Sorsogon City
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| Location | |
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| Government | |
| Region | Bicol Region (Region V) |
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| Province | Sorsogon |
| District | 1st district of Sorsogon |
| Barangays | 64 |
| Income class: | 4th class city; partially urban |
| Mayor | Hon. Leovic Dienoeda |
| Cityhood | August 16, 2000 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | 338.20 km² |
| Population | |
| Total (2000) | 134,678 |
| Density | 398.22/km² |
Sorsogon City is a 4th class city in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. It is the capital city of Sorsogon. It was formed by merging the former towns of Bacon and Sorsogon in 2000.
According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 134,678 people in 26,047 households.
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[edit] History
In 1942, the Japanese troops occupied in Sorsogon, Sorsogon.
In 1945, beginning from the liberated in Sorsogon, Sorsogon from the defenders of the Filipino Commonwealth soldiers and Bicolano guerrillas attacked by the Japanese troops during World War II.
Sorsogon City was created by virtue of Republic Act 8806 which was enacted on August 16, 2000 and ratified in December 2000.
Prominent politicians of the locality behind its creation were incumbent Sorsogon 1st District Representative Francis Escudero and former Bacon Municipal Mayor Leovic R. Dioneda. Former Bacon Vice-Mayor Aurelio Destacamento, joined by former Sorsogon councilors Antonio C. Detera, Azel Diesta and Telo Mella fought before the two local legislative chambers, for the approval of appropriation ordinances providing budget for the holding of its plebiscite.
Prior to its ratification, a petition to declare RA 8806 null and void was filed by lawyer Atty. Gil Gojol. Because Bacon municipality was enjoined as one of the respondents in said petition, a young practising lawyer from Buenavista, Bacon District, in the name of Atty. Glenn Olbes, defended its constitutionality. The legal battle for its constitutionality was upheld later on by a majority decision of the Sorsoguenos who desire for the development of the newly created local government unit.
Opponents for its ratification were incumbent Governor Raul R. Lee and his wife, Sally A. Lee who became its first contested City Mayor.
[edit] Commerce, Economy and Banking
Sorsogon City is already considered as one of the developing cities of the Philippines based on its rapidly growing economic status. Liberty Commercial Center (LCC Mall) that is originally located in Tabaco City Legazpi City and Naga City has already opened its newest branch in Sorsogon City which gives residents of Sorsogon City the chance to witness an all new, latest and modernized shopping experience.
There are rumors saying that the SM Prime Holdings (owner of SM Supermalls) had already expressed its interest in putting up its branch in Sorsogon City because of the belief of Sorsogon City and its neighboring town's capability of handling a big shopping complex. But, this statement is baseless and still in state of inconsistency.
Being the capital of the province, it host most of the banks around it namely Land Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, Postal Bank, Allied Bank, Chinabank,United Coconut Planters Ban, Far East Bank and Trust Company, Legazpi Savings Bank, Equitable PCI Bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Development Bank of the Philippines, Philippine National Bank, Camalig Bank, and Banco de Oro that will open very soon. It also has a number of lending firms and pawnshops in its downtown area.
A number of restaurants, bars and well-known food chains are located at the busy streets of Rizal and Magsaysay Avenues inside the city's central business district such as Jollibee, Chowking, and Greenwich are just few of those. The Bacon-Sorsogon road will serve as the city's business district expansion linking to Bacon district's downtown area.
The province of Sorsogon including the Sorsogon City has been declared the commodity champion for Pili nut because it is the biggest Pili production source in the whole Bicol Region, accounting for approximately 70% of the total Pili supply in the country. It has a total of 1,568.54 hectares planted to Pili trees, or an estimated total of 56,861 trees capable of producing 1,893 metric tons of Pili nuts per harvest season. This positions Sorsogon favorably as the main supplier of Pili nuts in the world market. Also, since this is a new export product, the prospect is bright for producers and processors of Pili nuts.
The proposed hydroelectric plants located in the barangays of Osiao, Tiris and Maricrum all in the Bacon District of Sorsogon City, have an estimated combined generating capacity of 3.45 megawatts, enough to stabilize and further improve the reliability of the existing power supply system under the coverage area of the Sorsogon II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SORECO II). The Provincial Government proposes to develop these under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme. The proposed upgrading of the existing Cawayan Hydroelectric Plant, under the same BOT scheme, intends to maximize its potential for a total power output of 2,500 kilowatts.
