 60,772 people, with 57,278 employed, and 3,494 are unemployed. Majority of Naga's population are 15 years and below.
Naga is the Bicol Region's trade, business, religious, cultural, industrial, commercial, medical, educational and financial center. It was awarded as the "Most Competitive Component City in the Philippines" also being "the Center of Good Governance in the Philippines".
Naga is known as the "Queen City of Bicol", and as the Heart of Bicol due to its central location in the Bicol Peninsula; and as the Pilgrim City because Naga is also home to the largest Marian pilgrimage in Asia, the Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Naga is also known as One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun as stated by Nick Joaquin.
The city is the seat of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres, which makes the city Bicol's religious center, whose jurisdiction includes all the suffragan sees of Bicol, the Dioceses of Daet, Legazpi, Libmanan, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Virac.
Moreover, the city is also the seat of the widely venerated Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of Bicol. The image is one of the most popular objects of devotion in the country. The other important catholic symbol which is venerated in the region is the Santo Rostro, Veil of Veronica, introduced around 1880 in the region by Pedro de la Torre del Pozo, a priest from Osa de la Vega, Spain.
Naga is the core of Metro Naga, an official designation given the city and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council.
When someone speaks about Naga, it immediately refers to the Bicolandia, and this has always been, since from the time Naga became a full fledged city. However, this connotation has changed since 2007, when another Naga, became a city, which is located in Cebu. This confusion is prevalent among Cebuanos, Boholanos and people coming from other Visayan-Speaking areas that had lived or visited Cebu, as they would always mistaken Naga as the city located in Cebu, and not in Bicolandia, although modern media and information in the internet had lessened this occurrences.
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Geography
Naga is located within the province of Camarines Sur in the southeastern tip of Luzon at the near the center of the Bicol Region, surrounded on all sides by rich agricultural, forest and fishing areas. It covers a land area of 8,448 hectares (20,880 acres) and is located around the serpentine and historic Naga River, at the confluence of the Naga and Bikol Rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade and as center for schools, church and government offices. Included in its territory is Mount Isarog, a declared protected area in Region V known as Mount Isarog Natural Park.
Naga is located 435 kilometres (270 mi) southeast of Manila, the nation's capital.
Barangays
The Naga is politically subdivided into 27 barangays.
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification system, Naga features a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification).
The weather in the city from March to May is hot and dry with temperature ranging from 24 to 34 °C (75 to 93 °F). From June to October is the typhoon season and it is generally rainy. From November to February, the climate is cooler with temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C (72 to 82 °F). The average year-round humidity is 77%.
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History
Precolonial era
The region of Bicol is closely allied with the confederation called the Kedatuan of Madja-as (Itself formed by Austronesian rebels against Rajah Makatunao in a civil war in Brunei), which is located in Panay island. According to the Maragtas, two Datus who followed Datu Puti (Minus the ones that opted to stay in Panay island) eventually arrived at Taal Lake and then split up, one group settling later around Laguna de Bay, and another group pushing southward into the Bicol Peninsula, making Bicolanos an intermediate group between people from Luzon and people from the Visayas. The discovery of an ancient tomb preserved among the Bicolanos refers to some of the same deities and personages mentioned in the Maragtas examined by anthropologists during the 1920s.
Spanish colonial period
In 1573, on his second expedition to this region, the conquistador Juan de Salcedo landed in a village and named it "Naga" because of the abundance of Narra trees ("Naga" in Bikol).
In 1575, Captain Pedro de Chávez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on the site of the present business centre (across the river from the original Naga) a Spanish city which he named La Ciudad de Cáceres, in honor of Francisco de Sande, the governor-general and a native of the city of Cáceres in Spain. It was still by this name that it was identified in the papal bull of August 14, 1595 that erected the See of Cáceres, together with those of Cebú and Nueva Segovia, and made it the seat of the new bishopric under the Archdiocese of Manila.
In time, the Spanish city and the native village merged into one community and became popularly known as Nueva Cáceres, to distinguish it from its namesake in Spain. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with an ayuntamiento and cabildo of its own. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines. Nueva Cáceres remained the capital of the Ambos Camarines provinces and later of the Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent chartered city of Naga under the Philippine Republic.
The bishops of Cáceres occupied a unique place in the Philippine Catholic hierarchy during most of the Spanish regime. By virtue of the papal bull of Gregory XIII, ecclesiastical cases originating in the Spanish East Indies, which ordinarily were appealable to the Pope, were ordered to be terminated there and no longer elevated to Rome. Decisions of bishops were made appealable to the archbishop and those of the latter to the bishop of the nearest see. Thus, in the Philippines, the decisions of the Archbishop of Manila were subject to review by the Bishop of Cáceres whose jurisdiction then extended from the whole Bicol region, the island-province of Marinduque and the present-day Aurora, which was once part of the former Tayabas Province, which is now the province of Quezon. In this sense, bishops of Bikol were delegates of the Pope and could be considered primates of the Church of the Philippines.
This was the reason why bishops of Cáceres and archbishops of Manila were sometimes engaged in interesting controversies in the sensational Naga case and in such issues as canonical visitation and the secularization of the parishes. As papal delegate, Bishop Francisco Gaínza, then concurrent bishop of Cáceres, sat in the special ecclesiastical tribunal which passed upon the civil authorities' petition to divest Fathers Burgos, Gómez, and Zamora of their priestly dignity. Gaínza did not only refuse the petition but also urged their pardon.
