Monday, October 09, 2017

ORMOC CITY

Back to Main Page

Ormoc City Hall

HISTORY OF ORMOC CITY



The City of Ormoc, the center of commerce and industry on the western part of Leyte, is the first non-provincial capital city of the Philippines. It is a showcase of progress and modernity even as its history is a saga of sacrifices, toils and privations of its founders.
Before the Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, reached Leyte in 1521, a handful of Malayan families lived in a small settlement called “OGMOK”, an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. “OGMOK” was also the name of a spring located between the present barangays of Donghol and Mahayag. The name ORMOC, evidently, is the variation of the original name and came into use with the coming of the Spanish Conquistadores and the migration of people from the neighboring towns and islands to settle in its fertile plains.
The primitive Malayans had some well-developed trade and commerce with the Chinese, Javanese and Indonesians who frequented the islands in their junks, vintas and sailboats. Pigafetta, the Spanish historian, mention “OGMOK” in his chronicles as one place in Leyte where Magellan touched in search of food and water in March 1521. On July 16, 1595, Father Chirino and the other Jesuit missionaries arrived in Leyte. In May 1597, Fathers Alonso Rodriguez and Leonardo Scelsi founded the mission of Ormoc. This date marked the conversion of the Ogmokanons to Christianity.
Ormoc, being a seacoast village, was always raided and constantly harassed by Moro pirates every now and then. Privacy and brigandage were fought by the Malayans of Ogmok, Baybay and Palompon (mother town of Ogmok). These towns established a “grapevine” communication system, “runners”, from the watch towers built to inform and warn the inhabitants of the presence of Moro vintas sighted far out to sea.
Early in 1634, Raja Bugsu, ruler of Sulu, captured 300 natives from Ormoc after a successful attack in Camarines. To protect the people, the Jesuit Juan del Carpio constructed fortifications, which were attacked by the Maguindanaus before its completion. On December 3, 1634, the notorious pirate Katsil Kunalat (Kudarat) invaded Ogmok fresh from his invasion, pillage and plunder of the towns of Sogod, Kabalian, Kanamokan (now Inopacan) and Baybay. Fifty brave Ogmokanons fought the invaders furiously but were annihilated by sheer superiority of arms and number of the enemy. The defenders were massacred up to the last man inside the fort that defended the town and Carpio was killed.
In 1788, the Augustinians took over the missions in Leyte after the Jesuits were expelled. On February 26, 1834, Ormoc was separated from her mother town Palompon and created into a separate and distinct municipality. The following month, March 1834, saw the formal inauguration of the Ormoc Catholic Parish with Rev. Fr. Bibiano Luciano as first curate. The line of chief executives of the Ormoc civil government is equally impressive. Immediately after the creation of Ormoc as a municipio in 1834, one Sofronio Cabiling was appointed Capitan to head the gobierno municipal. His successor capitanes were Gregorio Sacay, Epifanio Ortiz, Agaton Aparis, Inocentes Eamiguel, Rosendo Daffon, Fernando Bañez, Nicolas Torres, Mateo Solidor and Leon Aviles.
During the Philippine revolution, Leyte became involved only several months after its outbreak in August 1896. The Revolutionary Government represented by General Vicente Lukban took possession of Leyte.
Shortly after the Americans defeated the Spaniards and later the Filipinos, a civil government was established in Leyte in April 22, 1901. However, an Ormocanon by the name of Faustino Ablen organized the pulahanes movement, a resistance group, which was eventually defeated by the American forces; but the heroism of Faustino Ablen became the symbol of the Ormocanons courage and bravery.
