Dumaguete

Dumaguete
Component city
City of Dumaguete
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  The City of Gentle People[1]
Motto(s):  Duma Get Me
Map of Negros Oriental with Dumaguete highlighted
show OpenStreetMap Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Dumaguete Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 9°18′37″N 123°18′29″E / 9.31028°N 123.30806°E / 9.31028; 123.30806Coordinates: 9°18′37″N 123°18′29″E / 9.31028°N 123.30806°E / 9.31028; 123.30806
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Visayas
Province	Negros Oriental
District	2nd district
Cityhood	November 24, 1948
Barangays	30 (see Barangays)
Government  [2]
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Mayor	Felipe Antonio Remollo
• Vice Mayor	Karissa Faye R. Tolentino-Maxino
• Representative	Manuel T. Sagarbarria
• City Council	show Members Manuel L. Sagarbarria Joe Kenneth K. Arbas Michael M. Bandal Edgar P. Lentorio, Jr. Agustin Miguel A. Perdices Bernice Anne A. Elmaco Lilani L. Ramon Manuel C. Patrimonio Rosel Margarette Q. Erames
• Electorate	89,193 voters (2019)
Area [3]
• Total	33.62 km2 (12.98 sq mi)
Elevation	183 m (600 ft)
Highest elevation	1,844 m (6,050 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [4]
• Total	134,103
• Density	4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
• Households	29,262
Demonym(s)	Dumagueteño (masculine) Dumagueteña (feminine)
Economy
• Income class	3rd city income class
• Poverty incidence	11.83% (2015)[5]
• Revenue	₱634,949,796.09 (2016)
Service provider
• Electricity	Negros Oriental 2 Electric Cooperative (NORECO 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6200
PSGC	074610000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)35
Climate type	tropical climate
Native languages	Cebuano Magahat Tagalog
Website	www.dumaguetecity.gov.ph

Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Dumaguete), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 134,103 people. ^[4] It is the capital and most populous city of the province of Negros Oriental.

Dumaguete is referred to as a university city because of the presence of four universities and a number of other colleges where students of the province converge to enroll for tertiary education. The city is also a popular educational destination for students of surrounding provinces and cities in Visayas and Mindanao. The city is best known for Silliman University, the first Protestant and American university in the country and in Asia.^[6][7] There are also 18 public elementary schools and 8 public high schools. The city's student population is estimated at 45,000.^[1]

The power source of the city comes from the geothermal power plant in Palinpinon, Valencia. The city has redundant fiber optic lines and is a focal point for telecommunications. It is the landing point for fiber optic cables linking it to the whole Visayas, Manila (the capital of the nation) and cities south of Luzon, as well as to other cities north of Mindanao. Scholars have been pushing for the city's inclusion in the tentative list of the Philippines for future UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination.^[8]

Etymology[]

"Dumaguete" was coined from the Cebuano word dagit, which means "to snatch". The word dumaguet, meaning "to swoop", was coined because of frequent raids by Moro pirates on this coastal community and its power to attract and keep visitors, both local and foreign. In 1572, Diego López Povedano indicated the place as Dananguet, but cartographer Pedro Murillo Velarde in 1734 already used present name of Dumaguete for the settlement.^[9]

History[]

Capital after division[]

The island of Negros was divided into the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental by a royal decree executed by Governor General Valeriano Weyler on January 1, 1890. Dumaguete was made the first and only capital of the new Negros Oriental Province.

Philippine Revolution[]

During 1898, months after the arrival of Emilio Aguinaldo from exile, the Negros Revolution suddenly broke-out. Negros Occidental Province, which was still ruled by the Spanish authorities, eventually surrendered to the Negrense Revolutionary Forces after a battle on November 6. They then began a week-long march which captured Dumaguete on the 24th. By this time, the Spanish forces had left the entirety of Negros. The "Negros Republic" was then proclaimed on November 27.

World War II[]

Imperial Japanese forces landed at Dumaguete on 26 May 1942, after the fall of the Philippines, and all of Negros Oriental Province surrendered shortly thereafter. Resistance against the Japanese occupation continued by guerilla groups in the inner mountains, where many native residents had fled to. The local Negrense guerillas attacked the remaining Japanese officials and troops on August 6, 1945, and after their victory they welcomed combined American and Filipino forces that formally liberated Negros Oriental.

Creation[]

The City of Dumaguete was formally created on July 15, 1948, under Philippine Congressional Republic Act No. 327, also known as the "Charter of the City of Dumaguete". This was later amended on June 21, 1969, by Republic Act No. 5797, which clarified and refined the powers and functions of the local government unit in the earlier act.

