Valencia, Negros Oriental
Encyclopedia
Valencia is a first class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines
. It is located 9.4 kilometre west of Dumaguete
, the largest city and capital of the province. According to the national 2000 census, Valencia has a population of 24,365 people in 4,860 households. Valencia has a land area of about 15,000 hectares, 35% of which are classified as plains. The municipality was voted as "the greenest and cleanest" town of Negros Oriental in 2007.
The mayor of Valencia is Enrique Gonzalez, elected in 2010.
. The fiesta is an official non-working holiday for the town.
The economy of Valencia is largely based on agriculture
. Major products include abaca, copra, corn, flowers, vegetables, root crops, and exotic fruits such as lanzones and rambutan.
The municipality is also the site of a geothermal
power station
operated by the National Power Corporation
. It generates electricity that is supplies the needs of Negros, Panay
, and part of Cebu
. The municipal government receives royalties from the power station which are used to subsidize electricity costs of local residents. Each household receives a monthly rebate of P800 on their electricity bill.
Valencia, specifically, has a 20-megawatt Palinpinon 2 Geothermal Optimization Project in Sitio Nasuji, Barangay Puhagan, 35 kilometers from Dumaguete City
. The P 1.74-billion geothermal optimization (expansion) project, funded the Development Bank of the Philippines
(DBP) is part of the Philippine National Oil Company's (PNOC) 192-MW Southern Negros Geothermal Production Field that supplies the power needs of 8 provinces in Negros, Panay, Guimaras
and Cebu Islands. Valencia's 192-MW Palinpinon I and II geothermal field ranks 4th in installed capacity nationwide. The Palinpinon field contributed $457.8 million in 2004 foreign exchange savings for 2004, and also generated $ 267 million savings from January to July, 2008.
Because Palinpinon is such a big source of geothermal
energy, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
said it received P 250 million in royalties
, applied for livelihood, education, related projects, and also for the 50% subsidy on Valencia electric bills consumers.
Many residents also work in the nearby city of Dumaguete.
Cebuano is the common vernacular in Valencia. English is widely spoken.
Valencia eco-tourism incorporates the idea of sustainable development. It promotes - community development through tourism and environmental protection; environmental education and protection; community-based resource management; community development; preparation of the community in the management and utilization of their natural resources. The region is also the most critical watershed area of Negros Oriental. It provides abundant water to Valencia and its neighboring municipalities.
Eco-tourism sites include:
Valencia occupies an area of approximately 150 km², located 9.4 kilometre west of the provincial capital, Dumaguete. The town is 65% mountainous, with elevation ranging from 200 to 500 meters above sea level. The climate in the municipality is relatively cool, especially in areas of high elevation.
The town is politically subdivided into 24 barangay
s.
, Spain
.
In 1920 it was renamed Luzuriaga in behalf of Don Carlos Luzuriaga, a delegate from Negros island to the Philippine Legislature who promised town officials he would work hard to help improve the town. The town was renamed Valencia in 1948, by virtue of Republic Act No. 252.
In 2007, its Municipal Police Station (under the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) headed by Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe) was adjudged the “Municipal Police Station of 2007” in the best unit awards category, and the best town police station in the Central Visayas
(General order no. 110 dated January 22, 2008).
.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is located 9.4 kilometre west of Dumaguete
Dumaguete City
The City of Dumaguete is a city in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental. It is the capital, principal seaport, and largest city of the province. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 133,470 people. A person from Dumaguete is called a "Dumagueteño"...
, the largest city and capital of the province. According to the national 2000 census, Valencia has a population of 24,365 people in 4,860 households. Valencia has a land area of about 15,000 hectares, 35% of which are classified as plains. The municipality was voted as "the greenest and cleanest" town of Negros Oriental in 2007.
The mayor of Valencia is Enrique Gonzalez, elected in 2010.
People and culture
Our Lady of the Abandoned is the patroness of Valencia, and her feast day is celebrated annually every October 12 with the town fiestaFiesta patronal
The Fiestas patronales are yearly celebrations held in countries influenced by Spanish culture.A fiesta patronal is usually dedicated to a saint or virgin, who is the patron of whichever city holds the fiesta. Usually, town members adorn the town streets with colorful decorations and other things...
. The fiesta is an official non-working holiday for the town.
Economy
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Major products include abaca, copra, corn, flowers, vegetables, root crops, and exotic fruits such as lanzones and rambutan.
The municipality is also the site of a geothermal
Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
operated by the National Power Corporation
National Power Corporation
The National Power Corporation , also known as the NPC or Napocor, is a state-owned company that serves as the largest provider and generator of electricity in the Philippines...
. It generates electricity that is supplies the needs of Negros, Panay
Panay
Panay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
, and part of Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
. The municipal government receives royalties from the power station which are used to subsidize electricity costs of local residents. Each household receives a monthly rebate of P800 on their electricity bill.
Valencia, specifically, has a 20-megawatt Palinpinon 2 Geothermal Optimization Project in Sitio Nasuji, Barangay Puhagan, 35 kilometers from Dumaguete City
Dumaguete City
The City of Dumaguete is a city in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental. It is the capital, principal seaport, and largest city of the province. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 133,470 people. A person from Dumaguete is called a "Dumagueteño"...