With the establishment of the American controlled civil government following the termination of the Spanish-American War at the turn of the century, Ormoc’s town executives assumed the title of Municipal President with Dr. Fernando Calderon acting as the first and last appointed official to this post. Atty. Victorio Laurente was the last elected Municipal President. During the first term of Atty. Victorio Laurente, the Commonwealth Government came into existence on November 15, 1935. The town executive sported the title Alcalde Municipal or Municipal Mayor. Under this category the following mayors served the Municipality of Ormoc: Victorio Laurente, second term, 1938-1941; Catalino Hermosilla, 1941-1943 (replaced on the third year of his term by the Japanese Government appointing in his place Jose Codilla, 1943- 1944). The Resistance Government appointed Potenciano Larrazabal, 1944-1945 ratified amd confirmed later by the American Liberation Army.
When World War II broke out, Japanese Imperial forces occupied the province of Leyte on May 25, 1942. Consequently, resistance units were organized; among them was the Western Leyte Welfare Forces. On November 6, 1944, the decisive and historic battle of Ormoc “Corridor”, a three-pronged attack by the combined forces of the Americans and Filipinos encircled and placed the Yamashita Line completely under control. The American 77th Division landed at Deposito, about 3 miles south of Ormoc, on the 77th of December; captured Camp Downer on the 9th; and entered Ormoc the next day despite enemy opposition.
Ormoc became a city through Republic Act No. 179 fathered by Congressman Dominador Tan, which was approved on June 21, 1947. The late first President of the Philippines Republic Manuel A. Roxas proclaimed Ormoc City a City on September 4, 1947. By virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 42, Ormoc was formally inaugurated as a city on October 20, 1947, exactly three years after the famous Leyte Landing.
From a small town of dirt roads and a few asphalt streets of the 1950s, Ormoc has metamorphosed into an expanding jungle of concrete and infrastructures. Wide concrete roads and bridges, well-equipped government and private hospitals and clinics, airport facilities, banking and financing institutions, commercial and trade establishments, housing projects, factories and industrial plants, all are eloquent evidences of modern development and progress thrusts.
Prominent mayors who were instrumental in directing Ormoc City on the road to progress from the ravages of war during this period were the late Mayor Marcelo Bandalan, the first appointed mayor of the City of Ormoc. Then, Esteban Conejos Sr., the last appointed mayor (1957-1959) and the first elected mayor (1959-1963), followed by Iñaki A. Larrazabal Sr. who was appointed as mayor on 1948-1949 and 1953-1954; elected as mayor from 1967-1971 and re-elected 1971-1984.
A flashflood on November 5, 1991 brought death, destruction of crops and damage in properties. The severity of the damage was found to be due to massive deforestation/rapid forest denudation. In response, the government and the private sector embarked on a concerted effort directed towards full-scale reforestation of the denuded areas. Mayor Eufrocino M. Codilla Sr. (elected 1992-1995, re-elected 1995-1998 and 1998-2001) leads the drive towards the reconstruction of Ormoc City after this calamity. Under his term, reconstruction of infrastructure support facilities, reforestation projects, construction of resettlement facilities, drainage system, water system, lighting system and provision for social services for Ormoc’s constituents were undertaken. In addition he was instrumental in the construction of the Ormoc Superdome and the establishment of shopping malls in the city. Through his effort, Ormoc with the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) implemented a Flood Mitigation Project that addresses the threat of flooding of the city center during typhoons and heavy downpour.
Ormoc is now fast becoming the hub of development in the region. With its strategic geographical location in which it serves as a gateway to the Eastern Visayas, more economic activities have taken place evident in the rapid growth of business establishments, financial institutions and infrastructures. Although fast development was largely attributed to the activities spawned by the PNOC (now Energy Development Corporation, EDC) Geothermal Power production project in Tongonan, many attest the development is necessary to accommodate the rising number of people and businesses in the area.

