SORSOGON
Sorsogon occupies the southernmost tip of the Bicol Region. The province is virtually enclosed by water except at the northern portion adjoining Albay. Sorsogon Bay nearly cuts the province in half, leaving a narrow offshoot of land where the municipality of Sorsogon, the capital of the province, is situated. San Bernardino Strait, which links the Pacific Ocean to Ticlao and Burias pass, separates Sorsogon from the island of Samar. Albay province lies to the north. The open Pacific Ocean lies east of the province while the narrow Ticao Pass in the west separates it from Ticao Island. The San Bernardino Strait lies southeast. The land is generally hilly with plains along the rivers and the coast. Rain falls throughout the year but is heaviest in September and October.
With its present land area of 2,141.4 square kilometers or 0.71 percent of the total land area of the country, Sorsogon, classified as a third class province, has sixteen municipalities broken into 541 barangays. All of its municipalities except Irosin are located along its coastline.
Bicolano is the mother tongue used in the province.
Topographical and hydrological features
Hills, plains, valleys, and mountains characterize the terrain of Sorsogon. These plains and mountains are not only enchanting, but are also good hunting grounds. The province has six major elevations, the highest of which is Mt. Bulusan, a semi-active volcano located in the municipality of Bulusan. Lakes, springs, beach resorts and waterfalls can be found also in the province.
A big boom to the province is the Manila South Road, a portion of the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, which runs from Sto. Tomas town in Batangas to Matnog in Sorsogon, a distance of 600 kilometers. The road provides an all-weather link between Manila and Bicol and runs through some of the most beautiful countryside's of Southern Luzon.
People, Culture and the Arts
The people of Sorsogon are Bicolanos and generally speak the Bicol language. However, close proximity to the Visayan island of Samar has given the dialects spoken in the province a peculiarly Visayan tone and vocabulary, which probably indicates a mixture of the Waray and Bicol languages. Most Sorsogon Bicols can speak English and Filipino fluently.Sorsogon’s people are mostly farmers and fishermen engaged in the cultivation of coconut, abaca and rice. The seas around the province sustain subsistence fishing. The province reputedly produces the best abaca hemp in the entire region, a matter of great importance in a province that supports a number of abaca based industries. Sinamay cloth weaving and abaca fiber slippers are chief household industries.
The Sorsogueños, as do all Bicolano peoples, celebrate Ibalon, the old name of Bicol and the earliest settlement visited by the Spaniards, in epic form. The tale speaks of a time when great men called Lipod from a mythic place called Botavara settled in Ibalon. Led by Handiong, a warrior hero who slew the monsters that plagued the land of Ibalon. Handiong was instrumental in introducing laws, the culture of rice and the making of the boat. Under his reign, the boat rudder and sail, the plow, bolo, weaving, pottery and writing were introduced. Thus, under the mythical reign of Handiong, all of the necessities of Bicolano culture were introduced. Handiong was still alive when the last great monster, Rabot, was slain by a younger warrior hero named Bantong and thus ended the legendary period of Ibalon’s tale. The epic, though incredible, gives evidence of a long period of settlement of Sorsogon and the rest of Bicol.
Trade and Investments
Sorsogon is set to participate in the developing growth corridor of Bicol and take advantage of its position as Luzon’s link to the Visayas. The fertile earth produces rice, coconuts, abaca, and coffee. The hills and mountains are also sources of limestone, coal, pumice, pumicite, and white clay. Sorsogon’s location on the tail of the southern Luzon and skirting the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean gives the province a bounty of aquamarine resources. The province also has an abundance of technically skilled, highly trainable labor force.
The province is easily accessed from other points in Luzon through the Maharlika Highway System, and buses plying the Manila-Tacloban or Manila-Davao route carry commuters all the way up to Matnog and are ferried across to Allen in Northern Samar. A network of secondary roads links the other municipalities together. There are two airstrips in Sorsogon although nearby Legaspi City Airport is the usual air link to the province. There are 3 major ports and 6 municipal ports that provide sea borne access to the province. Matnog is a major link between Luzon and Samar Islands, while the port in Bulan moves cargo and passengers between Sorsogon and Masbate. Reliable telecommunications link the province to the rest of the country and to the world. The province is a major source of geothermal power to the Luzon Grid and is amply supplied with electricity while local water districts supply water for domestic and industrial use. Nineteen private and government banks provide the province with a vibrant banking industry.
Resource-based industries are the most promising prospects for potential investors. Gifts and handicraft manufacture, food processing, brickmaking and pottery, seaweed production and fiber processing are the most encouraging industries in the province. The province also holds a big potential for tourist development. Natural wonders, such as Mount Bulusan and Bulusan Lake, and Rizal Beach have traditionally attracted visitors to the province. However, the province also offers pristine beaches, cold and hot springs, isolated island getaways, caves and waterfalls. Droves of tourists are now pouring into the province attracted by the gentle whale sharks or the butandings that feed off the coast of Donsol. The local government is promoting the development of tourist facilities in destinations such as Pinaculan Island, the Bulusan National Park, the Rizal Beach Tourism Estate, and, of course, the Donsol Whale Shark Watching area.
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