Sorsogon City
Encyclopedia
Sorsogon City is a 2nd class city in Sorsogon
Sorsogon
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 and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...

, Philippines. It is the capital city of the province
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...

 of Sorsogon
Sorsogon
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 and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...

 The city is located at southernmost tip province of Luzon. This city was formed by merging the Bacon and Sorsogon towns. The city serves a trans-shipment point from the Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...

 and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...

 provinces. The city is also dubbed as "Gateway to Southern Philippines". Sorsogon City is one of the region’s leading cities in urbanization, Bicol's largest city in terms of land area and one of its most populous cities as well.

History

Sorsogon City was created by virtue of Republic Act 8806 which was enacted on August 16, 2000 and ratified in December 2000.

Prominent politicians of the locality behind its creation were former Sorsogon 1st District Representative and now Senator Francis Escudero
Francis Escudero
Francis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero is a Filipino politician who has been a member of the Philippine Senate since 2007...

 and former Bacon Municipal Mayor Leovic R. Dioneda. Former Bacon Vice-Mayor Aurelio Destacamento, joined by former Sorsogon councilors Antonio C. Detera, Azel Diesta and Telo Mella fought before the two local legislative chambers, for the approval of appropriation ordinances providing budget for the holding of its plebiscite.

Prior to its ratification, a petition to declare RA 8806 null and void was filed by lawyer Atty. Gil Gojol. Because Bacon municipality was enjoined as one of the respondents in said petition, a young practicing lawyer from Buenavista, Bacon District, in the name of Atty. Glenn Olbes, defended its constitutionality. The legal battle for its constitutionality was upheld later on by a majority decision of the Sorsoguenos who desire for the development of the newly created local government unit.

Opponents for its ratification were incumbent Governor Raul R. Lee and his wife, Sally A. Lee who became its first contested City Mayor.

According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 151,454 people spread across 64 barangays.

Economy

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.

It host most of the banks around the province like Landbank of the Philippines, Metrobank
Metrobank
Metrobank can refer to:*Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company , a Philippine bank*MetroBank, the subsidiary of MetroCorp Bancshares, an American bank based in Houston, Texas* Metro Bank , a British retail bank established in 2010...

, Allied Bank
Allied Bank
Allied Bank, formally known as Allied Banking Corporation, is one of the largest banks in the Philippines, ranking tenth in terms of assets...

, Bank of the Philippine Islands
Bank of the Philippine Islands
Bank of the Philippine Islands is the oldest bank in the Philippines still in operation and is the country's third largest bank in terms of assets, the country's largest bank in terms of market capitalization, and the country's most profitable bank...

, Development Bank of the Philippines
Development Bank of the Philippines
The Development Bank of the Philippines , commonly known by its initials, DBP, is a state-owned development bank in Makati, Philippines.It is the seventh-largest bank in the Philippines in terms of assets, and is the second-largest...

, United Coconut Planters Bank
United Coconut Planters Bank
The United Coconut Planters Bank, more popularly known by its initials, UCPB, or by its old name, Cocobank, is one of the largest banks in the Philippines, ranking within the top twenty banks in the Philippines in terms of assets. The bank, owing to its name, caters heavily to coconut farmers, but...

, Chinabank
Chinabank
China Banking Corporation , known publicly as China Bank is Philippines' fourth largest universal bank by market capitalization. Established in 1920, it is the first privately-owned commercial bank in the Philippines. It is likewise the first bank in Southeast Asia to process deposit accounts...

, Philippine National Bank
Philippine National Bank
The Philippine National Bank is one of the largest banks in the Philippines, ranking fourth in terms of assets...

, Camalig Bank, BDO UniBank, Postal Bank, Producers Bank and Green Bank Inc.

Demographics

  • 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
  • Population Growth Rate – 2.15% (1995–2000)
  • Voting Age Population – 58,235
  • Projected Population on 2012 – 173,878

Infrastructure

The proposed Sorsogon Business and Leisure Park is a 20 hectare reclamation area linking the 3-hectare Pinaculan Island to the Sorsogon Pier in Sorsogon Bay
Sorsogon Bay
Sorsogon Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island, Philippines, at . It costs cover Pilar, Casiguran, Sorsogon City, Castilla and Magallanes....