For hundreds of years during the Spanish colonial era, Naga grew to become the center of trade, education and culture, and the seat of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Bicol.
American colonial period
With the advent of the American rule, the city was reduced to a municipality. In 1919, it lost its Spanish name and became officially known as Naga. It acquired its present city charter in 1948, and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year by virtue of Republic Act No. 305. Rep. Juan Q. Miranda sponsored this legislative act which put flesh into the city's bid to become among the only few independent component cities in the country.
World War II and Japanese Occupation
Naga came under Japanese occupation on December 18, 1941 following the Japanese invasion of Legaspi a few days earlier.
On 1945, combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth troops under the United States Army, Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary has liberated the town municipality of Naga and aided by the Bicolano guerrilla resistance groups and defeated Imperial Japanese troops and ended in the Second World War.
Independent Philippines
After Naga was liberated from the Japanese, Naga began on rebuilding the town. With only a few casualties, Naga was able to rebuild quickly after the war. After many petitions, Naga became a city in June 18, 1948.
Demographics
Religion
Roman Catholicism
The city is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres which oversees the Catholic population in the Bicol Region. The city is also the seat of the Primate of the Bicol region. This dominant faith is supported by the presence of old and influential Catholic institutions, from universities to churches run by different religious institutes, notably the Ateneo de Naga University by the Jesuits; the Universidad de Sta. Isabel by the Daughters of Charity; the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral; which is the oldest cathedral that is still standing in Luzon outside Metro Manila, Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, which is the largest Catholic structure in Southern Luzon in terms of size and land area; Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine; the historic San Francisco Church; and Peñafrancia Museum.
Protestants and Evangelicals
The largest minority religion in Naga is Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC). The church is represented by an imposing landmark along Panganiban Drive, which houses different departments and offices of the ecclesiastical district of Camarines Southwest (CSW). Though Catholics form the majority of Nagueños, Iglesia ni Cristo however is seen to have a rapid growth of church membership. INC has several chapels in different barangays in the city, and the local congregation of Naga is the largest and the biggest chapel in the district. Naga owns the pride of being the "mother" of all local congregations of the then Division of Camarines Sur before it was split into two ecclesiastical districts, the other one is Camarines Southeast (CSE) which is based in Iriga City.
Other Christian organizations are present in the city. The Seventh-day Adventist and Bible Baptist whose churches are located along Magsaysay Avenue; while other Christians go to the Methodist Church which is among the old structures along Peñafrancia Avenue. There is also a medium concentration of Jesus Miracle Crusade in the City.
The Assemblies of God, the world's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination with more than 66 million members worldwide, maintains a fast growing ministry in Naga. Aside from Naga Bethel Temple now Naga Bethel Church which is located in Felix Plazo Street, the Assemblies of God has other local congregations serving in Barangays Sn. Felipe (Philippians Christian Fellowship), Carolina (Gethsemane Christian Ministries), and outreach ministries in other barangays.
Islam, Buddhism and other faiths
One of the other major religions that are represented in Naga is Islam where a mosque is located at Greenland in Brgy. Concepcion Pequeña. Followers of Sikhism have a temple along Basilica Road in Brgy. Balatas. A shrine for the followers of Taoism is located along Lerma Street in Brgy. Triangulo.
Language
Coastal Bikol-Central dialect of Coastal Bikol language is the dominant dialect used by the population in Naga. Central Standard is also the basis for other dialects in the Bicol Region. Majority of the city's population can widely understand and speak English, Filipino, Tagalog. Because of the influx of people from Rinconada area that are studying in different universities, Rinconada Bikol language can also be heard in different schools and throughout the city. Some Nagueños have varying degree of profiency of Rinconada Bikol due to the fact that the southern half of Pili, which is the boundary of Rinconada Bikol speakers and Coastal Bikol speaking population is just few kilometers away from Naga. It is interesting to note that although the main language is Bikol and the medium of instruction in school is English, people in Naga usually tell time and count in Spanish.
Economy
Naga is Bicol Region's center of commercialization, and industrialization, being the region's economic center. Naga is cited as one of the Most Business-Friendly Cities in Asia and is considered to be one of the Philippines Top 10 cities, being part of the 'Most Competitive City in the Philippines. and Second most competitive city in Bicol. Some entrepreneurs cited the city as the most business-friendly in the Bicol region.
Strategically located at the heart of Bicol, Naga is also the trade city in Bicol that is the embarkation point and resting point of goods from Visayas and Manila.
Business districts
Central Business District 1
The first Central Business District, commonly known as 'Downtown Naga' or simply 'Centro' which means center is located in the southern part of the city. In the north, it boundaries on the Naga University Belt and boundaries to the south by the historical Naga City Peoples Mall or simply Naga City Community Supermarket. It surrounds the triplet plazas of Naga, The Plaza Quince Martires, The Plaza Quezon, and the main monument that is the center of the Central Business District 1, the Plaza Rizal. The Central Business District 1's main roads are the Elias Angeles Street that starts from the Metropolitan Cathedral and ends at the Naga City Supermarket, the Peñafrancia Avenue, which starts at the Pacol Rotunda, north of Naga, and ends at Panganiban Drive, and the General Luna St. which starts from the Cathedral rotunda and ends at the Tabuco Bridge. The Central Business District 1 is the location of some large local businesses that sells a few local delicacies and native products from neighboring municipalities and provinces.