Today, Ormoc City is a picture of steady progress and stability. With its continuous modernization program, more investors are coming into the city, which contributed to it being adjudged as the 2005 Most Business-Friendly City in the Visayas by the prestigious Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. And though the city has embarked on modernization, it has also keep attuned its environmental protection programs as evident in being a consistent Cleanest and Greenest City awardee in Region VIII and one of the Cleanest and Greenest City in the country. This prestigious award is a leading tribute to visualize Ormoc as a “beauty by the bay”, a wonderful place to visit whether for business of pleasure.

Ormoc City Government

Back to Main Page

Sunday, October 08, 2017

Naga city - Cebu

 Naga City, is a component city in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2015 census it has a population of 115,750. In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 63,755 registered voters. 

The city of Naga lies within the Cebu metropolitan area. 

This City is often confused by visitors coming primarily from Luzon and other parts of the country not near to Central Visayas with the city of Naga in Camarines Sur. 

History
Even before the coming of the Spanish colonial government, Naga, which was then a flourishing village off the riverbanks of the storied Naga River, was already a thriving community. As pointed in the book of Prof. Danilo M. Gerona, a local historian, Naga was then a premier village with a comparatively sophisticated weaponry and surprisingly advanced technology. The name “Naga” derived its origin from the narra trees, which were then in abundance. Thus, in 1573, when the Spanish Troops arrived led by Capt. Juan de Salcedo, the colonizers were amazed to find a community with a fairly well advanced culture. In 1574, Captain Pedro de Chaves founded Ciudad de Nueva Caceres in honor of Don Francisco de Sande, then governor of the province and native of the City of Caceres in Spain. Naga, the premier native village and then a Spanish pueblo, formed part of the Spanish colonial city. Nueva Caceres remained the capital of Ambos Camarines provinces and later of the Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent component city of Naga under the Philippine Republic. Naga’s birth as a chartered city formally took place on December 15, 1948 by virtue of Republic Act No. 305. Rep. Juan Q. Miranda sponsored this legislative act which put flesh into the city’s bid to become among the only few independent component cities in the country.

CIUDAD NIN NAGA has been for hundred of years a center of trade, education and culture, and the seat of governmental and ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

In 1573, on his second expedition to this region, the great conquestador, Juan de Salcedo, discovered here a flourishing Bikol Village called Naga, because it is said, of an abundance of Narra (naga in Bikol) trees about the place. In 1575 (200 years before the start of the American Revolution), Capt. Pedro de Chavez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on the site of the present business center (across the river from the original Naga) a Spanish city which he named Ciudad de Caceres, in honor of Francisco de Sande, the governor general and a native of the city of Caceres 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 Caceres (together with those of Cebu and Nueva Segobia) and made it the seat of the new bishopric.

In time, Spanish city and native village merged into one community and became popularly known as Nueva Caceres, obviously 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 the17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines.

With the advent of the American rule, it was reduced to a municipality. In 1919, it lost its Spanish name, when, by law, it became officially known as Naga. It acquired its present city charter in 1948, and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year.

The bishops of Caceres occupied a unique place in the Philippine Catholic hierarchy during most of the Spanish regime. By virtue of the papal brief of Gregory XIII, ecclesiastical cases originating in the Spanish 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 Manila were subject to review by the bishop of Caceres whose jurisdiction then extended to the province of Tayabas. 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 Caceres and archbishop 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 Gainza, then concurrently bishop of Caceres, sat in the special ecclesiastical tribunal which passed upon the civil authorities' petition to divert Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora of their priestly dignity. Gainza did not only refuse the petition but also urged their pardon.

Situated at the center of the Bikol peninsula and surrounded on all sides by rich agricultural, forest and fishing areas, Naga is also at the confluence of the Naga and Bikol Rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade, and as center for schools and church and government offices.

In downtown Naga, just opposite Naga's tallest structure, the Holiday Hotel, you will see a park situated between Peñafrancia Ave. and Elias Angeles Street, and right in the middle of it the lofty monument to Bikol's Quince Martires. Actually, Bikol's martyrs of freedom number in the thousands but these fifteen have been specially singled out as symbols of the rest because on January 4, 1897, just five days after Dr. Rizal was executed, eleven of them were likewise shot at Bagumbayan field in Manila. The others died for country in exile or in prison.They were avenged, however, at the Peñafrancia Fiesta, September 18, 1898 for corporals Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo convinced their fellow members of the guardia civil not to allow the same fate to befall them as had befallen the Daet patriots. So on the night of the fiesta they attacked the Spanish officers' quarters, routed them and then did battle with the rest of the Spanish community who had established themselves in the convento of the historic San Francisco Church (just opposite the Quince Martires monuments, its old bell tower can still be seen). When word of this startling defeat reached Partido, Legazpi, Sorsogon and Catanduanes, all Spanish forces and governmental men withdraw to Iloilo. Sad to say, in January 1900, the American imperialistic forces invaded Camarines Sur and headed for Naga. However, Naga resident General Ludovico Arejola, organized a large guerilla army and fought the Americans at Agdangan, Baao. Afterwards he set up a camp in the mountains of Minalabac and held out for a full year and two and two months more, until rampant sickness forced the surrender of himself and his men in a formal ceremony in Naga on March 31, 1901. In late December 1941, Naga was again put under another foreign power, Japan, but once again on May 1 and 2, 1942; the combined guerilla forces of the province smashed their way into Naga. Their main purpose in doing so was to liberate the 30 American prisoners in the provincial jail. At the risk of their own lives and those of their relatives and neighbors not only freed, but also sheltered their former colonizers in the mountain. On April 9, 1945, a large number of Major Juan Q. Miranda's guerillas again attacked the Japanese forces in Naga. American planes also heavily bombed the city. The American army arrived finally on April 27. Naga became a chartered city in 1948. On the first decade of 1700's the first chapel to the Virgin Mary of Peñafrancia was constructed just above the city and along the banks of Naga River that is the avenue upon which the image is triumphantly borne from downtown Naga on the afternoon of Peñafrancia Saturday. This devotion is an authentic regional fiesta and the population of the city more than doubles on those days as pilgrims come from all over the six Bicol provinces as well as many from Manila and other distant places to share in this great religious experience and festival.Three (3) of the most venerable institutions and structures in Naga are clustered together along the upper part of Elias Angeles Street. They are the Cathedral that begun in the year 1816, the Holy Rosary Seminary and the Colegio de Sta. Isabel. Founded in 1793 as both a college and a seminary, The Holy Rosary Seminary is one of the oldest schools in the republic. It educated literally thousands of the sons of all the leading families from as far north as Mauban, Quezon, and as far south as Leyte. In 1925, the laymen’s department was separated from the seminary and became the Camarines Sur Catholic Academy, which in turn, in 1940 became the Ateneo de Naga. Naga Parochial School took over the training of the elementary boys in 1948.

In 1868, the first normal school for women in the entire Orient was established in Naga as the Colegio de Sta. Isabel. Each parish in Bikol was required to send at least one pensionada to study there that they might be trained to run the parochial school in their own home place. The colegio’s present day population of more than 5,000 shows the appreciation of the Bikol people for its century of work for Bikol youth.The University of Nueva Caceres, adjacent to Naga’s Centro, is the first university in southern Luzon. Over 9,000 students are being trained “non scholae ser vitae” in its halls. Students come from as far south as Zamboanga to attend its law, engineering, commerce, liberal arts courses. Its Bicol Museum is the best in the entire Peninsula.

Naga has a multitude of other fine schools: Naga College Foundation, Camarines Sur National High School, Bicol College of Arts and Trade, Naga City Science High School, St. Joseph School, Hope Christian School, Philippine Union College and many energetic business and fashion academies.

Cityhood
During the 11th Congress (1998–2001), Congress enacted into law 33 bills converting 33 municipalities into cities. However, Congress did not act on a further 24 bills converting 24 other municipalities into cities.
During the 12th Congress (2001–2004), Congress enacted into law Republic Act No. 9009 (RA 9009), which took effect on 30 June 2001. RA 9009 amended Section 450 of the Local Government Code by increasing the annual income requirement for conversion of a municipality into a city from ₱20 million to ₱100 million. The rationale for the amendment was to restrain, in the words of Senator Aquilino Pimentel, "the mad rush" of municipalities to convert into cities solely to secure a larger share in the Internal Revenue Allotment despite the fact that they are incapable of fiscal independence.
After RA 9009 went into effect, the House of Representatives of the 12th Congress adopted Joint Resolution No. 29, which sought to exempt from the ₱100 million income requirement in RA 9009 the 24 municipalities whose cityhood bills were not approved in the 11th Congress. However, the 12th Congress ended without the Senate having approved Joint Resolution No. 29.
During the 13th Congress (2004–2007), the House of Representatives re-adopted former Joint Resolution No. 29 as Joint Resolution No. 1 and forwarded it to the Senate for approval. However, the Senate again failed to approve the Joint Resolution. Following the suggestion of Senator Aquilino Pimentel (Senate President), 16 municipalities filed, through their respective sponsors, individual cityhood bills. The 16 cityhood bills each contained a common provision exempting it from the ₱100 million income requirement of RA 9009 –
"Exemption from Republic Act No. 9009. — The City of x x x shall be exempted from the income requirement prescribed under Republic Act No. 9009."
On 22 December 2006, the House of Representatives approved the cityhood bills. The Senate also approved the cityhood bills in February 2007, except that of Naga, Cebu which was passed on 7 June 2007. These cityhood bills lapsed into law on various dates from March to July 2007 after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed to sign them.
Cityhood was ratified in a plebiscite on 2 September 2007. The point of law at issue in 2007 was whether there had been a breach of Section 10, Article X of the 1987 Constitution, which provides –
No province, city, municipality, or barangay shall be created, divided, merged, abolished or its boundary substantially altered, except in accordance with the criteria established in the local government code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected.
– and in each case the established criteria were far from met.
In November 2008, Naga and 15 other cities lost their cityhood after the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines, and declared unconstitutional the cityhood law (RA 9491) which had allowed the town to acquire its city status. The Supreme Court ruled that they did not pass the requirements for cityhood.
On 10 December 2008, the 16 cities affected acting together filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court. More than a year later, on 22 December 2009, acting on said appeal, the Court reversed its earlier ruling as it ruled that "at the end of the day, the passage of the amendatory law" (regarding the criteria for cityhood as set by Congress) "is no different from the enactment of a law, i.e., the cityhood laws specifically exempting a particular political subdivision from the criteria earlier mentioned. Congress, in enacting the exempting law/s, effectively decreased the already codified indicators. Accordingly cityhood status was restored.
But on 27 August 2010, the 16 cities lost their city status again, after the Supreme Court voted 7-6, with two justices not taking part, to reinstate the 2008 decision declaring as "unconstitutional" the Republic Acts that converted the 16 municipalities into cities. A previous law required towns aspiring to become cities to earn at least ₱100 million annually, which none of the 16 did.
On 15 February 2011, the Supreme Court made another volte-face and upheld for the third time the cityhood of 16 towns in the Philippines.
Finally, on 12 April 2011, the Supreme Court, in an en banc ruling delivered in Baguio City, affirmed the finality of the constitutionality of the 16 cityhood laws by resolving that:
We should not ever lose sight of the fact that the 16 cities covered by the Cityhood Laws not only had conversion bills pending during the 11th Congress, but have also complied with the requirements of the LGC prescribed prior to its amendment by R.A. No. 9009. Congress undeniably gave these cities all the considerations that justice and fair play demanded. Hence, this Court should do no less by stamping its imprimatur to the clear and unmistakable legislative intent and by duly recognizing the certain collective wisdom of Congress. WHEREFORE, the Ad Cautelam Motion for Reconsideration (of the Decision dated 15 February 2011) is denied with finality.
On 28 June 2011 the Supreme Court directed the Clerk of Court to issue the entry of judgment on the cityhood case of 16 municipalities.

Saturday, October 07, 2017

Himamaylan city

Back to Main Page


 Himamaylan City, is a 3rd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 106,880 people.

This component city located is 83 kilometres (52 mi) south of Bacolod City, the provincial capital. Due to its coastal location, it is a rich source of different types of seafood, mainly fish, oysters, mussels and shrimps. The city celebrates the Himaya-an Festival every April 14-25.

Himamaylan became a city on March 5, 2001, through a proclamation by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo under Republic Act No. 9028. It is the only city in the 5th District of Negros Occidental.


The term "Himamaylan" is a portmanteau of the two Hiligaynon words hima and babaylan. It is alleged that the settlement's early Malay inhabitants suffered from a foot malady called hima, and their employment of witch doctors called babaylan caused the Spanish occupiers to call them Himamaylan.

Geography

Himamaylan is located at the center-most cove on the coastline of Negros Island. Himamaylan has a natural harbor characterized by deep waters favorable to access by marine vessels.

Located in the center of the island, the city is conducive to operations reaching all parts of the country and the rest of Southeast Asia from a strategic point. Most portions of the city are plains and generally have fertile soil, conducive for agriculture. The city's rivers are 12 feet (3.7 m) or deeper, providing drainage for farmland.

History

In 1795, Himamaylan became the capital of Negros.[6] At that time, the city served as a garrison for occupying Spanish forces. Today, the old Spanish-built fort constructed as a lookout point for frequent Muslim raids is one of the historical attractions found in the city. In the middle part of 1565, the Spaniards came and subjugated Himamaylan. They introduced Encomienda System by which a piece of land including its products and other resources, and its inhabitants were granted to members of the conquering force as their puppets. The first Spanish priest, constructed a makeshift church and gathered the native which they later called “Himaya”, a thanksgiving for driving the “Hima” away. Himaya was also a place for spiritual paradise to the Babaylan. They later called “Himaya” as Himamaya-an or Himamaylan, but because of the tongue twisting sound of its syllables which the priest find difficulty in pronouncing, they changed the word to Himamaylan to suit their diction. The name Himamaylan was adopted officially when the place was founded into a township or pueblo. Thus, the town got its name both from historical and dialectical origin.

Himamaylan was founded in the 18th century. Although there was no definite record found, it became the second capital of Negros Island from 1795-1849; first being Municipality of Ilog. The town’s historical landmark, the Spanish Kota (Fortress) was the seat of the Old Spanish Government. It was also the place where many natives were cured of their sickness and consequently converted to Christianity.

Himamaylan’s historical records showed that in 1565 when the Spaniards came, there spur a quantum jump in the people’s religious life. From a pagan life, fresh arterial blood pumped into the multiplying discipline. In a span of only a few years after Spanish Colonization, embracing the Catholic Faith, the dame dramatic transformation continued to happen that even intellectuals of today is mystified in their own findings and misbelief that they were naturally drawn to the faith.

On November 4, 1898, the revolutionary forces in Himamaylan received orders from Gen. Juan Araneta to dislodge the Spanish Soldiers stationed in the town on November 5, and the rest of the towns in Negros. Due to lack of weapons they were not able to carry out the order and it was only on 8 November 1898 when the Deputy Commander for Southern Negros in the person of Gen. Rafael Ramos showed the Spanish Corporal a copy of the Act of Capitulation, that the Spanish Soldiers surrendered, thus, making Himamaylan as the last town to have been liberated from the Spanish Government.

When the Americans came on December 28, 1898, they easily capitulated the island of Negros from the Spanish Colonizers, thereby establishing the American Rule in the whole island.

In the year 1942, after the fall of Bataan and Corregidor to the Japanese forces, three days after Negros Occidental also fall, thus, the Japanese Military Government was established in the whole province. The guerrilla resistance fighters and local soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army military units was encounter siege around the municipality of Himamaylan was attacking Japanese soldiers from 1942 to 1945 until the retreating guerrillas by the Japanese. On 1945, Filipino and American soldiers aiding recognized guerrillas liberated the municipality of Himamaylan and defeating Japanese forces and ended in World War II.

In year 1998 brought good luck and hope to all Himamaylanon as he successfully steer the Municipality into becoming a first City in the 5th district with the approval (98%)of the people in a plebiscite held 31 March 2001. On the 5 March 2001 at 10:00 A.M., the Republic Act No. 9028, “An Act Converting the Municipality of Himamaylan, Province of Negros Occidental into a component City of Himamaylan”, was signed in a ceremony at the Heroes Hall of Malacañang Palace.

The city's main sources of livelihood include fishery, sugarcane farming and sugar production, rice farming, mango cultivation and ethanol exports.