Dayon! Negros Oriental

Welcome to my page on Negros Oriental, my home province. The province of Oriental Negros is located in the heart of the Philippines. It is the eastern half of a boot shaped island in the center of the archipelago. I was born in Dumaguete City, the capital, an idyllic university town nestled at the foot of the mighty Cuernos de Negros. It is a beautiful and magical place and I hope to show that on this page!

First, you have to know where Negros Oriental is. The map shown here shows the island of Negros. Dumaguete, capital of Negros Oriental is clearly shown at the toe-tip of the boot-shaped island.

Second, you have to know its history and some of its facts & figures on it. Click here to do that.

Negros Oriental coddles nature at its freshest. A growing stream of domestic and foreign guests are discovering the charming surprises of our lush variegated countryside, fascinating highland lures and scenic beaches, most of which are take-off points to world-class divesites.

Dayon! This is what people say here, with a smile of course, when they open their doors to visitors and invite them in.

A monument to Gen. Leon Kilat,
a Philippine hero who hails from
Bacong, Negros Oriental

Hometowns
Negros Oriental has three component cities, nineteen coastal towns and three interior highland municipalities. Canlaon City, a panoramic garden in the lee of its namesake volcano. Bais City, playground of dolphins and cradle of our sugar industry. Dumaguete City, our capital, is the City of Gentle People, hub of culture and the academe. Explore our coastal towns strung along 1,377.6 kilometers of beaches.

Discover them all!

Economy
Negros Oriental is predominantly agricultural. Sugar is a top-earner. Also grown are copra, rice, corn, rootcrops, fruits and vegetables. Extensive poultry and livestock.

Abundant seafood and freshwater delicacies. Colorful livelihood endeavors to observe: pottery, weaving and basketry, buricraft, stonecraft, food processing, ornamentals and cut flowers cultivation.

Language
Bisaya is the most common vernacular. Tagolog and Hiligaynon are also spoken. There is a comprehending knowledge of Spanish. English is widely spoken.

Population
Over a million friendly residents, including countless multinationals and guests from all over the country who have chosen to call Negros Oriental home. Allow them to bid you a pleasant stay. Dayon!

Weather
Negros Oriental basks outside the typhoon belt. Our island's backbone of high mountain ranges, topped by Canlaon Volcano and the landmark twin horns, Cuernos de Negros, breaks the full effects of the southwest monsoon to keep weather generally fair all year round.

Mountain, sea, smiles and serenity are constants in your trek through mostly unspoiled green countryside. Our welcome is an old, time-honored trait, while our visitor industry is quite young, which makes for warm company in unhurried, uncrowded places. And we like to keep it that way, so you can join the crowd in our 5,401 square kilometers of laid-back charms--- and still have a beach, forest or resort all to yourself.

Au Naturelle
Nature is, quite naturally, our main attraction. Lording it over is MT. TALINIS, the taller of the Cuernos de Negros. A vast reserve of forests and lakes. Rare birds and wildlife such as the Philippine spotted deer. Scheduled climbs are regular, others by prior arrangement. Excursion options: CASARORO FALLS plunges directly into a bathing basin. A river feeds two swimming pools in BANICA PICNIC PARK. All in picturesque Valencia town, on the slopes of Mt. Talinis.

On the foothills of Mt. Talinis access through Sibulan and San Jose towns is being developed for a trek to the verdant, mystic and often misty TWIN LAKES, BALINSASAYAO and DANAO.

Nature, enhanced by loving hands, flourishes in TIRAMBULO HIGHLAND RESORT, in the elevated interior of Paniabonan, Mabinay. Hectares of breathtaking scenery. Man-made forests. Rustic cottages almost on the water of five man-made lakes.

The wonders of Mabinay go deep. Caves lace the town's underground with awesome chambers, streams, fascinating formations. ODLOMAN was identified by Dutch and Belgian spelunkers as one of the country's longest. Access usually difficult, spelunking by arrangement only.

Canlaon City's OISCA MODEL FARM is more than agriculture. Rolling green terrain and terraced rice paddies. An ever-present volcano that challenges the adventurous climber.