Central Business District 2
The second Central Business District is the location of international, and national businesses and is located along the Panganiban Drive, Roxas Avenue, and Ninoy and Cory Avenue. The Central Business District 2 is also the location of 3 shopping complexes, including the largest mall in Bicol, the SM City Naga, the largest, and busiest bus terminal in the Bicol Region, the Bicol Central Station, and the large Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park which houses several Business Process Outsourcing Offices such as Accenture. Though comparably larger, the second Central Business District also is the location of the delivery point, and resting point of trade goods from Legazpi, Sorsogon City, Masbate City, and Catanduanes. This is also the place where the Southern Luzon Regional Trade Center opened beside the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum, which is the second largest coliseum in the Philippines after the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The district also is the location of some hotels and some cheap convention centers. The district is also home to the Gaisano shopping complex, the Super Metro Naga, and the under-construction Robinsons Place Naga.
South Riverfront Growth Area
The South Riverfront Growth Area is found only a few blocks west of CBD-I. It is geared to accommodate medium- to high-end commercial development. It is one of the largest economic allocations made by the local government of Naga.
South Riverfront is composed of the whole of Brgy. Sabang- except those areas which are socialized housing sites or are otherwise excluded by the Naga City Land Use Plan for commercial or industrial development. Aside from CBD-I, it is bounded by the Naga River and the town of Camaligan, Camarines Sur.
The development of the area is anchored on Naga's biggest shopping mall- LCC Central Mall.
The development area is the location of the Naga City IT Park.
Agro-Industrial Zone
This area is envisioned as an agro-industrial hub, capitalizing on Bicol's extensive agricultural resources, the market offered by Naga itself, and the city's character as the regional center of trade and services- providing access to markets in Metro Naga, Camarines Sur, Bicol and South Luzon.
The Agro-Industrial Zone spans barangays Del Rosario, Cararayan, San Isidro, Pacol and Carolina- Naga's traditional agricultural areas. It has an area of 309 hectares. It will be the site of the 105-hectare Naga Agro-Industrial Ecozone, operated by the Pacol Agro-Industrial Corporation with incentives from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
Magsaysay District
The main road in the city is Magsaysay Avenue or Magsaysay Boulevard which starts from Bagumbayan Road (Naga-Calabanga-Siruma-Garchitorena-Partido North Road), connecting it to the Magsaysay District where accommodations and restaurants catering to travelers are found. Businesses are open till late at night with some shops also open 24/7. Naga also has its share of fastfood restaurant chains. The city hall, provincial capitol and several provincial offices are also located in the district around the Peñafrancia Basilica.
Banking and Finance
The number of banks in the city is around 62 excluding the regional office of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The city hosts the Regional offices of Banco De Oro, Philippine National Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, RCBC, Allied Bank, China Banking Corporation, Philtrust Bank, UnionBank of the Philippines, Philippine Veterans Bank, Asia United Bank, Maybank, Asia United Bank, Bank of Commerce, East West Bank, Bank of Makati, Bank of the Philippine Islands,and the Philippine Postal Savings Bank. Banks with many branches are Banco de Oro with 9 branches, Bank of the Philippine Islands has 5 branches including BPI family bank and Banko, MetroBank has 4 branches, PNB 4, China bank 4 and Landbank has 2, RCBC 2 and Security bank 2 branches, East West bank 2, Asia United bank 2 and Producers banks 2 . A leading thrift bank, RCBC Savings Bank, enjoys patronage from both Filipino and Chinese businessmen. Robinsons Bank of the Gokongwei group has also set up its branch in the city. One of the biggest rural banks in the country, Bank of Makati, is also found in the city. Land bank -Magsaysay branch, Security Bank-Diversion branch and Philippine Planters Bank, are the three latest banks to open in the city this year 2013. Meanwhile, Banco de Oro opened their DECA Corporate Center and 6th. flr. Regional and Corporate Center at CBD I on 2016 and Maybank (the 1st offshore bank in the city) at Panganiban Drive.
Shopping Malls
SM City Naga is the most visited, and second largest shopping mall in the Bicol Region, with foot traffic ranging from 100,000-250,000 every two days. SM City Naga is located at the second Central Business District and beside the Naga City Central Bus Terminal, the largest and busiest bus terminal in Bicol Region. Naga also has another mall, the Nagaland E-Mall found in the Central Business District 1 or Centro Naga, with Robinsons Supermarket as its anchor store. The mall is considered to be the largest homegrown commercial complex in the Bicol Region, due to its size. LCC Central Mall Naga is also located in Felix Plazo Street near Central Business District I and has the Naga Integrated Westbound Transport Terminal, which caters transportation from Lucena in Quezon (province), Del Gallego, Camarines Sur, to Milaor, Camarines Sur and everything in between. There are two Puregold Malls in Naga, the Puregold Centro Naga, and the Puregold Naga which is located in Diversion Road. The Avenue Square is Bicol Region's first "lifestyle center" built in 2005 along Magsaysay Avenue. Avenue Square currently is one of the nightlife centers in the Bicol Region. There are also leisure hubs in the city, and majority are constructed along Magsaysay Avenue, since it is the center of nightlife in the Bicol Region. A leisure hub built along Magsaysay Avenue is the Westpark Center. Another leisure hub is the Night Plaza which is the location of the first Starbucks in Bicol. Gaisano Mall Naga is near the Bicol Medical Center.
