Naga, officially the City of Naga (Bikol: Ciudad nin Naga; Filipino: Lungsod ng Naga; Spanish:Ciudad de Naga) and often referred to as Naga City, is an independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The town was established in 1575 on order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande, the city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Caceres (New Caceres City), earned its status as the third Spanish Royal City in the Spanish East Indies, after Cebu and Manila. It has a population of 174,931 people, and has 77,784 registered voters. It has a labor force of 60,772 people, with 57,278 employed, and 3,494 are unemployed. Majority of Naga City's population are people 15 years and below.
Naga City is Bicol Region's trade, business, religious, cultural, industrial and financial center.
People from or in Naga City are known as Nagueños.
Naga City is known as the Queen City of Bicol, and as the Heart of Bicol due to its central location in the Bicol Peninsula; and as the Pilgrim City because Naga City is also home to the largest Marian pilgrimage in Asia, the Our Lady of Peñafrancia. Naga City is also known as One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun as stated by Nick Joaquin.
The city is the seat of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres, which makes the city Bicol's religious center, whose jurisdiction includes all the suffragan sees of Bicol, the Dioceses of Daet, Legazpi, Libmanan, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Virac.
Moreover, the city is also the seat of the widely venerated Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of Bicol. The image is one of the most popular objects of devotion in the country.
Naga is the core of Metro Naga, an official designation given the city and 14 municipalities in the area administered by the Metro Naga Development Council.
Naga City per se generally refers to Naga City, Camarines Sur, as it became quite confusing especially for Cebuanos and nearby towns, since there is also a city in Cebu named Naga City, which is dubbed as the industrial city of Naga.
Naga |
||
---|---|---|
Independent Component City |
||
City of Naga |
||
![]() (From top,left to right) Holy Rosary Seminary,Universidad de Santa Isabel, Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Ateneo de Naga University, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine, Malabsay Falls, Naga City Hall, Carmelite Monastery, Peñafrancia Festival |
||
|
||
Nickname(s): The Heart of Bicol; Queen City of Bicol; An Maogmang Lugar (The Happy Place); | ||
Motto: Uswag, Naga! (Progress, Naga!) |
||
![]() Map of Camarines Sur showing the location of Naga City |
The city of Naga is located within the province of Camarines Sur in the southeastern tip of Luzon at the near the center of the Bicol Region, surrounded on all sides by rich agricultural, forest and fishing areas. It covers a land area of 8,448 hectares (20,880 acres) and is located around the serpentine and historic Naga River, at the confluence of the Naga and Bikol Rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade and as center for schools, church and government offices. Included in its territory is Mount Isarog, a declared protected area in Region V known as Mount Isarog Natural Park.
Naga City is located 377 kilometres (234 mi) southeast of Manila, the nation's cap
ital, 45 km north of Iriga City and about 380 kilometres (240 mi) northeast of Cebu City, the largest city in the Visayas.
In 1573, on his second expedition to this region, the conquistador Juan de Salcedo landed in a village and named it "Naga" because of the abundance of Narra trees ("Naga" in Bikol).
In 1575, Captain Pedro de Chávez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on the site of the present business centre (across the river from the original Naga) a Spanish city which he named La Ciudad de Cáceres, in honor of Francisco de Sande, the governor-general and a native of the city of Cáceres in Spain. It was still by this name that it was identified in the papal bull of August 14, 1595 that erected the See of Cáceres, together with those of Cebú and Nueva Segovia, and made it the seat of the new bishopric under the Archdiocese of Manila.
In time, the Spanish city and the native village merged into one community and became popularly known as Nueva Cáceres, to distinguish it from its namesake in Spain. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with an ayuntamiento and cabildo of its own. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines. Nueva Cáceres remained the capital of the Ambos Camarines provinces and later of the Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent chartered city of Naga under the Philippine Republic.
The bishops of Cáceres occupied a unique place in the Philippine Catholic hierarchy during most of the Spanish regime. By virtue of the papal bull of Gregory XIII, ecclesiastical cases originating in the Spanish East Indies, which ordinarily were appealable to the Pope, were ordered to be terminated there and no longer elevated to Rome. Decisions of bishops were made appealable to the archbishop and those of the latter to the bishop of the nearest see. Thus, in the Philippines, the decisions of the Archbishop of Manilawere subject to review by the Bishop of Cáceres whose jurisdiction then extended from the whole Bicol region, the island-province of Marinduque and the present-day Aurora, which was once part of the formerTayabas province, which is now the province of Quezon. In this sense, bishops of Bikol were delegates of the Pope and could be considered primates of the Church of the Philippines.
This was the reason why bishops of Cáceres and archbishops of Manila were sometimes engaged in interesting controversies in the sensational Naga case and in such issues as canonical visitation and the secularization of the parishes. As papal delegate, Bishop Francisco Gaínza, then concurrent bishop of Cáceres, sat in the special ecclesiastical tribunal which passed upon the civil authorities' petition to divest Fathers Burgos, Gómez, and Zamora of their priestly dignity. Gaínza did not only refuse the petition but also urged their pardon.