Geography and environment[]

Dumaguete has a land area of 3,362 hectares (8,310 acres), situated on the plains of the southeastern coast of the large island of Negros, near the mouth of the Banica River. Of the province's 19 municipalities/towns and 6 cities, Dumaguete is the smallest in terms of land area. It is bounded on the north by the town of Sibulan, on the south by the town of Bacong and on the west by the town of Valencia.

As a coastal city, it is bounded on the east by the Bohol Sea and the Tañon Strait, serving as a natural border of southeastern Negros Island Region to the neighboring Central Visayas. The city's topography is generally flat from two to six kilometers from the shoreline. It slopes gently upwards to the adjoining municipality of Valencia. The highest ground elevation is located at the boundary of the municipality of Valencia, about one hundred meters above mean sea level. About 93% of the land have slopes of less than 3%. The remaining areas have 3% to 5% slope.

Climate[]

Dumaguete has a tropical savannah climate, bordering a tropical monsoon climate according to the Köppen Climate classification with two distinct seasons. Namely; a dry and a wet seasons. The wet season covers the period from June to November, and the dry season starts from December to May, the hottest being April and May. The average maximum temperature is 34.3 °C and the average minimum temperature is 22.9 °C for the past years. The relative humidity of the locality for the past years was 78¾% with the month of December registering the highest.

Environment[]

Dumaguete has a rich and unique marine ecosystem that provides livelihoods to fishers^[12] and supports tourism.^[13] The coastal environment, which includes seagrass meadows, acts as efficient carbon sinks that mitigate the effects of climate change.^[14] This ecosystem includes 36.15 hectares of seagrasses and 36.20 hectares of coral reef.^[12] Dumaguete has four marine protected areas covering 104 hectares that host over 200 species of fish.^[15][14]

The fragile marine ecosystem is under threat from a proposed 174 hectare reclamation project that is facing opposition from youth organizations, church groups, residents, and environmental scientists, including Philippine national scientist and former environmental secretary Angel Alcala.^[16][15]

Barangays[]

Dumaguete is politically subdivided into 30 barangays, all classified as urban. The eight barangays in the city's downtown area are known primarily by number. The smallest barangay is Barangay 4 with an area of only 5.11 hectares, while the biggest barangay is Barangay Banilad with 362.71 hectares.

Demographics[]

Population census of Dumaguete

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	14,894	—
1918	16,336	+0.62%
1939	22,236	+1.48%
1948	24,838	+1.24%
1960	35,282	+2.97%
1970	52,000	+3.95%
1975	52,765	+0.29%
1980	63,411	+3.74%
1990	80,262	+2.39%
1995	92,637	+2.72%
2000	102,265	+2.14%
2007	116,392	+1.80%
2010	120,883	+1.39%
2015	131,377	+1.60%
2020	134,103	+0.40%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [17] [18] [19][20]

As of the census in 2015, there are 131,377 people and 21,582 households residing in the city (as of 2010). The city has the least poverty incidence among urban centers in Visayas, according to the 2009 Small Area Estimates (SAE) of Poverty done by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). It has an average daylight population of 400,000 people. Dumaguete is the most populous city in Negros Oriental, comprising 9.05% of the province's total population. Its total voting population is 89,193 voters (2019).

The Philippine Retirement Authority, a government agency under the Department of Tourism, has named the city as the "Best Place to Retire in the Philippines for 2018".^[21] Dumaguete is also listed 5th in Forbes Magazine's "7 Best Places to Retire Around the World".^[22]

Education[]

Dumaguete has earned the distinction of being known as the "center of learning in the South," or a university city due to the presence of universities that have made their mark nationally and abroad. The city is a melting pot of students, professionals, artists, scholars and the literati coming from different parts of the country and the world.

Silliman University is the dominant institution of higher learning in Dumaguete, providing the city with a distinct university town atmosphere. It is the first Protestant university in the country and the first American university in Asia. The 610,000 m² campus is adjacent to and intermixed with the city's downtown district.^[24] Some of its buildings have likewise been recognized as landmarks. These buildings include the Silliman Hall, Hibbard Hall, Katipunan Hall, the Luce Auditorium, and the Silliman Main Library (considered one of the biggest libraries in the Philippines).^{[1][25][26][27]}

Other universities within the urban parameters of the city are: Foundation University (1949), a private non-sectarian university, its Main Campus where the site of a very popular Sofia Soller Sinco Hall dubbed as White House of Dumaguete is located at Miciano Road offers tertiary education programs while North Campus along Locsin Street is the home of Foundation Preparatory Academy for its basic education programs. The Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) which was founded in 1907 maintained its two main campuses in the city, the Main Campus 1 is beside the Provincial Capitol building while Main Campus 2 is located in barangay Bajumpandan. It is the only state university in Negros Oriental and the biggest among the four universities in the city in terms of student population and is very popular among students from different towns and cities of the province and some other parts of the country. St. Paul University Dumaguete (1904) is the first Saint Paul educational institution to be established in the Philippines by the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres (SPC) from France, second oldest Catholic university of Central Visayas and considered to be the premier Catholic university of Dumaguete.