Robinsons Place Naga, just in front of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the NICC Doctors' Hospital, is under construction and will open in August 2017. Its hotel components--Go Hotel Naga and Summit Hotel Naga--will open in 2018. Vistamall Naga in del Rosario will soon commence ground breaking. It will include its main mall, a hospital, and a BPO building.
Business Process Outsourcing
Naga was cited as one of the best places to conduct BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) business activities in the Philippines. The city currently has three IT parks--the Naga City IT Park, the Camarines Sur Industrial and Technological Park, and the newly inaugurated Naga City Technology Center that are all highly conducive for outsourcing businesses as well as transactions that do not require transportation. The three facilities offer about 40,000 call center seats that could provide jobs to some 120,000 agents in three-shifts. Pioneering the business in Naga City is the Incubation Center of Southern Luzon Technological College Foundation Inc. (SLTCFI) and Philippine Computer Colleges which are extensions of Naga City Industries District, the third IT ecozone in the Bicol region inaugurated in August 13, 2011.
Naga is also the location of IT schools, and cyberoffices in the Bicol Region. The Philippine Computer Foundation College Inc. has opened its South Luzon Call center in Naga in order to improve access for their clients. The Worldtech Resources Institute also has constructed its own building that can handle 5,000 to 9,000 call center agents per shift. The Computer Communication Development Institute or CCDI has also headquartered their operations in Naga, and is the extension of the Naga City Technology Center. This institute is the overall administrator of government-owned BPO companies in the Bicol Region.
The international BPO company IBM also constructed their own call center office in front of SM City Naga. IBM was to undergo a major expansion in 2014, constructing a new 6-floor building and raising the first building's floors from 2 floors to 5.
Three BPO buildings will open between 2016 and 2020 within the sites of SM City Naga, Robinsons Place Naga, and Vistamall Naga.
Culture
Naga is considered to be Bicol's cultural center due to the largest festival in the region is held in the city, The Peñafrancia Festival.
Festivals
The Peñafrancia Festival
The city celebrates the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of the Bicol Region starting second Friday of September each year. The start of the 10-day feast, the largest Marian devotions in the country, is signalled by a procession (called Traslacion) which transfers the centuries-old image of the Blessed Virgin Mary from its shrine at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore to the 400-year-old Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. Coinciding with nine days of novena prayer at the cathedral, the city celebrates with parades, pageants, street parties, singing contests, exhibits, concerts, and other activities. Finally, on the third Saturday of September, the image is returned shoulder-borne by so-called voyadores to the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia via the historic Naga River. The next day, marks the feast day of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Pontifical High Masses are celebrated in the Basilica Minore, attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful devotees.
Kamundagan Festival
Naga celebrates the Kamundagan Festival every Christmas time. It begins with the lighting of the Christmas Village in the Plaza Quezon Grandstand. After the lighting of the Christmas Village, six locally handmaid stars, known locally as parols are lighted with different meanings. Love, progress, peace, happiness, prosperity, and joy symbolize the stars. The giant Christmas tree is lighted 2 weeks before Christmas. Every night, different fantasy-themed Christmas shows are held in the Plaza Quezon. A Grand Christmas Bazaar is also held near the Cathedral, exhibiting different talents in Magic, Trickery, Beauty, and Brains. The Bazaar also has some stores that sell locally made Christmas themed products for visitors.
Kinalas Festival
Naga celebrates Kinalas Festival during its yearly anniversary of Chartership or Cityhood. It honors the most famous local delicacies, the Kinalas, and Siling Labuyo, with it having a food contest. Also known as Charter Day Festival, different organizations and schools, compete in Sports and Academics, as sponsored by the local government.
Food and delicacies
Naga is known to have some native foods and delicacies:
- Kinalas - Kinalas and log-log are noodle soup dishes served Bicol style, similar to mami except for a topping of what looked like a Pansit Palabok sauce, and the meaty dark soup made from boiling a cow or a pig's head until the flesh fell off. Kinalas/luglog, from the old Bicol word "kalas", refers to the "fall off the bone" meat that is placed on top of the noodles. The soup is the broth of beef bone and bone marrow (sometimes skull and brain included) or what Manileños call "bulalo". The soup is topped with very tender meat slices that also came from the pig's head. It is usually served hot with an egg, sprinkled with roasted garlic and spring onions. Kalamansi and patis may be added according to taste. Kinalas is usually paired with Baduya/Banana Cue or Camote Cue.
- Buko Juice - Juice freshly extracted from a young coconut.
- Nata de Coco
- Pan de Naga - the local bread of the city
Sports
- Metro Naga Sports Complex in Barangay Pacol has Olympic-sized swimming pools, tennis courts and a track oval.
- Naga City Coliseum- Later renamed as Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum in honor of the late DILG Secretary and former mayor of Naga.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Airport
The city is served by the Naga Airport (WNP) located at Barangay San Jose in the neighboring town of Pili. It has a runway of 1,402 meters (4,600 ft). The airport is only capable of handling small aircraft.
Railways
Naga is the Regional head office and the Center point of the Philippine National Railway's Bicol Line.
Naga with adjacent towns and cities from Tagkawayan, Quezon Province to Ligao, Albay is served daily by Bicol Commuter's express. A plan has been expressed upon completion of the rehabilitation of the Line to Legazpi the Bicol Commuter's Express will be extended up to Legazpi in the near future.