For hundreds of years during the Spanish colonial era, Naga grew to become the center of trade, education and culture, and the seat of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Bicol.
Japanese fighter and bomber planes attacked the town municipality of Naga in December 1941 and it was occupied by the Imperial Japanese troops in 1942. The military garrison of the Japanese Imperial Army was located in Naga during Japanese Occupation.
On 1945, combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth troops liberated the town municipality of Naga and aided by the Bicolano resistance groups and defeated Imperial Japanese troops and ended in the Second World War.
After Naga was liberated from the Japanese, Naga began on rebuilding the town. With only a few casualties, Naga City was able to rebuild quickly after the war. After many petitions, Naga became a city in June 18, 1948.
The city is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres which oversees the Catholic population in the Bicol Region. The city is also the seat of the Primate of the Bicol region. This dominant faith is supported by the presence of old and influential Catholic institutions, from universities to churches run by differentreligious institutes, notably the Ateneo de Naga University by the Jesuits; the Universidad de Sta. Isabel by the Daughters of Charity; the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral; which is the oldest cathedral that is still standing in Luzon outside Metro Manila, Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, which is the largest Catholic structure inSouthern Luzon in terms of size and land area; Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine; the historic San Francisco Church; and Peñafrancia Museum.
http://ph.wowcity.com/camarinessur/naga/?what=Roman+Catholicism
Other Christian organizations are represented by Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) whose imposing church is a landmark along Panganiban Drive, Also having considerable number of members are Members Church of God International popularly known as Ang Dating Daan, Seventh-day Adventist and Bible Baptist whose churches are located along Magsaysay Avenue; while other Christians go to the Methodist Church which is among the old structures along Peñafrancia Avenue. There is also a medium concentration of Jesus Miracle Crusade in the City.
One of the other major religions that are represented in Naga City is Islam where a mosque is located at Greenland in Brgy. Concepcion Pequeña. Followers of Hinduism has a temple along Basilica Road in Brgy. Balatas. A shrine for the followers of Taoism is located along Lerma Street in Brgy. Triangulo.
http://ph.wowcity.com/camarinessur/naga/?what=Shopping+Malls
Avenue Square
World of Fun - LCC Central Mall
Puregold Naga
Avenue Square
http://ph.wowcity.com/camarinessur/naga/?what=+Avenue+Square
Places of interest
rests within the protected area of Mt. Isarog National Park and accessible through the Panicuason trail, this waterfall offers a breathtaking refuge from the busy city life and allows one to commune with nature. It is seldom visited by mountain climbers, hikers and picnic-goers because of its rough trail.
http://ph.wowcity.com/camarinessur/naga/?what=Panicuason+Hot+Springs+Resort+
Resorts
http://ph.wowcity.com/camarinessur/naga/?what=Resorts
Spring Valley Resort
Penafrancia Resort, Inc.
Stonehouse Gardens Resort
The Village @ San Bernardino
Casa Ofelia Resort
http://ph.wowcity.com/camarinessur/naga/?what=Casa+Ofelia+Resort+
Nine sites and landmarks in the city with historical value[60]
The city celebrates the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of the Bicol Region starting second Friday of September each year. The start of the 10-day feast, the largestMarian devotions in the country, is signalled by a procession (called Traslacion) which transfers the centuries-old image of the Blessed Virgin Mary from its shrine at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore to the 400-year old Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. Coinciding with nine days of novena prayer at the cathedral, the city celebrates with parades, pageants, street parties, singing contests, exhibits, concerts, and other activities. Finally, on the third Saturday of September, the image is returned shoulder-borne by so-called voyadores to the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia via the historic Naga River. The next day, marks the feast day of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Pontifical High Masses are celebrated in the Basilica Minore, attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful devotees.
Naga City celebrates the Kamundagan Festival every Christmas time. It begins with the lighting of the Christmas Village in the Plaza Quezon Grandstand. After the lighting of the Christmas Village, six locally handmaid stars, known locally as parols are lighted with different meanings. Love, progress, peace, happiness, prosperity, and joy symbolize the stars. The giant Christmas tree is lighted 2 weeks before Christmas. Every night, different fantasy-themed Christmas shows are held in the Plaza Quezon. A Grand Christmas Bazaar is also held near the Cathedral, exhibiting different talents in Magic, Trickery, Beauty, and Brains. The Bazaar also has some stores that sell locally made Christmas themed products for visitors.
Naga City celebrates Kinalas Festival during its yearly anniversary of Chartership or Cityhood. It honors the most famous local delicacies, the Kinalas, and Siling Labuyo, with it having a food contest. Also known as Charter Day Festival, different organizations and schools, compete in Sports and Academics, as sponsored by the local government.
Naga is known to have some native foods and delicacies: