Sorsogon City

Evidence of human habitation come from 3,000-year old remains in a cave in Bacon and ancient burial sites dug upstream of Sorsogon rivers. Spanish missionaries came upon settlements in both sites when they arrived in the 1600s. Moro pirates had already frequented the territorial waters before the arrival of the Spanish missions.

Bacon was established as a visita of Casiguran while Sorsogon, originally in Sitio Pocdol in Capuy, was then established as a visita of Bacon. Sorsogon then became an independent, full-fledged parish in 1628 due to an increase in population. The two parishes later became civilian political units.[7]

The Pueblo Civil de Bacon was established in 1754, with Juan Elias as its first gobernadorcillo. Sorsogon became an independent pueblo in 1864. Both Bacon and Sorsogon were under the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Albay until the establishment of the independent province of Sorsogon on October 17, 1894.[8]

Sorsogon City covers a land area of 31,292 hectares (120.82 sq mi). It is at the southernmost tip of the Bicol Peninsula and of Luzon Island. The city is bounded by Castilla in the west, Manito in the northwest, Albay Gulf in the north, Prieto Diaz in the east, Gubat in the southeast, Casiguran in the southwest, and Sorsogon Bay in the south. Sorsogon is characterized by an irregular topography; mountain ranges on the north-west, sloping uplands on the central part of the city, plain areas south western and central north and southeast portion, and marshlands on the southeast deltas. It is also surrounded by water, with Sorsogon Bay to the west Albay Gulf to the north east, and Philippine Sea in the east.

Panoramic view of Sorsogon Bay

Sorsogon City is 581 kilometres (361 mi) southeast of Manila and 54 kilometres (34 mi) south of Legazpi City. The 2015 Census puts the city's population at 168,110 with an annual growth rate of 0.84%. Sorsogon City ranked as the 3rd largest city in terms of population in the Bicol region. The only city in the province of Sorsogon, Sorsogon City is the largest in terms of land area in the Bicol region.

The Pan-Philippine Highway which runs from northwest to southeast through the city, connects Sorsogon City to the municipalities of Castilla, Pilar, in the northwest towards Daraga, Legazpi City, Naga City and the rest of Luzon. It also connects to the municipalities of Gubat, Casiguran and the rest of the second district municipalities of the province of Sorsogon in the southeast.

Demographic statistics:[12]

• Annual Growth Rate 1.69% for the period 2000 – 2007
• Population Growth Rate – 2.15% (1995–2000)
• Population Density - 627 persons per square kilometer
• Total Number of Households 30,290
• Male Population - 77,117
• Female Population - 74,337
• Religion – 95% Roman Catholic
• Labor Force – 56% of the total population, 1/4 of the over-15 years old is, at least, high-school graduate, 15% of the total workforce have college-level education
• Student Population - 15,323
• Voting Age Population - 83, 123

Sorsogon City, as the capital town of the province of Sorsogon, is a hub of trade and commerce. Business is concentrated in the downtown area near the public market and major commercial establishments primarily geared towards retail and wholesale and the Bacon District is the secondary business district of the City.

As of 2012, Sorsogon City ranked third among the cities with most revenue in the Bicol region with an estimated annual income of P432,978,837,[13] only behind Naga City and Legazpi City. Despite being a city and its increasing annual income, agriculture and fisheries sector is still the driving force of its economy. The main agricultural products include rice, coconut, abaca, pili nuts, root crops and vegetables.

The Bay City Sorsogon, that is currently being built at the coast of Barangay Balogo will definitely have a huge impact on the economic growth of the city. It is a priority project of LKY Development Corporation, a privately owned real estate company. The Bay City Sorsogon includes a Commercial Complex, Five Star Hotel, Coliseum, Outdoor Dining Area, a Central Bus Terminal and a lot more. The excavation of this 16-hectare property just started during the last quarter of 2010 and the completion is expected by the 3rd quarter of 2011.[14]

The city's local government is headed by a mayor elected by popular vote. The Vice Mayor serves as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council), with 12 Councilors elected by popular vote as its members. The Sangguniang Panlungsod serves as the city's legislative body and its role is to enact ordinances, approve resolutions, appropriate funds for the general welfare of the city and its inhabitants. Both the council members and the mayor serve three-year terms; and eligible for re-election for two more three-year terms.

The 3 Districts of Sorsogon City shown in the picture: Marked in green is Bacon district, Yellow is the East District and in Blue, the West district.

Since the city's creation in 2000, only two people have served as Mayor of the City namely Sally A. Lee who is the incumbent Mayor and also served as the first elected mayor of the city, and Leovic R. Dioneda who served from 2007 to 2013. A third person, outgoing provincial vice governor Ester Hamor, will be the new city mayor by noon of June 30, 2019.

A Sorsogon City Coastal Road is already underway. The construction of the coastal highway was pledged by Senator Francis Escudero and Sorsogon 1st District Representative Evelina Escudero. The 22-hectare coastal highway will help alleviate the traffic congestion once completed and provide an additional space for a walkway.[15]

• Kevin Dealca – Dancer
• Eddie Garcia – Film actor and director
• Eugenia Apostol (sister of former Sorsogon Mayor Duran) – one of the founders of Philippine Daily Inquirer
• Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero – former congressman, and now senator of the 15th Congress[16]
• Jorge Barlin – First Filipino and Bikolano Bishop and was assigned parish priest and Vicar Forane of Sorsogon from 1887 to 1906[17]
• Loida Nicolas Lewis – Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of TLC Beatrice, LLC, the Lewis Family investment firm and is also Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice (China) and TLC Beatrice Foods (Philippines).
• Mary Walter – actress, whose career spanned through several decades. She was born in Bacon.[18]
• Aldin Ayo - Sorsogon City West District Councilor, and Coach of the De La Salle Green Archers.

• List of Bicol Region Cities and Municipalities

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Sorsogon City.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sorsogon City.

• Sorsogon City Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System