Road Network
Roads and Bridges
Naga's total road network as of December 2009 is 185.02 kilometers (114.97 mi), of which 147.67 kilometers (91.76 mi) are now concreted; 14.63 kilometers (9.09 mi) are concreted with asphalt overlay, 4.10 kilometers (2.55 mi) are asphalted; 11.87 kilometers (7.38 mi) are gravel surfaced while 5.76 kilometers (3.58 mi) are still earth road/unsurfaced. This translates to an increase of 19.74 kilometers (12.27 mi)
The city is connected to the capital Manila by the Quirino, Andaya, Maharlika highways.
Land Transportation
The common vehicles used for intra-city travel are Public-Utility Jeepneys, Trimobiles, and Padyaks.
Padyaks can be used in subdivision and barangay transportation. They provide medium amount of speed in terms of travelling to the city center. Trimobiles are most famous and most used land transport in the city. There are 1,500 units available for hire while 1,150 are for private use. There is now stiffer competition among drivers that create a wide range of problems such as fare overcharging, refusal to convey passengers, imbalance distribution of trimobile service resulting to a shortage of transport service in some areas of the city and rampant traffic violations. Public utility jeepneys (PUJ) and multicabs are another major mode of intra-city transport used by regular commuters, a total of 323 units.
Inter-town trips are served by 403 Filcab vans and 708 jeepneys while inter-provincial trips are served by an average of 300 airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses and 88 Filcab vans.
Late last year, about 50 taxi units became available in the city. They use the sides of new SM Naga City as waiting area for passengers within and outside the city.
Major Roads
There are different major roads in every district of the city.
Centro (CBD I)
- Elias Angeles Street-is the main thoroughfare in CBD I. It is primarily used by people heading from the Partido Area, the towns of Calabanga, Bombon, Magarao, Canaman and the barangays of Bagumbayan Norte and Sur, along with Barangay Calauag.. Formerly called Calle Real, it starts at the merging of Bagumbayan Road (Naga-Calabanga-Siruma-Garchitorena-Partido North Road) and Jacob (Hakob) Street. It passes through the Metropolitan Naga Cathedral, the main plazas of Naga, the Nagaland E-Mall, several banks, and the terminal heading to Naga's north barangays. It ends at its junction with Caceres Avenue at the Barangay hall of Barangay Dinaga.
- Peñafrancia Avenue-is another thoroughfare in CBD I. It is primarily used by people from the northern barangays of Naga (Panicuason, Carolina, Cararayan, San Isidro, Balatas, San Felipe, and Pacol) along with the barangays of Peñafrancia, Liboton, Dayangdang, and Tinago. It starts from the junction of Padre Garcia Avenue in which it becomes Pacol Road after crossing it. It passes through the barangay of San Felipe, the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine, the barangay of Peñafrancia, which has the old houses of Naga, and the Naga City Hospital, and through the CBD I, passing by the back portion of Nagaland E-Mall, San Francisco Church, the Plaza Quince Martires. It ends at its junction with Panganiban Drive.
- General Luna Street-is a short but major thoroughfare in CBD I. It starts from Plaza Barlin, and ends at Caceres Avenue, at the Naga City People's Mall.
- Barlin Street-is another thoroughfare in CBD I. It starts from Padre Burgos Street, near the University of Nueva Caceres, and ends at the Quadricentennial Arch Rotunda inside the compound of the Naga Cathedral.
CBD II
- Panganiban Drive-is the main thoroughfare in CBD II. It is primarily used by people heading from the barangays of Concepcion Pequeña, and Grande, along with barangay Del Rosario. It starts from Elias Angeles Street, in front of the Plaza Rizal. It passes through intersetions with Peñafrancia Avenue, Calle del Rio, Blumetritt Street, then passes to Ninoy and Cory Avenue, which is heading to SM City Naga, Bicol Central Station, Jesse Robredo Coliseum, CBD Plaza Hotel, Nueva Caceres Convention Center. Panganiban Drive then passes to the regional offices of Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Education, and Pag-Ibig. Panganiban Drive ends at the Central Rotunda.
South Riverfront Growth Area
- Felix Plazo Street-is the main thoroughfare in the area. It starts from Abella Street, and ends in the Bishop Francisco Gainza Highway, or locally known as Mabolo-Camaligan-Gainza Road, heading to the town of Gainza. LCC Central Mall is located in the street.
Bagumbayan District
- Bagumbayan Street-also known as Naga-Calabanga-Siruma-Garchitorena-Partido North Road is the main thoroughfare in the area. It strats from the merging with Jacob Street forming Elias Angeles Street, and ends as Bagumabayan Street in the intersection with Taculod Road. It passes through the barangays of Bagumbayan Norte, and Bagumabayan Sur.
- Queborac Drive-is the main thoroughfare for residents in Marupit, Sua and Dugcal in the town of Camaligan, the residents of San Vicente, Del Rosario, Baras, and Poro in the town of Canaman and the residents of Jolly Neighbors Subdivision in Barangay Bagumbayan Sur. It starts from Bagumabayan Street, and ends at the Mabolo-Camaligan-Gainza Road, which heads to Pamplona, Camarines Sur.
Magsaysay District
- Magsaysay Avenue-is the main thoroughfare in the Magsaysay District, the center of nightlife in the Bicol Region.
It starts from the intersection with Queborac Drive and Bagumbayan Street. It then passes through a portion of Barangay Liboton, passing through the Naga College Foundation, and Camarines Sur National High School Liboton Annex. It then intersects with Peñafrancia Avenue, and crosses the Naga River. It then enters the Magsaysay District with Avenue Square's complex. It intersects again with Balatas Road (heading to the Peñafrancia Basilica) and passes through some bars and nightclubs. It finally ends with the entrance to the rotunda along with Panganiban Drive and Maharlika Highway.
Public Services
Health care
Naga hosts the largest hospitals in the Bicol Region. The government owned Bicol Medical Center and the Universidad de Sta. Isabel - Mother Seton Hospital owned and operated by the Daughters of Charity, along with the government-owned Camarines Sur Provincial Hospital are considered to be the largest hospitals in the Bicol Region in size and accommodation. Naga also houses the only medical district in Bicol, The Metropolitan Naga Medical District. Naga is the Medical Center of Bicol.
- Bicol Medical Center (BMC), the largest hospital in the Bicol Region, formerly called the Camarines Sur Regional Hospital, is located in Concepcion Pequeña, offers specialty training in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Obstetric and Gynecology, Anesthesiology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Orthopedics and Traumatology, the only in Bicol. This is also the base hospital of the Helen Keller Foundation where eye specialists all over the country are trained and later assigned in different parts of the Philippines.
Located in the BMC Compound are the following hospitals:
- Bicol Optical Center- the only optical center in the Bicol Region that is instituted.
- Bicol Orthopedic, Obgyne, and Respiratory Center
- Bicol Trauma, and Cancer Center
- Universidad de Sta. Isabel- Mother Seton Hospital (USI - MSH), is the biggest private hospital in the Bicol Region for the number of admissions, medical equipment facility, number of beds available, physical structure and number of board certified medical consultants. It is the only private hospital in Bicol offering specialty training programs accredited by the Philippine Medical Association's component society in major fields of Medicine, like in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and General Surgery.
- Camarines Sur Provincial Hospital another largest hospital in the Bicol Region and in Camarines Sur. It was created and founded in 1989 through Republic Act 9963. This integrated hospital is one of the first-class hospitals in the Philippines.
- The Plaza Medica houses the Naga Endocrine Laboratory (also called the Endolab), a modern specialty laboratory facility and hormone laboratory Naga.
- Bicol Access Health Centrum is another big hospital located in the city. It houses the Regional Disease Research Center, the first and only in the Bicol Region.
- NICC Naga Doctors Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Bicol Philanthropic Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Blessed Light Christian Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- St. John Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Ago Foundation Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Naga City Integrated Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Dr. Nilo Roa Memorial Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Metropolitan Naga Medical Center (tertiary hospital)
- Naga City Hospital (tertiary hospital)
- Bicol Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center (secondary hospital)
- Bicol Dietician Center (secondary hospital)
- Bicol Heart Center (secondary hospital)
- Delfin Rosales Integrated Infirmary (secondary hospital)
- Almeda Medicare Community Center (secondary hospital)
- Dr. Joaquin Perez Medical Infirmary (secondary hospital)
Waste Management and Disposal
Solid Waste
The main pollutants in the city come in the form of solid waste generated daily. Generally, these wastes come from various sources: residential, commercial, industrial and institutional.
Naga generates approximately 85.8 tons of waste per year, based on the latest 2009 estimates, where agricultural waste makes up a little more than one-fourth (26%) of the total volume. Food wastes make up a slightly smaller share at 23%. Paper- based materials compose 12%, while the other material categories are spread out in smaller percentages.
Solid wastes are disposed of and collected via the city's garbage trucks which traverses ten routes on a daily basis. Collected wastes are then dumped at the Balatas Controlled Dump site where they are segregated according to type of wastes biodegradable and non-biodegradable.
Liquid Waste
A study on wastewater treatment facility is incorporated in the proposed septage management ordinance where the city will be very strict in the compliance of proper waste treatment by housing and establishment owners. The Local Water Utilities Agency has identified the Metro Naga Water District as its local partner in providing septage services, in exchange for the collection of environmental fees in water bills.
The new wastewater treatment facility of SM City Naga, operational since April 20, 2009, has a capacity of 500 cu. meters per day but at present it is treating only around 200.
Awards
The concern for the environment of the Naga City government was nationally and internationally recognized. In 1998 it received the Dubai International Award as one of the Top 10 World Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment, for Naga's Participatory Planning Initiatives. It received the 1995, 1998 and 1999 Cleanest "AA" Slaughterhouse Awards given by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC). In 1994, Naga was a regional winner as the Cleanest and Greenest in Bicol. While on June 2001, LGU Naga City received the Saringgaya Award from the DENR for Distinguished Contributions in the Development of Environmental Programs in Region V.
Fire Safety
The Naga City Fire Station is one of the most equipped fire stations in the country. Other fire stations include Naga Chin Po Tong Fire Brigade, and the Naga White Volunteer
Police and Law Enforcement
The city is the location of two of the largest police stations in the Bicol Region. The historical Naga City Police Station, which had been the military base of operations of the Guardia Civil in the Bicol Region, during the time of the Spanish Regime in the Philippines. Another police office located in the city is the provincial office of the Philippine National Police in Camarines Sur, located in Barangay Concepcion Grande.
