Cauayan: The Trade Center of Isabela

Cauayan was an original town of the Province of Cagayan. It was transferred to Nueva Vizcaya when it became a province in 1839. Upon the creation of Isabela as a province by a Royal Decree issued in May 1856, it was reverted as a town of the new province. The town site was first located in a place called Calanusian along the Cagayan River, but after a series of disastrous floods, the town site was transferred to its present location.

Historical structures still visible to this day are the big adobe stone church located at the Poblacion, now called Our Lady of the Pillar Church and the Tabacalera warehouse and La Insular bodegas found at Barangay Turayong that date their construction during Spanish rule.

With the establishment of the government under the United States of America, Don Domingo Damatan was appointed as the first “presidente municipal”.

It was during the administration of Mayor Faustino N. Dy (1964-1972) that the municipality started to bounce from a rather slow development. The town’s development continued at an even faster pace under Mayor Benjamin G. Dy (1983-1992) who envisioned the municipality to become a city. The vision became a reality under Mayor Faustino G. Dy, III who saw through the introduction of House Bill No. 9017 and which was signed by Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 28, 2001. Cauayan became a component city of the Province of Isabela after it was ratified in a plebiscite by a majority vote on March 30, 2001.

Cauayan City has an area of 336.40451 square kilometers and ranks as the tenth highest in terms of land area among the 38 Local Government Units of the Province of Isabela. As of May 1, 2000, the registered population of the City is 103,952 with an annual growth rate of 2.43% Most of the Cauayanos speak Ilocano (74.91%) while the rest speak Tagalog (14.14 %); Gaddang (6.38%) and Ibanag (1.59%).

One of the financial centers of Region 02, it has 16 banks catering to the needs of commerce, trade and industry and home to the only all-Filipino soft drinks company – the Cosmos Bottling Corporation. The city is also the host of the regional sales office of the San Miguel Corporation, Nestle and Magnolia. Cauayan Public Market is a recipient of the prestigious Philippine Health Promotions Program Award after having been adjudged as “The Healthiest Public Market” for the provincial and regional level, and also received the “Cleanest Wet Section” Award Provincial and Regional category in March 2001.

Cauayan celebrates its Gawagaway-yan Festival – a celebration of the city’s bountiful harvest and merriment for the ethno-linguistic groups in the city from March 30 to April 13. The city produced the longest Cassava Roll measuring 1.250 kilometers last 2005.

Cauayan City is about 367 kilometers from Manila and is accessible via airconditioned buses from Manila plying the Maharlika Highway. Cauayan City has a domestic airport with modern facilities and caters to chartered planes and is home to Cyclone Airways, Batanes Air and Sky Pasada which flies to Maconacon and Palanan. For inquiries and reservation call Monet at (078) 652-2368.

OFFICIAL DETAILS:

City Head:

City Population:

City Land Area:

City Classification:

Website:

Wikipedia:

AWARDS & CITATIONS:

MONIKER/NICKNAMES:

LINKS FOR MORE ABOUT THE CITY HERE:

MORE OF THE CITY’S PIC HERE:

Legazpi

The City of Legazpi (Bikol: Ciudad nin Legazpi; Filipino: Lungsod ng Legazpi) is a first class city and capital of the province of Albay, Philippines. With 179,481 inhabitants according to the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the Bicol Region in terms of population, though not in land area. It is also the regional center of the Bicol Region.

Located in the geographical center of the peninsula and between the two island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate, Legazpi is the southernmost terminus of the Philippine National Railways Main Line South, though it will be extended up to Matnog in Sorsogon. It also services sea-going vessels through its port.

The city is the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Legazpi, and most of its inhabitants are Roman Catholics.

OFFICIAL DETAILS :

City Head:
Land Area:
Population:
City Classification: Partially Urban
Location:
Website:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legazpi,_Albay

MONIKER:

AWARDS RECEIVED & CITATION:

MORE OF CITY LINKS HERE:

MORE OF IMAGES HERE:

Naga: The Heart of Bicol

The City of Naga is a first class independent component city in the Philippines. Located in the Bicol region, a peninsula on the south-easternmost tip of the island of Luzon. Naga is 377 kilometres south-east of Manila, the nation's capital, and about 380 kilometres north-east of Cebu City

Naga is the most populous city in the region as well as the most dense, and is locally known as the "Heart of Bicol" being the commercial, financial, educational, religious and cultural center of the Bicol region. Residents of the City are called Nagueños. Naga City is at the core of Metro Naga, an unofficial designation given the City and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council. MNDC covers the entire 2nd district of the province of Camarines Sur, and part of its 1st, 3rd and 4th districts.