. The P 1.74-billion geothermal optimization (expansion) project, funded the 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...
(DBP) is part of the Philippine National Oil Company's (PNOC) 192-MW Southern Negros Geothermal Production Field that supplies the power needs of 8 provinces in Negros, Panay, Guimaras
Guimaras
Guimaras is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Among the smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The island is located in the Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros...
and Cebu Islands. Valencia's 192-MW Palinpinon I and II geothermal field ranks 4th in installed capacity nationwide. The Palinpinon field contributed $457.8 million in 2004 foreign exchange savings for 2004, and also generated $ 267 million savings from January to July, 2008.
Because Palinpinon is such a big source of geothermal
Geothermal
Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to:* The geothermal gradient and associated heat flows from within the Earth- Renewable technology :...
energy, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
said it received P 250 million in royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
, applied for livelihood, education, related projects, and also for the 50% subsidy on Valencia electric bills consumers.
Many residents also work in the nearby city of Dumaguete.
Climate, culture and eco-tourism
Valencia is generally hilly and has a cool climate.Cebuano is the common vernacular in Valencia. English is widely spoken.
Valencia eco-tourism incorporates the idea of sustainable development. It promotes - community development through tourism and environmental protection; environmental education and protection; community-based resource management; community development; preparation of the community in the management and utilization of their natural resources. The region is also the most critical watershed area of Negros Oriental. It provides abundant water to Valencia and its neighboring municipalities.
Eco-tourism sites include:
- Casaroro Waterfalls - as the province’s most photographed body of water, it is relatively enclosed by lush greenery and natural rock formations. The falls' cool water gushes down to a swimming hole.
- Forest Camp - was first opened in 1990, as a 6,000 square meter property, today its 2.2 hectares of land is a vast camping ground, with 2 large nipa hut houses, 4 cottages, a tree house, a 250-people capacity conference/reception hall, a backpacker’s den and a dormitory that can hold up to 20 students.
- The Spanish Fountain - a relicRelicIn religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
of the town’s colorful historical past at the heart of the municipal plaza, has a unique sunken design, and was once the town’s major source of water supply (invented by an Augustinian friar to channel water from an upland spring). - Cata-al War Memorabilia - a private collection by an 84 year old World War II survivor Porforio Cata-al, at his residence cum museum. It includes bombs, grenades, Japanese and American bills, coins, medals, charred pieces of an authentic military uniform, and a Japanese soldier mummyMummyA mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
- Filipino-American-Japanese Amity Shrine - on a hilltop, this is a 3-sided pillarColumnA column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
representing the 3 countries (Philippines, America and Japan), unveiled in 1977. - Banica Swimming Lagoon - known as Tejeros resort, it has 2 man made pools fed by Banica River.
- Malabo /Pulangbato Falls - is swimming and diving hole with many reddish rocks.
- Mt. TalinisMount TalinisMount Talinis, also known as the Cuernos de Negros , is a complex volcano in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental. At about above sea level, it is the second highest mountain on Negros Island after Mt. Kanla-on...
a 1903 meter peak in the Cuernos de Negros. It has many volcanic lakes, breathtaking views and remarkable biodiversity.
Geography
The town is politically subdivided into 24 barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
|
|
History
Valencia was originally named Ermita, which means "a secluded place", due to its being a refuge from marauding Muslim pirates. In 1856 it was renamed to Nueva Valencia by Spanish colonizers, in honor of its parish priest Fr. Matias Villamayor from ValenciaValencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In 1920 it was renamed Luzuriaga in behalf of Don Carlos Luzuriaga, a delegate from Negros island to the Philippine Legislature who promised town officials he would work hard to help improve the town. The town was renamed Valencia in 1948, by virtue of Republic Act No. 252.
In 2007, its Municipal Police Station (under the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) headed by Senior Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe) was adjudged the “Municipal Police Station of 2007” in the best unit awards category, and the best town police station in the Central Visayas
Central Visayas
Central Visayas, designated as Region VII, is a region of the Philippines located in the central part of the Visayas island group. It consists of four provinces—Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor— and the highly urbanized cities of Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City....
(General order no. 110 dated January 22, 2008).
Mayors
- Mariano Imbo (Captain)
- Gerardo Imbo (1916 - 1919)
- Eustaquio Vincoy (1919 - 1927)
- Guillermo Albina (1928 - 1931)
- Quiterio Marino (1931 - 1939)
- Jose Villamil (1940 - 1946)
- Rodolfo Gonzalez, Sr. (1946 - 1967)
- Elpidio Unto (1968 - 1971)
- Rodolfo Gonzalez, Sr. (1972 - 1980)
- Saludario Sonjaco (1981 - 1986)
- Victor Naces (1986 - 1987)
- Jose Villamil (OIC) (1987 - 1988)
- Edgar Teves (1988 - 1998)
- Humberto Sy (1998 - 2001)
- Rodolfo Gonzalez, Jr. (2001 – 2010)
- Enrique Gonzalez (2010 - present)
Filipino-Japanese Amity Memorial Shrine
The Filipino-Japanese Amity Memorial Shrine is located in Valencia, Negros Oriental. It stands at the foot of Mount Talinis and marks the spot where the combined Filipino & American troops including the Negrosanon guerrilla units was fought the Japanese Imperial Army toward the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.