, forming part of the expansion area of the Sorsogon City's central business district. The area shall have a rock causeway and seawall, complete with wide and well-paved roads, underground electrical and telephone systems and water supply. Low, medium and high density zones shall be identified for business establishments, plants and factories, including a central park.

This is located in Barangay Bucal-Bucalan along the national highway, about 15–20 minutes away by car from the center of the City. Already in place is a small rest area for travelers, complete with a mini-park and a small canteen with a view deck. The proposed development of the area involves the construction of a seafood trading and rest facility, complete with seafood stalls, bayside restaurants and cafes, and adequate parking space. The food stalls and restaurants will specialize in fresh blue crabs which Sorsogon is known for. Customers can have their pick of crabs and other seafood from the stalls and have them cooked at the adjacent restaurants or open air grill shops.

Television/Radio Stations

  • PBN Bicol: Channel 11
  • DZSC-TV
    DZSC-TV
    DZSC-TV is a commercial television station owned by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. Its studio and transmitter facilities are located at Brgy. Buenavista, Sorsogon City.-ABS-CBN TV 7 Programs:...

     ABS-CBN : Channel 7
  • Aemillianum TV
    DWAI-TV
    DWAI-TV channel 7, is a television station of GMA Network in Naga City, Camarines Sur. Its studios and transmitters are located at GMA Broadcast Complex, Concepcion Pequena, Naga City, Camarines Sur . It covers the whole Naga City and nearby towns.-Current Locally-aired Programs:- Various TV...

    : Channel 5
  • ABC (TV5
    TV5
    TV5 may refer to the following television enterprises, networks and stations:*Associated Broadcasting Company, television network in the Philippines, founded in 1960, which identifies itself as "TV5"...

    ): Channel 11
  • ACQ-KBN: Channel 31


AM Stations
  • DZMS – 1251 Sorsogon (Media kan Sorsogon)
  • DZZH – 1287 Sorsogon (Manila Broadcasting Company)
  • DZRS – 1263 Sorsogon

FM Stations
  • DZGN – 102.3 Spirit FM Sorsogon
    Catholic Media Network
    Catholic Media Network, also known as CMN, is a Catholic radio network in the Philippines.-History:CMN was previously known as Philippine Federation of Catholic Broadcasters...

  • DWSN – 91.9 Sorsogon
  • DWOL – 103.9 Padaba
  • DWLH – 101.5 The Wave

Education

Elementary:
  • All barangays are served by public elementary schools (some private elementary schools are located in poblacion)
  • School Year 2002–2003 enrollment was 23,823
  • Number of schools – 72
  • Sorsogon East Central School (SECS) – founded in 1917 during the early American occupation – formerly known as Burabod Elementary School.
  • Sorsogon Pilot Elementary School (SPES)

Secondary:
  • 11 private, 9 public high schools
  • School Year 2002–2003 enrollment was 11,570
  • Sorsogon National High School

Here is the list of tertiary schools in the city:
  • AMA Computer Learning Center
  • Sorsogon State College
    Sorsogon State College
    The Sorsogon State College one of the oldest trade schools in the Philippines. It was established as Sorsogon Tradeschool in 1907, was renamed Sorsogon School of Arts and Trades by virtue of RA 704 in June 1953 and again renamed Sorsogon College of Arts and Trades in 1976...

  • Bicol Merchant Marine College
  • Computer Communication Development Institute – the pilot college of the Ladderized Education Program in the province of Sorsogon
  • Annunciation College of Sorsogon
  • Our Lady of Penafrancia Major Seminary
  • Saint Louise de Marillac College of Sorsogon (formerly Colegio de la Milagrosa)
  • Saint Peter & Paul Technical Institute
  • Sorsogon College of Criminology,Inc
  • Sorsogon Community College School of Midwifery
  • The Lewis College
  • Aemilianum Institute
  • Sorsogon Chiang Kai Shek School

  • WRI Computer College, Inc.
  • Asian College of Science and Technology (ACSAT)-Sorsogon Campus

Places of interest

  • Bucalbucalan Spring – Natural cold spring located in Brgy. Bucalbucalan, a coastal barangay near Pepita Park and Rest Area.