Seaweed culture, particularly Eucheuma seaweeds, offers the brightest prospects among all marine resource development projects in the province of Sorsogon. In fact, cooperative-ran Eucheuma farms are now in place, and have proven to be economically-successful, in the municipalities of Matnog, Castilla, Gubat, Barcelona, Magallanes and Bacon District in Sorsogon City. There are also Gracilaria seaweed farms. One of the possible strategies for the promotion of local commercial production of seaweeds is to link up seaweed producers with foreign buyers and processors through contract farming and marketing schemes.
Prawn production is one of the identified priority industries in the city government of Sorsogon because of its demand both in the domestic and international market. At present, there are a total of 1,900.52 hectares of fishponds devoted to prawn culture in the province. Investors interested in inland aquaculture, or specifically prawn production, can establish support facilities, such as prawn hatcheries and laboratories to ensure the industry�s sustainability.
The province's marble reserves are located principally in Barangay Bato, Bacon District (30-min drive from city proper), but these are also found in the adjacent barangays of Gatbo and Sugod, also in Bacon District of Sorsogon City, with an estimated total geological reserve of 25 million cubic meters. Small scale marble quarrying and processing are now being undertaken by individual lot owners in Barangay Bato.
A total of 98,155.07 hectares of agricultural land is devoted to coconut production in Sorsogon in cooperation with the city Government of Sorsogon. The province produces an estimated 65,000 metric tons of copra per annum. The proposed Integrated Coconut Processing Plant will buy whole nuts from local coconut farmers, which will go into four major plant operations/processing. These include the Copra Drying Division to produce coconut oil; the Coconut Water Division to produce coconut vinegar and Nata de Coco; the Coconut Shell Carbonization Division to produce activated carbon; and the De-Husking Division to produce coco coir for fiber mats and coco peat for soil conditioner.
[edit] Transportation
Currently, Sorsogon City can be reached mostly through land transport from Manila by bus for about 10-11 hours. There are about 10 bus companies operate daily from Manila to Sorsogon and vice Versa. Some of those bus companies has connecting trips to one of the Philippine's busiest seaport, theMatnog Seaport linking to Visayan provinces.
The proposed upgrading of the existing Sorsogon Airport located in Bacon District will mean Sorsogon residents, as well as visitors from Manila and other places, can already avail of direct flights without the necessity of going to the Legazpi Airport in Albay Province. It will also mean a big boost to the local tourism industry. At present, the existing airport can only accept light aircraft because of its short runway. The proposed upgrading and development will involve the extension and concreting of the runway, expansion of the apron, construction of a bigger terminal building, construction of access roads, removal of obstructions and other airport requirements. The airport is only 5 kilometers away from Sorsogon City's central business district, compared to the Legazpi Airport which is one hour and half ride from Sorsogon.
The Sorsogon city government envisions the setting up and construction of an Integrated Land Transportation Terminal that will house all passenger buses and jeepneys coming in and out of Sorsogon City proper. The identified site is Barangay Cabid-an along the diversion road (2 kilometers away from the city's central business district). A terminal building will be constructed for ticket offices, passenger lounges, commercial stalls, restaurants or eateries, and quarters for drivers and other transport staff. This will cover an initial one hectare area including adequate space for the parking of buses and jeepneys.
[edit] Communications
The City has modern and efficient communication facilities, including international direct dialing, telex, facsimile, and worldwide express delivery service.
- Local Exchange Carriers
- Cellular Mobile Phones (Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular)
- Telegraph
- TV Stations
- Relay Cable TV
- Internet Cafes
- Internet Service Provider
- Smart Wireless Center
[edit] Television Network and Radio Stations
The City has its very own local TV network. the Aemillianum Broadcasting Center (ABC Channel 5) which airs local TV shows daily like INI AN BARETA (Ito ang Balita). It also has 91.9 Radyo Natin FM, 101.5 DWLH Fm, 103.9 DWOL, 94.3 DWAM-FM and Credible Media Network's 102.3 Sprit Fm. It also has several AM radio stations.
