Sorsogon Province

Sorsogon (Bikol: Probinsya nin Sorsogon), (Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Sorsogon), is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. It is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities (towns) and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City (formerly the towns of Sorsogon and Bacon) and borders the province of Albay to the north. Sorsogon is at the tip of the Bicol Peninsula and faces the island of Samar to the southeast across the San Bernardino Strait and Ticao Island to the southwest. Sorsoguenos is how the people of Sorsogon call themselves.

History
 
In 1570 two Augustinian friars, Alonzon Jimenez and Juan Orta, accompanied by a certain captain, Enrique de Guzman, 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.

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

Geography
 
Sorsogon, at the southeastern part of the Bicol Peninsula, is bounded on the north by the province of Albay, on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the south by the San Bernardino Strait, and on the west and northwest by the Ticao and Burias Passes. It has a total land area of 2,119 km2.
 
It is characterized by an irregular topography, and, 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. Mt. Bulusan, the tallest peak, rises 1,560 meters 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.

Economy
 
The province's economic activity is highly concentrated in its capital city, Sorsogon City, and the towns of Bulan, Irosin, Gubat, 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 of Sorsogon indeed 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[6] 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.

Festivals

Kasanggayahan Festival
 
The festival, celebrated in the whole province in the last week of October, commemorates the founding of Sorsogon as a province. Festivities include a series of cultural, historical, religious, agro-industrial and economic activities, showcasing the province���s abundant agricultural products, particularly food and decorative items.
 Pili Festival in Sorsogon City honors the Pili nut and tree which is indigenous to province. The festival coincides with the town fiesta of Sorsogon City. Celebrations include street dancing by locals donning pili nut costumes, cooking competitions, fireworks displays, and even a nutcracking session along the road by the locals.

Minorities
 
Minorities include Muslim immigrants from Mindanao, who engage in street vending and small shop businesses. A mosque is situated inside Sitio Bolangan on the outskirts of the city. A significant small Chinese population are owners of hardware stores and commodity shops and dwell in the business center. Indian communities are also present and are Hindus. They are typically known to engage in money lending businesses?colloquially called "five-six".

 
 Education and language
 
Education is highly valued as an investment for the future, as illustrated by the many state and private schools and colleges which dot the province. Almost all people understand Tagalog and Bicolano. The local language spoken by Sorsoguenos varies from district to municipalities. To illusrate, the form of Bisakol (called Waray Sorsogon) spoken in Barcelona, Gubat, Irosin, Sta. Magdalena, Matnog and Bulusan slightly differs from the form (called Masbate Sorsogon) spoken in the city of Sorsogon and the municipalities of Juban and Casiguran. North of Sorsogon City, Castilla, Pilar, Magallanes, and Bacon (merged with Sorsogon city; see History), a form of Bikol is spoken. Also a different form of Bikol called Miraya similar to that of Daraga, Albay, is spoken in Donsol and some parts of Pilar. The former municipalities mentioned use words and intonations from Visayan languages such as Waray-Waray, Cebuano and Ilonggo, and Bisakol is considered a Warayan language like Waray-Waray of Samar and Leyte. English is also understood by most educated people. It is used in all government documents, schools, and in business. This language has also become increasingly important as businesses such as call centers and medical transcription require prospective applicants to be proficient in it.