Economy[]

Poverty Incidence of Dumaguete
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[28][29][30][31][32][33]

Tourism, the academe, the retail industries, BPO and technology-related activities are the major sources of income of the city. BPOs and IT firms, as well as retailing, are the fastest rising industries. There are significant number of banking institutions and a branch of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas within its territory. DCCCO and PHCCI are among the prominent cooperatives in the country which are both rooted in Dumaguete. Real estate industry in the city is also booming as property developers are either putting up condominiums, town centers or massive horizontal housing development. Dumaguete City is a thriving sports destination in the country with numerous hosting of Asian, national, regional and provincial game events such as 4th Asian University Basketball Federation (AUBF) 2005, the 2013 Palarong Pambansa, 2012 Philippine National Games (POC-PSC), Philippine Volleyball League, National Frisbee Championship, Batang Pinoy Visayas, Dumaguete Dragon Boat Challenge, Unigames, CVIRAA, the Palarong NIR for short-lived Negros Island Region among others.

The ambitious Dumaguete Sports Park, a 1.9 hectares reclaimed area located in the south end of Rizal Boulevard is one of the major projects that can be seen in this city. This area, so-called Pantawan 3 by the locals, is a large sands court not only for recreational sports venue but also serve as shoreline protection for its nearby coastal barangays. Among highlighted structures being planned to erect in the area are the Amphitheater and the 18-storey Masonic Obelisk where its top floors will be utilize as view deck for a panoramic view of Dumaguete City and the surrounding areas. Meanwhile, Pantawan 1 welcoming travelers when arriving the city is right beside gate 1 of city's port while Pantawan 2 is built near the Silliman Hall with installed picturesque signage name of Dumaguete alongside its campaign #DumaGetMe to attract tourists. The coastal road which is also being planned as the counterpart of the boulevard extension of the north will be an access to Silliman University Ecological Park and Silliman Beach in Brgy. Bantayan. To date, there are six built bridges connecting the north and south as well as the Downtown area of the city passing through the Banica River. Substantial development among barangays outside the poblacion area is expected to boost its economic potentials with the opening of 4 lanes circumferential highway to decongest traffic in the main thoroughfares of Central Business District traversing from the town of Sibulan up to Bacong. City hospital, new public market, city's multi-purpose and evacuation center, material recovery center and sanitary landfill are now in place to maximize the barangays potential and be the new economic centers of the city. These growing industries made Dumaguete City the hub for shopping, education, financial, IT, commerce, lifestyle and sports in the province of Negros Oriental and region.

Business process outsourcing[]

Dumaguete's outsourcing industry has a range of businesses, such as call centers, publishing, medical transcription, animation, editing, and architectural outsourcing. Dumaguete is listed among Next Wave Cities in the country with over 20 IT and BPO locators, and has been described as a hub for Business Process Outsourcing and Information Technology.^[34][35]

Tourism[]

Data from the Department of Tourism show that Dumaguete and Negros Oriental are among the top ten most visited tourist destinations in the country.^[36] Tourists visit popular sites such as the historic Rizal Boulevard that most of its sugar mansions and prominent ancestral houses were converted into hotels, local-based and nationally known coffee shops, fine-dining restaurants and bars. Locals and visitors usually stroll or jog in its seaside boulevard early in the morning and spent time in the late in the afternoon until dawn with the same activity or rather to relax and dine in a well-organized food carts beside the Pantawan area selling Filipino favorites balut, street food such as tempura, kikiam, fishballs and the like. A few walks from the baywalk is the popular Sans Rival Restaurant and Bistro where Silvanas of Dumaguete is known for and is now recognized as sweet pasalubong from the city; Silliman Hall is a home of university's Anthropology Museum. The boulevard extension to the north of city's port where name changed to Flores Avenue and Escaño Drive are now dotted also with new hotels, resort, restaurants and bars that are very popular for students and young professionals with the great view of the bay and neighboring islands such as Cebu, Sumilon, Bohol on a clear weather and another angle of Siquijor. It will add an excitement for the local economy with the presence of midrise condominiums and new malls erected in the area. Many tourists also visited the St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral known as the oldest stone church of the island of Negros and the home of ecclesiastical seat of the bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Dumaguete. The detached Campanario de Dumaguete of the cathedral is considered one of the oldest heritage landmarks of Dumaguete City and Central Visayas. Meanwhile, La Presidencia - the old City Hall is being restored to its original design will be the branch of National Museum in Dumaguete. The cathedral, belfry and museum are all located beside the city's Quezon Park named after the Philippine first President of the Commonwealth, Manuel L. Quezon once step on the place prior to his escaped outside the country during World War 2.