  • Tolongapo Beach – located in Bacon district

  • Danao Lake – this is located in Bacon District, near Brgy. San Juan. However, it's also accessible by foot from the side of Brgy. Guinlajon.
  • Paroja Hill and Grotto – across Pepita Park
  • Pepita Park and Rest Area – traveler's area, approx. 10 km north of city proper
  • Sorsogon Bay Walk (also known as Rempeolas)
  • Beaches of Bacon
  • Sorsogon Provincial Capitol and Rizal Park – located in city proper. The provincial capitol dated back during the American occupation.
  • Sorsogon Provincial Museum and Heritage Center – located in the old Sorsogon Provincial Hospital. It has 3 galleries, with a library, containing large collection of old Mr & Ms magazines.
  • Rimpulas

Public Safety

  • 88 PNP personnel
  • 20 traffic aides and barangay traffic aides
  • Minimum 8 inmates a month
  • 19 firefighters
  • 2 fire trucks and equipments
  • 2 Fil-Chi fire trucks and 20 fire volunteers
  • Disaster preparedness – CDCC, BDCC, Sorsogon Emergency Rescue Team

People From Sorsogon City

  • Asisclo Jimenez – Great Zarzuelista
  • Eddie Garcia
    Eddie García
    Eddie Garcia popularly known as Manoy is a Filipino film actor and film director.- Biography :...

    – Film actor and director
  • Eugenia Apostol (sister of former Sorsogon Mayor Duran) – one of the founders of Philippine Daily Inquirer
    Philippine Daily Inquirer
    The Philippine Daily Inquirer, popularly known as the Inquirer, is the most widely read broadsheet newspaper in the Philippines, with a daily circulation of 260,000 copies. It is one of the Philippines' newspapers of record...

  • Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero
    Francis Escudero
    Francis Joseph "Chiz" Guevara Escudero is a Filipino politician who has been a member of the Philippine Senate since 2007...

    – former congressman, and now senator of the 15th Congress
  • Harry Reed – Thomasite assigned in Brgy. Guingalon (now Guinlajon)
  • Jorge Barlin – First Filipino and Bikolano Bishop and was assigned parish priest and Vicar Forane of Sorsogon from 1887 to 1906
  • Loida Nicolas-Lewis
    Loida Nicolas-Lewis
    Loida Nicolas Lewis is a Filipino-born, New York-based industrialist, philanthropist, civic leader, motivational speaker, author, and lawyer.- Business interests :...

    – Born and raised in Sorsogon
    Sorsogon
    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 and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...

    . Lewis is the Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of TLC Beatrice, LLC, the Lewis Family investment firm and is also Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice (China), Limited, a Cayman company which operates retail convenience stores in five major cities in China and TLC Beatrice Foods (Philippines) which operates a fresh meat processing plant.
  • Mary Walter
    Mary Walter
    Mary Walter was a Filipino actress whose 8 decade-long film acting career saw her transformation from a romantic lead in the silent film era into a wizened fixture in horror movies in the late 1980s and early 1990s...

    – actress, whose career spanned through several decades. She was born in Bacon.
  • Sally Lee (Bibincahan, Sorsogon City) – first Mayor of the city of Sorsogon and former Governor of the province of Sorsogon

  • Gerry Barba aka DJ BAZURA is born and raised in Bibincahan Sorsogon- amateur philosopher and independent short video specialist.He was the official announcer in the first ever Sorsogon extreme games competition specifically in the skim board category.

  • Salvador Escudero Sr. – former Provincial Governor of Sorsogon and was a guerilla leader during the Japanese occupation. He was fondly called Gurang (old man in Bikol) by the local folks. Sorsogon's PNP Provincial Office along Magsaysay St., Sorsogon City, is named after him.

  • Salvador Escudero III – Former Minister of Ministry of Agriculture during the time of late President Marcos. He is also the father of Senator Chiz Escudero. Finally, he's the incumbent Congressman for the 1st district of province of Sorsogon.
  • Vicente L. Peralta – late congressman of Sorsogon City. A hospital in Castilla was named after him.

External links


Sister cities

 
 
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