[edit] Tourism
Sorsogon City the capital and seat of government as jump-off point, all the eco-tour destinations within the province are easily accessible, including the singularly exciting, high adventure Whale Shark or Butanding Interaction activity off the waters of Donsol, Pilar, Castilla, Magallanes, and Bacon District of Sorsogon City; a rare nature-commune at the Mt. Bulusan Natural Park and its mystical Bulusan Mountain Lake Resort, with its exotic flora and fauna; the province's magnificently colorful dive sites and marine sanctuaries; mysterious caves with interesting folk legends to explore; hot springs and healing mineral water spas to soak in, relax and unwind; the picturesque little islands within Sorsogon Bay and off Matnog, offering fine white, black or pink sand beaches; the historical landmarks, including old churches, ancient houses and monuments, historic ruins of baluartes, murallas, and astilleros or ancient shipyards; and local arts and crafts.
Located offshore in Sorsogon Bay just parallel to the Sorsogon Pier that juts into the Bay, the 3-hectare island is suitable as a picnic resort, complete with swimming pools, bird and butterfly sanctuaries, a mini-zoo, a botanical garden, bicycle lanes, picnic huts and cottages, or a small hotel, a seafood restaurant, a small marina for boating in Sorsogon Bay, and other leisure facilities.
It is for its many natural attractions, though, that Sorsogon City is known. Bacon District, a mere 20-minute drive from the City's central business district, holds promise as an eco-tourism destination. Central to its vast tourism potential is Bacon Beach, with its long stretch of black sand and clear blue waters. The District likewise boasts limestone caves, lakes and a marine sanctuary. Most notable of these are Tolonggapo in Caricaran and the Bato Limestone Caves in which were found prehistoric artifacts. Farther offshore, dive sites teeming with coral reefs and tropical fishes make for a colorful underwater experience. Short boat rides away are enchanting, often unexplored islands, each with their own surprises. On Paguriran Island, which is surrounded by dark granite, a huge outcrop offers a view of the swirling currents below and the stolid mountains beyond. Rain-fed pools, springs, waterfalls and secret coves all contribute to Sorsogon City’s natural attractions. Bucalbucalan and Palhi Springs in the City’s West District boast springs ideal for cooling down, especially in the hot summer months. Busay Twin Falls in the PNOC Reservation high up in the mountains also holds promise as an ecotourism haunt.
Neither does the tourist need to go far to appreciate Sorsogon’s natural attractions. Rompeolas, with its walkway that serves as promenade, offers spectacular views of the Bulusan Volcano, as does Paroja Hill and Grotto, which overlooks Sorsogon Bay. A promenade for Sorsoganons, Rompeolas and the adjacent Pinaculan Island are being primed for tourism development, with sunset cruises and ecotourism as their primary selling points.
[edit] Education
Sorsogon City is truly the academic center of the province. It has Sorsogon State College, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary, Asian College of Science and Technology (ACSAT), The Lewis College, St. Louise De Marillac College of Sorsogon, Aemillianum College Inc., Computer Communication Development Institute - the Pilot school for Ladderized Education Program in the Bicol Region , Annunciation College of Bacon, STI Computer Learning Center, AMA Computer Learning Center and many other educational institutions that provides not only its residents but also its nearby towns a good quality of education.
[edit] Infrastructure
The proposed Sorsogon Business and Leisure Park is a 20 hectare reclamation area linking the 3-hectare Pinaculan Island to the Sorsogon Pier in Sorsogon Bay, forming part of the expansion area of the Sorsogon City's central business district. The area shall have a rock causeway and seawall, complete with wide and well-paved roads, underground electrical and telephone systems and water supply. Low, medium and high density zones shall be identified for business establishments, plants and factories, including a central park.
This is located in Barangay Bucal-Bucalan along the national highway, about 15-20 minutes away by car from Sorsogon City's Central Business District. Already in place is a small rest area for travelers, complete with a mini-park and a small canteen with a view deck. The proposed development of the area involves the construction of a seafood trading and rest facility, complete with seafood stalls, bayside restaurants and cafes, and adequate parking space. The food stalls and restaurants will specialize in fresh blue crabs which Sorsogon is known for. Customers can have their pick of crabs and other seafood from the stalls and have them cooked at the adjacent restaurants or open air grill shops.
[edit] Barangays
Sorsogon City is politically subdivided into 64 barangays.
36 barangays were in the former municipality of Sorsogon:
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28 barangays were in the former municipality of Bacon:
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[edit] External links
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