Education
Naga is considered to be Southern Luzon's educational center due to its prestigious academic performances of schools, and is the home of six largest universities in the Bicol Region. The city is also the home of several colleges which produce high-quality people that can serve.
Tertiary education
Ateneo de Naga University is a Jesuit university and the largest Catholic university in the Bicol Region. The school is accredited with PAASCU since 1979. ADNU is the first university in the Philippines to achieve PAASCU Institutional Accreditation, on top of its Autonomous status and Level III status. It is a center of excellence in Teacher Education, and a center of development in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, and Information Technology. It has produced top animators in the country since it launched its bachelor's degree in Animation. The university is also the alma mater of the very first Bicolano Jesuit priest, Father Juan Bonafe, S.J.
Universidad de Santa Isabel is the oldest normal school for girls in Asia, inaugurated on April 12, 1869. It is a sectarian school run by the religious Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Sisters.
University of Nueva Caceres is the very first university south of Luzon, outside of Manila and is considered to be largest in the Bicol Region due to its population and size that offers courses from Kinder to Graduate levels. Founded by Dr. Jaime Hernandez in 1948, it has grown to become one of the leading institutions of higher learning in the Philippines. All course offerings are recognized by the government and the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Commerce are accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACU-COA). Its College of Engineering and Architecture is now one of the few regional centers for technological education in the Philippines.
The Bicol College of Arts and Trade, Then Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, now Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology has also a large student base in the city. Arch. Antonio Imperial III, who placed 2nd in the 2007 Architecture Board Exam, is a graduate of this school. One of the leading maritime schools in the country, Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation, has two campuses in Metro Naga, one along Panganiban Drive and another in Canaman, a suburban town.
The Naga College Foundation is the leading Criminology school in the region. It has produced topnotch placements in the National Police Commission Examinations and the Criminologist Licensure Exams through the years (Top 3 Criminology School in the Philippines, 1993; Alex Pederio, 1999; Henry Navarro, 7th place, 1999; Noel Cabral, 6th placer, 2002; Romeo Caballero, 8th placer, 2002; Xavier Mirasol, 11th place, 2004; Frederick R. Eboña, National 2nd Placer, Licensure Board Examination 2009). Naga College Foundation's Nursing and Health Sciences Department also Produced a number of topnotchers in Nursing as well as Midwifery(Asther de la Cruz, National 3rd Placer, Midwifery, 2001; Leslie Guerra, National 6th Placer, Nursing, 2005, Neri Grace Zapata National 11th Placer, Nursing, 2008; Florian Maureen Palma, 3rd Placer Nationwide Midwives Licensure Examination 2009 and 15th Placer Nationwide Nursing Board Exam; Clarissa Leonor Tible Escober, 4th Placer Nationwide Nursing Board Exam 2009) as well as being the Top performing nursing school in Bicol since 2003; 100% passing rate, 1997.
Specialized computer schools have also mushroomed in the city due to popularity of computer courses, both degree and short-term. AMA Computer University and STI College have established campuses in the city. Other specialized computer schools include Worldtech Resources Institute (WRI), Philippine Computer Foundation College (PCFC) and CCDI.
The oldest live-in Christian higher educational institute for the clergy in the country was established in the city in the early part of the 18th century. The Holy Rosary Seminary (El Seminario del Santissimo Rosario), a Roman Catholic seminary run by the Archdiocese of Caceres, has produced 22 bishops, including the first Filipino bishop, Jorge Barlin, and the first Filipino Cardinal to work in the Roman Curia, Jose Cardinal Sanchez. It has richly contributed as well to the national heritage through Jose Ma. Panganiban and Tomas Arejola and 7 of the 15 Bikol Martyrs. On January 29, 1988, the National Historical Institute declared the Holy Rosary Seminary as a National Historical Landmark.
Secondary education and lower
The government-run Camarines Sur National High School registers over 15,000 enrollees every school year and it is the biggest secondary school in the region. Naga City Science High School was established in Naga in 1994, it is considered to be one of the top-notch schools in the country. The school contains pilot curricula in Bicol Region, the Spanish curriculum, which is the third in the Philippines, and the journalism curriculum, which are incubation for students to receive training and exposure to college-related situations. The school is also a consistent champion at the Doon Po Sa Amin or DPSA National Contest. Two schools in the city, Saint Joseph School (SJS) and Naga Hope Christian School (NHCS), caters to Filipino-Chinese students.
The Naga Parochial School (NPS) is the largest Parochial school in the Bicol region receiving 850 enrollees yearly. It is run by priests of the Archdiocese of Caceres. It is the first PAASCU-accredited parochial school in the Philippines. Some members of the clergy (63 as of 2007 with 3 bishops) assigned to the city are alumni of the school. This is an exclusive Catholic school for boys with Most Rev. Rolando Joven Tria Tirona as chair of the Board Trustees. Well-known personalities such as the late Raul Roco, Jesse Robredo, Francis Garchitorena, Luis R. Villafuerte, Jaime Fabregas, Jonathan Dela Paz Zaens, Archbishop Tito Yllana, Bishop Jose Rojas PC, DD are graduates of NPS.
Arborvitae Plains Montessori, Inc. (formerly Casa Dei Bambini Montessori), is a Montessori school with eleven branches spread all over the Philippines offering education according to the Montessori method modified for the Philippine curriculum. The Naga City Montessori School was established in 1989 offering pre-school, grade school and high school education. The Village Montessori School located at corner Park Street (Leon SA. Aureus St.) and San Leandro City St. is the only school in the Bicol Region that offers the real Montessori method which follows the continuous progression curriculum of the American Montessori Society.
