Sorsogon

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. 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]

Tolonggapo Beach of Bacon District on the eastern side of Sorsogon City

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

In 2000, Sorsogon City was created through the merging of the municipalities of Bacon and Sorsogon.[5]

Sorsogon covers a total area of 2,119.01 square kilometres (818.15 sq mi)[3] occupying the southeastern tip of the Bicol Peninsula in Luzon. The province is bordered on the north by Albay, east by the Philippine Sea, south by the San Bernardino Strait, and west and northwest by the Ticao and Burias Passes. The Sorsogon Bay lies within the central portion of the province.

Bulusan Lake on the slope of Bulusan Volcano National Park

The province has an irregular topography. 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. Mount Bulusan, the tallest peak, rises 1,560 metres (5,120 ft) 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.

Administrative divisions

Sorsogon comprises 14 municipalities and 1 city.

Political map of Sorsogon

•  †  Provincial capital and component city
•      Municipality

City or municipality District[3] Population ±% p.a. Area[3] Density Barangay Coordinates[A] (2015)[4] (2010)[6] km2 sq mi /km2 /sq mi Barcelona 2nd 2.6% 20,990 20,340 0.60% 61.18 23.62 340 880 25 12°51′59″N 124°08′42″E Bulan 2nd 12.6% 100,076 93,943 1.21% 196.96 76.05 510 1,300 63 12°40′04″N 123°52′39″E Bulusan 2nd 2.9% 22,884 22,089 0.68% 96.30 37.18 240 620 24 12°45′06″N 124°08′14″E Casiguran 1st 4.1% 32,842 30,995 1.11% 87.13 33.64 380 980 25 12°52′24″N 124°00′33″E Castilla 1st 7.3% 57,827 52,903 1.71% 186.20 71.89 310 800 34 12°57′00″N 123°52′44″E Donsol 1st 6.3% 49,711 47,563 0.84% 156.20 60.31 320 830 51 12°54′28″N 123°35′55″E Gubat 2nd 7.5% 59,534 57,327 0.72% 134.51 51.93 440 1,100 42 12°55′04″N 124°07′27″E Irosin 2nd 7.1% 56,662 51,777 1.73% 149.87 57.87 380 980 28 12°42′08″N 124°02′03″E Juban 2nd 4.1% 32,320 30,335 1.21% 121.49 46.91 270 700 25 12°50′51″N 123°59′22″E Magallanes 1st 4.7% 37,038 35,443 0.84% 150.09 57.95 250 650 34 12°49′38″N 123°50′14″E Matnog 2nd 5.2% 41,101 37,641 1.69% 162.40 62.70 250 650 40 12°35′10″N 124°05′08″E Pilar 1st 9.4% 74,564 68,245 1.70% 248.00 95.75 300 780 49 12°55′23″N 123°40′27″E Prieto Diaz 2nd 2.8% 22,442 20,478 1.76% 49.07 18.95 460 1,200 23 13°02′26″N 124°11′36″E Santa Magdalena 2nd 2.1% 16,848 16,520 0.38% 43.50 16.80 390 1,000 14 12°38′47″N 124°06′28″E Sorsogon City † 1st 21.2% 168,110 155,144 1.54% 276.11 106.61 610 1,600 64 12°58′15″N 124°00′19″E Total 792,949 740,743 1.31% 2,119.01 818.15 370 960 541 (see GeoGroup box) ^ Coordinates mark the city/town center, and are sortable by latitude.

Prior to colonization, the region had a complex religious system which involved various deities. These deities include: Gugurang, the supreme god who dwells inside of Mount Mayon where he guards and protects the sacred fire in which an Aswang( local version of witches and monsters) and , his brother was trying to steal. Whenever people disobey his orders, wishes and commit numerous sins, he would cause Mount Mayon to burst lava as a sign of warning for people to mend their crooked ways. Ancient Bikolanos had a rite performed for him called Atang.;[9][10] Asuang, the evil god who always try to steal the sacred fire of Mount Mayon from his brother, Gugurang. Addressed sometimes as Aswang, he dwells mainly inside Mount Malinao. As an evil god, he would cause the people to suffer misfortunes and commit sins.[9][10] Enemy of Gugurang and a friend of Bulan the god of the moon; Haliya, the masked goddess of the moonlight and the arch-enemy of Bakunawa and protector of Bulan. Her cult is composed primarily of women. There is also a ritual dance named after her as it is performed to be a counter-measure against Bakunawa.;[11] Bulan, the god of the pale moon, he is depicted as a pubescent boy with uncommon comeliness that made savage beast and the vicious mermaids (Magindara) tame. He has deep affection towards Magindang, but plays with him by running away so that Magindang would never catch him. The reason for this is because he is shy to the man that he loves. If Magindang manages to catch Bulan, Haliya always comes to free him from Magindang's grip; Magindang, the god of the sea and all its creatures. He has deep affection to the lunar god Bulan and pursues him despite never catching him. Due to this, the Bicolanos reasoned that it is to why the waves rise to reach the moon when seen from the distant horizon. Whenever he does catch up to Bulan, Haliya comes to rescue Bulan and free him immediately; Okot, god of forest and hunting; and Bakunawa, a gigantic sea serpent deity who is often considered as the cause of eclipses, the devourer of the sun and the moon, and an adversary of Haliya as Bakunawa's main aim is to swallow Bulan, who Haliya swore to protect for all of eternity.[12]

Aerial view of Sorsogon City

The province's economic activity is highly concentrated in its capital city, Sorsogon City, and the towns of Bulan, Irosin, Gubat, Pilar 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 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 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.

Ranked from main sources of income, 40% of families in the province derived incomes from entrepreneurial activities, 33% from salaries and wages, and 27% from income from other sources such as rental incomes, interests, and overseas Filipino remittances.[13]

Sorsogon belongs to Type 2 climate based on the Climate Map of the Philippines by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Being a Type 2, Sorsogon has No dry season with a pronounced rainfall from November to January.

Typhoon Nina (known as Sisang) the strongest typhoon that hit the province killing at least 200 people

The province of Sorsogon normally gets 5 to 10 typhoons every year.

The most notable typhoon is in 1987, when Sorsogon was devastated by Super Typhoon Nina named Sisang. It was a major disaster in the Province of Sorsogon. Damages in properties cost million of pesos, and killing 200 people. It is said that Sisang is the strongest typhoon that hit the Province, especially its capital, Sorsogon City. According to PAGASA, Typhoon Nina ravaged with a wind of 180 kilometres per hour (50 m/s) and a gustiness of 200 km/h (56 m/s). Thousands of houses plus business establishments were destroyed by the said natural calamity. Typhoon Sisang hit the Sorsogon soil at around 7:00 pm and it last until dawn of the next day. it also caused massive storm surges particularly around the Sorsogon Bay area which contributed to the many fatalities during the battering of the typhoon.

Typhoon Xangsane (Milenyo) also battered the province in September 2006 with torrential rains and strong winds. It caused massive flooding and caused infrastructure and agricultural damages. Damages to the entire province was initially placed at ₱2.23 billion, of which ₱1.27 billion was accounted for by damaged houses. Agriculture suffered damage worth ₱234.21 million; school facilities, ₱51 million and infrastructure, ₱208 million.

Sorsogon is subdivided into 2 Congressional Districts. The 1st Congressional District comprises the City of Sorsogon and towns of Pilar, Donsol, and Castilla. The Sorsogon Provincial Capitol is located in the City of Sorsogon.

• Spanish ship Santísima Trinidad (1751)

• Media related to Sorsogon at Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related to Sorsogon at OpenStreetMap
• Local Governance Performance Management System