Take a pumpboat ride to Apo Island, one of the ten best divesites in the world! The NEGROS ORIENTAL MARINE CONSERVATION PARK comprises magnificent underwater gardens. KAN UPE COVE RESORT sprawls down the hillside to a semi-secluded white pebble beach.

Diversions
A brief ride or a short walk takes you to some unique experiences. For instance:

MALATAPAY SEASIDE MARKET, Zamboanguita --- lechon, and seafoood lunch al fresco, flea market, livestock auction, every Wednesday only.

AQUINO FREEDOM PARK, Dumaguete City, the Provincial Capitol grounds, piped-in music for evening strolls.

RIZAL AVENUE, Dumaguete City - beachfront promenade, landmark manors and historical residences, nightlife.

SIDLAKANG NEGROS SHOWROOM, Dumaguete City - one-stop shop and showcase of Negros Oriental's crafts and souvenir items, in the Capitol Area.

GALERIA MARIA CRISTINA, Dumaguete City - arts and artifacts, books by Filipino authors, dining and a bar.

SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY, Dumaguete City - campus tour includes Ethno-Anthropological Museum housed in a reconstructed New York theater building; Luce, the finest performing arts auditorium outside Manila; the Center for Tropical Research (CENTROP) which is breeding the rare Philippine spotted deer endemic to the province.

CATA-AL WWII MEMORABILIA, Valencia - a private collection of relics from the Fil-Am-Jap encounter in Negros Oriental, fought in Valencia's upper reaches.

DOLPHIN WATCH - Bais City - a cruise on Bais Bay to watch the dolphins at play, also a visit to an hacienda and other points of interest.

PILGRIM SITES include San Jose's Lourdes Shrine in Cambaloctut and Sibulan's San Antonio Parish Church crammed with devotees every 13th day of the month.

MILLSITES of Central Azucarera de Bais in Bais City, Universal Robina Milling Corporation in Manjuyod and Herminio Teves Company Inc. in Sta. Catalina.

BALLROOM DANCING to live band music is convivial and colorful every Friday night at the Tanjay Municipal Park.

Fiesta Highlights
Hospitality brims over and cultural influences take center stage during fiestas of which Negros Oriental has one or more each month. Catch the more exciting highlights:

HORSEFIGHTS - studs vie for the affections of a mare, common feature of patron saint's day in Tanjay, Bais City, Jimalalud and La Libertad.

FLUVIAL PROCESSIONS, Sibulan, decorated outriggers ferry saints and devotees along the town's coastal waters in June.

SINULOG DE TANJAY - choreographed procession is a day-to-night celebration to honor St. James the Greater, in July.

HUDYAKA, Bais City - street-dancing, and plaza revelry for merriment's sake in September.

DECEMBER KASADYA-AN FESTIVAL, Dumaguete City - Foundation University stages the province's oldest and longest mardi gras parade in mid-December.

SINULOG SA JIMALALUD - Jimalalud town honors the Santo Niño with traditional rites and street-dancing in January.

PINASKUHAN, Dumaguete City - annual competitions between choreographed choirs incorporating indigenous materials and folkloric Christmas customs, presented by the Provincial Government every December.

TAWO-TAWO FESTIVAL, Bayawan - commemorates the scarecrow as guardian of the town's rice fields and assurance of its prosperity in February.

BUGLASAN FESTIVAL - Buglas, was the old name of the province after an indigenous grass that used to cover the island. This is the province's festivals of festivals, a spectacular display of the best contingents from the different festivals held all over the province. Held every May, this mardi-gras like event is a must see!

Delicacies
Savor it or take it home but be sure to get a bite of Tanjay's budbud, Dumaguete City's budbud kabog and cracking pork chicharon, Bayawan's baye-baye and the many variations of binakhaw everywhere in the province. Sibulan's exportable dried fruits are favored take-home items, as are the sun-crisped danggit fish of Bais City, and Manjuyod's sweet mangoes.

And many more...
A number of other surprises await those who prefer nature at its freshest, most refreshing uniqueness. What we have a lot of is God-given. That's a lot we don't need to crow about. But that's plenty to share. Let us share it with you.