Tutorial and review centers for higher education are found in the city. Some of these centers are Art Review Center, Edgeworth Review Center, and AimOne Review Center. Tutorial centers such as Asiawise Study Center, which is located along Barlin St. (near Naga Cathedral), also offer review programs for UP and other college entrance tests, Philippine Science High School qualifying exam, and Law Aptitude Exam.
City Youth Programs
Some of the reasons are the Youth Code authored by City Councilor Ray-an Cydrick Rentoy and co-authored by Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Dan Paolo Morales, the City Youth Officials Program, being member of the city council of the SKF President, recognition of various youth orgranizations, the Naga City Council for Youth Affairs, etc.
City Youth Officials Program
By virtue of SP Ordinance No. 2007-008, as amended by Ordinance No. 2009-017 dated March 19, 2007 and March 17, 2009 respectively Institutionalizing the Naga City Youth Officials Program and declared the period from April 15 to May 31 each year as City Youth Month. During this period, youth officials will be given the opportunity to handle the operations of the city government except in areas, which are policy determining or requiring monetary disbursements. Each year, 45 youths will be selected through a two-phase selection process (written and oral examinations) from a pool of qualified youth applicants/nominees in Naga. The youths that will be selected will be appointed as follows:
Media
Television networks
ABS-CBN Corporation had expanded its network in Bicol by establishing ABS-CBN Naga which operates ABS-CBN channel 11 Naga, ABS-CBN Sports and Action Naga and MOR!. Local shows such as TV Patrol Bicol, Marhay na Aga Kapamilya and MAG TV Na, Oragon! aired in the whole region via ABS-CBN Regional Network Group which is also stationed in the city. TV5 Network Inc.'s TV5 airs shows via channel 22 also through its affiliate station People's Broadcasting Network (PBN TV 5 Naga) but there are plans to establish its own regional station in the city. GMA Network's channel 7 (including 24 Oras Bikol) and GMA News TV channel 28 is also available. All of the major television broadcasting channels' regional offices are located in the city.
Radio stations
Naga has a good number of FM and AM radio stations of in the region, some of which operate 24 hours daily. The city's cable and satellite TV companies include Naga Cable TV, Caceres Cable TV and SkyCable.
Notable people from Naga
- Johhny Abarrientos - a Philippine basketball player who played in the PBA from 1993 to 2010. He is currently serving as coach to the team BMeg Llamados
- Joker Arroyo - is a statesman and key figure in the EDSA People Power Revolution which evicted then President Ferdinand Marcos and his family from office. He also served as Congressman of Makati for 9 years, and a member of the Senate for 12 years. Arroyo has received various awards and commendations for his significant contributions to the law profession and public service. Among these are the Philippine Bar Association's Most Distinguished Award for Justice as a "man beholden to no one except to his country" and a Senate Resolution No. 100 enacted in the 8th Congress commending him for his invaluable services to the Filipino people.
- Enchong Dee - whose real name is Ernest Lorenzo Velasquez Dee, is an actor, director and model, and an international competitive swimmer. He is a contract artist of ABS-CBN and has won numerous awards for his work in movies and television. He is the younger brother of AJ Dee, also an actor and swimmer. He came to prominence after starring in his first major TV drama Katorse (2009). He played the role of "Luis" in the Filipino remake Maria La Del Barrio (2011). He also starred in Ina, Kapatid, Anak (2012-13), and Muling Buksan Ang Puso.
- Jesse Robredo - is a Filipino statesman and then Mayor of Naga. Robredo was able to transform Naga from being dull and lethargic to being one of the "Most Improved Cities in Asia", as cited by Asiaweek Magazine in 1999. During his time in city hall, Robredo was credited for "dramatically improved stakeholdership and people participation in governance, in the process restoring Naga to its preeminent position as the premier city of Bicol Region." In 1995, in recognition of his skills and competence as a leader and development manager, Robredo was elected President of the League of Cities of the Philippines, the national association of city mayors. Robredo also chairs the Metro Naga Development Council." He served as chairman of the Regional Development Council, the regional planning and coordinative body of Bicol's six provinces and seven cities, from 1992 to 1998.
- Leni Robredo - wife of Jesse Robredo, Congresswoman of Third District of Camarines Sur (2013-16) and the incumbent Vice President of the Philippines.
- Raul Roco - was a political figure in the Philippines. He was the standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential bids in 1998 and 2004. He was a then Senator and the Secretary of the Department of Education under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He had a strong following among young voters in the Philippines, due to his efforts to promote honesty and good governance.
- AJ Dee - whose real name is Angel James Dee III, is an actor and an international competitive swimmer, like his younger brother Enchong Dee.
- Ely Buendia - whose real name is Eleandre Basiño Buendia. He is a Filipino singer, frontman of Eraserheads and Pupil
- Jose Fabian Cadiz - Filipino politician and Vice Mayor of Marikina City.
Image gallery
Sister cities
- Bacolod, Negros Occidental
- Cotabato City
- General Santos, South Cotabato
- Iloilo City, Iloilo
- Lucena, Quezon
- Makati, Metro Manila
- Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental
- Parañaque, Metro Manila
- Quezon City, Metro Manila
- San Fernando, Pampanga
- Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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