One of the cities' important annual celebration is the Sandurot Festival, which is held every September to commemorate of Dumaguete's history. The celebration is started with the Paghimamat, a re-enactment of how people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds came to Dumaguete, bringing gifts of rich cultures. Pasigarbo followed, gracing the City streets with dancing to drumbeats and other instruments participated by different barangays and schools in Dumaguete. The streetdancing ended at Quezon Park after which the participants prepared for the grand Pasundayag, a display of dances portraying different stories of the Dumaguete tradition.

Another important annual occasion is the Buglasan Festival, also known locally as the "Festival of all festivals", which is held in the whole Negros Oriental province every October since 2002. Though this is a province-wide event sponsored by the provincial government, the activities are mostly centered in the province's capital, Dumaguete. Majority of activities are held in the Provincial Capitol and Ninoy Aquino's Freedom Park with booths and local products either on display or for sale, it is also spread to other venues such as Sidlakan Negros Village at Barangay Piapi and city's Rizal Boulevard. Showdowns and streetdancing are among the activities done in observance of the festival.

Healthcare[]

Dumaguete has four major tertiary hospitals, namely the Holy Child Hospital, Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital, ACE Dumaguete Doctors Hospital and the Silliman University Medical Center which is currently associated with St. Luke's Medical Center in Metro Manila.^[37]

Transportation[]

Air[]

Sibulan Airport (IATA: DGT, ICAO: RPVD), also known as Dumaguete Airport or Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport, is the city's domestic airport located in neighboring Sibulan town in the north. It provides daily flights to and from Manila and Cebu City through Cebu Pacific, Cebgo and PAL Express while Cebgo is servicing both Mindanao important urban centers, thrice weekly flights to Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City.^[38] However, a new airport is being planned to be built in Bacong, a town bordering Dumaguete in the south^[39] The proposal for the transfer and upgrading of this airport to international standards has already been approved and should be completed before 2025. An initial PHP 500 million budget has already been released for initial study and procurement of free lands.^[40]

Sea[]

Dumaguete, as a major port city and based port of PPA Negros Oriental/Siquijor is a jump-off point for passengers/tourists who are going to other Visayas and Mindanao areas. Currently, the port is well-equipped with two modern port operations and passengers' terminal facilities and also with headquarters of newly formed Philippine Coast Guard Southern Visayas in its premises. There are daily ferry connections to the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Mindanao operated by Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (FastCat), Montenegro Lines, Medallion Transport, Ocean Jet Shipping, Lite Shipping, Cokaliong and other companies. Dumaguete is an access city for passengers/tourists going to Cebu which is dubbed as economic hub of the Visayas. There are smaller ports north of the city where short and frequent ferry connections are available to that island as an alternative. Dumaguete is a port of call for travelers to Manila, Dapitan and Zamboanga City by ship serviced by 2GO Travel.

Land[]

The main form of public transport in Dumaguete is the motorized tricycle. The Dumaguete version of the motorized tricycle can fit up to 6-8 passengers. For transport to destinations outside the city limit, there are jeepney and buses travelling set routes. Meanwhile, Vallacar Transit Corporation, the company that operates Ceres buses recently constructed a 2-storey terminal building in Dumaguete just beside the newly erected commercial center, the Marketplace.^{[citation needed]}

Sports[]

The Don Mariano Perdices Memorial Coliseum hosts the 2010 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Meet and 2013 Palarong Pambansa that was located in Dumaguete. Its capacity was 25,000 people with rubberized track oval, main lobby, dormitory, and hostel. Beside it is the Olympic size swimming pool known as Lorenzo G. Teves Memorial Aqua Center. Lamberto Macias Sports Complex is an indoor arena located near the coliseum which can accommodate around 6,000 people.^[41]

Notable people[]

Sister cities[]

Dumaguete has the following sister cities:

Local[]

• Bacolod, Negros Occidental
• Mandaue, Cebu
• Butuan, Agusan del Norte
• Makati, Metro Manila

International[]

• Yeongdong County of North Chungcheong, Republic of Korea
• Alameda of California, United States

Gallery[]

• 

  Silliman Avenue

• 

  St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral

• 

  Dumaguete Belfry with grotto

• 

  Dumaguete City Hall

• 

  Provincial Capitol of Negros Oriental

• 

  Dumaguete Public Market

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dumaguete.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Dumaguete.

• Official Website of the City of Dumaguete
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Statistics Authority
• "Dumaguete" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.