As the home of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Bicol’s regional patroness, Naga celebrates the fiesta every September in full pageantry and expressions of piety presaged by a traslacion, or foot procession, that culminates in a colorful fluvial procession. Now over 300 years old, the religious celebration makes Naga the center of a unique Marian devotion that is feted by Bicolanos here and abroad.

One of the oldest cities of the Philippines, Naga is also among the richest when talking about culture and heritage. Take a leisurely tour of the city’s museums and old churches and see the sunrise ignites the glory of a Spanish colonial era in the heart of Bicolandia. Or choose a month when festivals take place to relive a kaleidoscopic display of sounds, colors, and tastes. The City of Naga is a first class independent component city in the Philippines. Located in the Bicol region, a peninsula on the south-easternmost tip of the island of Luzon. Naga is 377 kilometres south-east of Manila, the nation's capital, and about 380 kilometres north-east of Cebu City

Naga is the most populous city in the region as well as the most dense, and is locally known as the "Heart of Bicol" being the commercial, financial, educational, religious and cultural center of the Bicol region. Residents of the City are called Nagueños.

Naga City is at the core of Metro Naga, an unofficial designation given the City and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council. MNDC covers the entire 2nd district of the province of Camarines Sur, and part of its 1st, 3rd and 4th districts.

As the home of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Bicol’s regional patroness, Naga celebrates the fiesta every September in full pageantry and expressions of piety presaged by a traslacion, or foot procession, that culminates in a colorful fluvial procession. Now over 300 years old, the religious celebration makes Naga the center of a unique Marian devotion that is feted by Bicolanos here and abroad.

One of the oldest cities of the Philippines, Naga is also among the richest when talking about culture and heritage. Take a leisurely tour of the city’s museums and old churches and see the sunrise ignites the glory of a Spanish colonial era in the heart of Bicolandia. Or choose a month when festivals take place to relive a kaleidoscopic display of sounds, colors, and tastes. 

Cited by the DENR as Bicolandia’s cleanest and greenest city, Naga is home to Mt. Isarog whose herpetological wonders have been internationally acclaimed as one of the country’s fragile and treasured centers of biological diversity. As a natural park, its rainforests attract not only foreign and local researchers and scientists, but the more adventurous trekkers, as well.

Located in the center of the Bicol peninsula, Naga is the gateway to the region’s other amazing destinations: Camarines Sur Watersports Complex, Caramoan’s white beaches and pristine islands, Mayon Volcano in Albay, and the gentle Butanding in Donsol, Sorsogon. Still, while in Naga, one can take a step further to go surfing in Camarines Norte or the island province of Catanduanes.

Cited by the DENR as Bicolandia’s cleanest and greenest city, Naga is home to Mt. Isarog whose herpetological wonders have been internationally acclaimed as one of the country’s fragile and treasured centers of biological diversity. As a natural park, its rainforests attract not only foreign and local researchers and scientists, but the more adventurous trekkers, as well.

Located in the center of the Bicol peninsula, Naga is the gateway to the region’s other amazing destinations: Camarines Sur Watersports Complex, Caramoan’s white beaches and pristine islands, Mayon Volcano in Albay, and the gentle Butanding in Donsol, Sorsogon. Still, while in Naga, one can take a step further to go surfing in Camarines Norte or the island province of Catanduanes.

OFFICIAL DETAILS :

City Head: 
Land Area: 84.48 sq. km.
Population: 170,000 est. as of 2010
City Classification: 1st Class Component City
Location: Camarines Sur, Philippines
Website: http://naga.gov.ph/
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_City

MONIKER:
"The Heart of Bicol"
"The Happy Place"




AWARDS RECEIVED & CITATION:

MORE OF NAGA CITY LINKS HERE:




MORE OF NAGA IMAGES HERE:

 

Santiago: The Trade and Commercial Center of Cagayan Valley Region

SANTIAGO CITY is the first component- independent city in the Cagayan Valley Region. Historically, the city was called “El Pueblo de Carig” by the Spanish Dominican Friars who started colonizing and christianizing the natives of the pueblo in 1597.

The City of Santiago is a 1st class city in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 126,244 people in 22,401 households. Santiago is situated 79 kilometers south of Ilagan, the provincial capital, and about 326 kilometers North of Metro Manila. The city sits on a vast area of predominantly flat and fertile land in the Cagayan Valley, surrounded by the Caraballo Mountains to the south, the Great Sierra Madre to the east and the Cordillera Mountain Range to the west.

The earliest reference to the existence of Santiago de Carig was contained in the documents found in the Dominican Archives of the University of Sto. Tomas that mentioned the Iyogads as contemporaries of Santiago de Carig’s early population which consisted mainly of Ibanags and Gaddangs.

It was formerly a barrio of Echague. The towns Cordon, Diffun, Saguday, San Mateo and Ramon were formerly its barrios.

The first five barrios after the Cadastral survey in 1927 were Patul, Batal, Nabbuan, Buenavista and Dubinan.

The area bounded by the Provincial road on the NW Carreon St on the SW Abauag St on the NE and the lot of the Methodist on the SE was the site of the first public school building before it became a market site.

Another favorable point confirming the existence of Santiago de Carig before 1743 was the DECREE of request issued on October 30, 1713 which required the inhabitants of Carig, together with those of Cordon, Diffun and Sta. Barbara de Lappao to give rice and money to the missionaries of the Holy Rosary in the province run by the Sacred Order of Preachers with headquarters in Ituy and Paniqui.

The term Pueblo ascribed to Santiago de Carig in the foregoing statement refers to the pre 1743 status as a mission pueblo and not as a Spanish name of “Santiago de Carig” in honor of St. James the Apostle whose feast day is celebrated July 25, back in 1743 and most probably earlier than that.

Further, historical records show that the Municipality of Santiago was officially created by Royal Decree on May 1743.

Santiago became the first city in the region through the enactment of RA No. 7720 on May 5, 1994 converting the then municipality of Santiago into independent-component city. Considered as the “Trade and Commercial Center of Cagayan Valley Region”, its strategic location makes it an important destination for businessmen or would-be investors and tourists.

Santiago City is 328 kilometers from Metro Manila and is accessible by land from any point in Luzon. The city is strategically located and considered a melting pot, all roads in the four provinces of Cagayan Valley Region lead to and out of it. And the influx of people and goods make the city the center of trade and commerce in the region.

Year 2000 census showed that Santiago City had a population of 110,531, half of which are living in the urban areas. The city has an annual growth rate of 2.5 percent. The city covers an area of 255 square kilometers with 37 barangays. 

   

OFFICIAL DETAILS:

City Head:

City Population:

City Land Area:

City Classification:

Website: http://www.cityofsantiago.gov.ph/

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago,_Isabela

AWARDS & CITATIONS:

MONIKER/NICKNAMES:

LINKS FOR MORE ABOUT THE CITY HERE:

MORE OF THE CITY’S PIC HERE:

Sta. Rosa: The Lion City of the South

The City of Santa Rosa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Santa Rosa) is a first class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It is also known as "The Lion City of the South" since 1994. The city lies 38 kilometers south of Manila via the South Luzon Expressway, making it a suburban residential community of Metro Manila.


Santa Rosa was originally called "Barrio Bukol" of the Municipality of Binan, when the latter was discovered by the Spanish Conquistador Juan de Salcedo while exploring the Laguna Lake Region in 1571. Binan was later annexed to the town of Cabuyao to be separated from it in 1688. Barrio Bukol was then taken out of Binan and set up as a new political entity named Santa Rosa. It derived its name from its patron saint Santa Rosa de Lima of Peru which was reputed to have generously given material and spiritual blessings and favors to its devotees for the past 207 years.

Composed of 18 barangays and 117 residential subdivisions (as of 2006), with a land area of 54.1 square kilometers, Santa Rosa is located in the south corridor of Luzon, about 45 kilometers south of Metro Manila, along the coastline of Laguna Lake. 

It serves as a major gateway to the provinces of Batangas, Quezon, and Cavite via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). Its proximity to Metro Manila makes it a strategic site for domestic and international business, with Metro Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Manila International Container Port just an hour or two away. It is also within commuting distance from Makati, the country’s main business and financial center. 

From a population of 41,335 in 1970, its number increased by 348 percent in a thirty-year period. Between the years 1991 and 2000, population increase was 200 percent. In 2000, Santa Rosa’s population was 185,000, with a population density of 4,427.6 persons per square kilometer (note: population stands at 266,943 per NSO’s latest survey of August 1, 2007). These increases are due to the high rate of in-migration from neighboring provinces and the spread of population caused by the urban sprawl of Metro Manila.

The City of Santa Rosa (In Tagalog, Lungsod ng Santa Rosa) is a 1st class city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. It is also known as "The Investment Capital of South Luzon" since 1994. The city lies 38 kilometers south of Manila via the South Luzon Expressway, making it a suburban residential community of Metro Manila. This quiet town of Laguna started its progress initially from the establishment of Filsyn, CIGI and couple of other small multinational companies there when the government BOI provided for incentives to companies located at not less than 40 kilometers away from Manila. According to the 2000 census, City of Santa Rosa has a population of 185,633 people in 43,625 households but in 2005, it surpassed San Pablo City in terms of population, making it the fourth largest town or city in Laguna after Calamba City, San Pedro and Biñan.

Highly Progressive - Home of Enchanted Kingdom,SM City,Robinsons,Ford Motors, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Coke, Computer chip makers, Subdivisions(Ayala,Empire East, Brittany, StaLuciaRealty, Greenfield)

 OFFICIAL DETAILS:

City Head:

City Population:

City Land Area:

City Classification:

Website: http://www.santarosacity.gov.ph

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Rosa,_Laguna

AWARDS & CITATIONS:

MONIKER/NICKNAMES:

"The Lion City of the South"

LINKS FOR MORE ABOUT THE CITY HERE:

@ http://www.elcielito-starosa.com/

@ http://www.santarosacity.info/

MORE OF THE CITY’S PIC HERE:

Zamboanga: The Asia's Latin City

Zamboanga City is a highly urbanized, independent and a chartered city located in Mindanao, Philippines. It is currently ranked as the 6th most populous city (947,020 estimated population as of 2010) and the 3rd largest by land area in the Philippines (522/km2 (1,353/sq mi)). It is located at the southernmost tip of the Zamboanga Peninsula and is bounded in the north by the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte, in the west by the Sulu Sea, in the east by Sibuguey Bay, and in the south by the Basilan Strait. It is approximately 460 nautical miles (850 km) south of City of Manila, 365 nautical miles (676 km) northeast of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, 345 nautical miles (639 km) northeast of Menado, Indonesia, bounded to the west by Sulu Sea, on the east by the Moro Gulf, and on the south by the Basilan Strait and Celebes Sea. Its distance from Cebu City is about 372.57 nautical miles (690.00 km), and is 340.17 nautical miles (629.99 km) from Davao City.

The Ciudad de Zamboanga’s climates are generally of the third and fourth types where it is practically from June to December. The highest rainfall occurs on the month of July while the lowest rainfalls on the month of April. The city is outside the typhoon belt, hence, typhoons rarely visit the Ciudad de Zamboanga.

It is now the centre of economic activities in Mindanao with its modern international seaport, which is one of the principal ports of call for inter-island and international shipping. Its airport, which also classified as an international airport, provides air transportation to various domestic destinations. Both seaport and airport serve as transshipment points of various goods to neighboring cities and countries.

It is the seat of one of the largest number of military and police bases in the country. It is also home of the 3rd Air Division of the Edwin Andrews Air Base, which handles the Air Force of the Philippines in the city; and the 6th Naval District in Camp General Basilio Navarro also known as Western Mindanao Command, the main headquarters of Armed Forces of the Philippines in Western part of Mindanao; the Philippine Army, Philippine Marines, and Philippine Navy are assigned to that command. The "Camp Enrile" and other three military camps can be found in the city.

It is the former capital of Moro Province now Mindanao Island (1903 to 1913) in the Philippines. On September 15, 1911, the Municipalidad de Zamboanga was converted into a Ciudad by the legislative order Act. No.272.[6] It is known as CIUDAD LATINA DE ASIA in Zamboangueño Language or in English Language Asia's Latin City for its strong Hispanic/Latin influence.

Currently, Ciudad de Zamboanga is one of the primary hubs in the Philippines, being the premier city in Zamboanga Peninsula Region in terms of commerce, trade, health services, financial institutions and education.

OFFICIAL DETAILS:

City Head: 

City Population:

City Land Area:

City Classification: Highly Urbanized City in the Philippines

Website:

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamboanga_City

AWARDS & CITATIONS:

MONIKER/NICKNAMES:

Asia's Latin City

LINKS FOR MORE ABOUT THE CITY HERE:

MORE OF THE CITY’S PIC HERE: