Albay

This article is about the Philippine province. For other uses, seeAlbay (disambiguation).

Albay(IPA:[ɐlˈbaɪ]), officially theProvince of Albay(Central Bikol:Probinsya kan Albay;Tagalog:Lalawigan ng Albay;ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is aprovincein theBicol Regionof thePhilippines,mostly on the southeastern part of the island ofLuzon.Its capital (and largest city) is the city ofLegazpi,the regional center of the wholeBicol Region,which is located in the southern foothill ofMayon Volcano.

Albay
Province
From top, left to right:Mayon Volcano,Daraga ChurchinDaraga,Tabaco ChurchinTabaco,SM City Legazpi,Old Albay District
Flag Seal
Nicknames: Home of the Majestic Mayon Volcano
Anthem: "Albay Forever"
Location in the Philippines
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates:13°14′N123°38′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Founded	April 3, 1574
Capital and largest city	Legazpi
Government
•Governor	Edcel Greco Lagman(Powers & Duties suspended) (PFP) Baby Glenda O. Bongao (Liberal)
•Vice Governor	Rey Bragais (Liberal)
•Legislature	Albay Provincial Board
Area
• Total	2,575.77 km2(994.51 sq mi)
• Rank	52nd out of 82
Highest elevation (Mount Mayon)	2,463 m (8,081 ft)
Population (2020 census)
• Total	1,374,768
• Rank	21st out of 81
• Density	530/km2(1,400/sq mi)
• Rank	12th out of 81
Demonym	Albayano
Divisions
•Independent cities	0
•Component cities	3 Legazpi Ligao Tabaco
•Municipalities	15 Bacacay Camalig Daraga Guinobatan Jovellar Libon Malilipot Malinao Manito Oas Pio Duran Polangui Rapu-Rapu Santo Domingo Tiwi
•Barangays	720
•Districts	Legislative districts of Albay
Time zone	UTC+8(PST)
IDD : area code	+63 (0)52
ISO 3166 code	PH-ALB
Spoken languages	Central Bikol Tagalog English
Website	albay.gov.ph

The province was added to theUNESCOWorld Network of Biosphere Reservesin March 2016.

History

Early history

Long before the Spaniards arrived, Albay had a thriving civilization. Formerly calledIbat,and thenLibog,Albay was once ruled by Gat Ibal, an old chief who also founded the oldbarangayof Sawangan, now part of theCity of Legazpi.HistorianWilliam Henry Scottwrote that in the local epic calledsidayentitled "Bingi of Lawan", an Albay datu by the name of Dumaraog went to Lawan (present-dayLaoang,Northern Samar) to ask for the hands of Bingi bringing with him 100 ships. Datu Iberein came from the settlement of Lawan. He was described by Scott as a “Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains.”

Spanish colonial era

In July 1569,Luis Enriquez de Guzman,a member of the expedition led byMaestro de CampoMateo de Saz and CaptainMartin de Goiti,led a group that crossed fromBuriasandTicao islandsand landed on a coastal settlement calledIbalonin what is now the province ofSorsogon.From this point, another expedition was sent to explore the interior and founded the town ofCamalig.

In 1573,Juan de Salcedopenetrated theBicol Peninsulafrom the north as far south asLibon,establishing the settlement of Santiago de Libon. Jose Maria Peñaranda, a military engineer, was made “corregidor”of the province on May 14, 1834. He constructed public buildings and built roads and bridges.

The entire Bicol peninsula was organized as one province with two divisions,Camarinesin the northwest andIbalonin the southeast. In 1636, the twopartidos were separated, and Ibalon became a separate province with Sorsogon as the capital. In the 17th century,Moroslave raiders from the southern Philippines ravaged the northeastern coastal areas of the province of Albay.By the end of the 1700s, Albay had 12,339 native families and 146Spanish Filipino families.

Mayon Volcano,in one of its most violent eruptions, destroyed the five towns surrounding its base on February 1, 1814. This eruption forced the town of Cagsawa to relocate to its present site,Legazpi.

Adecreewas issued byGovernor-GeneralNarciso Claveriain 1846 separatingMasbate,Ticao,andBuriasfrom Albay to form thecomandanciaof Masbate. Albay was then divided into four districts:Iraya,Cordillera orTabaco,Sorsogon, andCatanduanes.

Philippine revolution

Glicerio Delgado, a condemnedinsurecto(insurgent), started revolutionary activities in the province. With a headquarters in the mountain ofGuinobatantown, he joined therevolutionary governmentof Albay as a lieutenant in the infantry.

A unit of thePhilippine Militiawas then organized by the Spanish military authorities. Mariano Riosa was appointed major of the Tabaco Zone, which comprised all the towns along the seacoast fromAlbaytoTiwiwhile Anacieto Solano was appointed major for the Iraya Zone, which was made up of the towns fromDaragatoLibon.Each town was organized into sections of fifty men under the command of a lieutenant.

During thePhilippine Revolutionon September 22, 1898, the provisional revolutionary government of Albay was formed with Anacieto Solano as provisional president. Major GeneralVito Belarmino,the appointed military commander, reorganized theFilipino Armyin the province.

American invasion era

Following theSpanish–American War,the new colonial power theUnited Statesdid not recognize the country's independence, which had been declared in June 1898, and the Americans subsequently acquired direct control of the country as a de facto colony, under the terms of theTreaty of Paris (1898),over which the Filipinos had no say.During thePhilippine–American War,Brigadier GeneralWilliam August Kobbéheaded the expedition that landed at the ports of Sorsogon,BulanandDonsol.From there, the Americans marched to Legazpi and captured it.

Although acivil governmentwas established in Albay on April 26, 1901, ColonelHarry Hill Bandholtz,Commanding Officer of the Constabulary in the Bicol Region, said that GeneralSimeon Ola,with a thousand men, continued to defy American authority after the capture of Belarmino in 1901. Ola was later captured with about six hundred of his men.

Japanese occupation era

Following the December 12, 1941,Japanese invasion of Legazpiduring theSecond World War,the Kimura Detachment of theImperial Japanese Armyoccupied Albay Province. The region was defended only by thePhilippine Constabularyunit under the command of Major Francisco Sandico.

During the Japanese Occupation, the military general headquarters of theCommonwealth Army of the Philippinesremained active from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 5th Constabulary Regiment of thePhilippine Constabularywas established from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, and stationed in Albay. Then came the clearing operations and anti-Japanese insurgency in theBicol Peninsula,helped by the local Bicolano resistance. Some Bicolanoguerrillagroups invaded around the province of Albay during the Japanese Insurgencies between 1942 and 1944 and were supported by local Filipino troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and pre-war Philippine Constabulary 5th Infantry Regiments attacking the enemy soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army. In the aftermath of three years of siege and conflicts, many Bicolano guerrillas were forced to retreat by the Japanese around the province before liberation in 1945 by Allied forces.

Marcos dictatorship

Main article:Human rights abuses of the Marcos dictatorship

Oas,Albay, was one of the localities particularly harmed by theDictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos;in the waning days of the dictatorship, Oas was hit by a series ofpolitical killingstargeting those who dared to speak out against the abuses of the Military and against Ferdinand Marcos.

The most prominent of the victims was Clemente Ragragio, the municipal sanitation inspector ofLigaowho was later also assigned to Oas. Known for his effectiveness, he had been awarded the 1983 Best Sanitary Inspector for Albay.However, this led the dictatorship's local administrators suspecting him of being a rebel sympathizer, because his close relationship with locals in far-flung barangays allowed him to move around fearlessly, and because he expressed disagreements with the dictatorship's governance. A killer shot him three times in front of his house in the early evening of August 21, 1985, and the government did not investigate his murder. He was later honored by having his name inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani(lit. Monument of Heroes), which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought to restore democracy in the wake of the Marcos dictatorship.

Geography

TheMayon Volcanodominates the geography of Albay.

Albay has a total land area of 2,575.77 square kilometres (994.51 sq mi),which makes it the 53rd biggest province. The province is bordered by the provinces ofCamarines Surto the north andSorsogonto the south. To the northeast liesLagonoy Gulf,which separates the province fromCatanduanes.To the southwest of the province is theBurias Passwith the island ofBuriasofMasbateprovince located about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) offshore.

In 2016, an area of 250,000 hectares (620,000 acres) was declared aUNESCO Biosphere Reserve.The Albay Biosphere Reserve is home to 182 terrestrial plant species, of which 46 are endemic to the Philippines. Its marine waters and coastal area also provide habitat to five of the world's sevenmarine turtlespecies, as well as mangrove, seagrass and seaweed ecosystems.

Topography

The province is generally mountainous with scattered fertile plains and valleys. On the eastern part of the province is a line of volcanic mountains starting with the northernmostMalinaoin Tiwi, followed byMount Masaragaand the free-standingMayon Volcano.Separated by the Poliqui Bay is thePocdol Mountainsin the town ofManito.

ThestratovolcanoofMayonstanding at around 2,462 metres (8,077 ft), is the highest point of the province. It is the most famouslandformin Albay and in the wholeBicol Region.Thisactive volcanofalls under the jurisdiction of eight municipalities and cities of Albay:Camalig,Daraga,Guinobatan,Legazpi City,Ligao City,Malilipot,Santo Domingo,andTabaco City.

The western coast of the province is mountainous but not as prominent as the eastern range with the highest elevation at around 490 metres (1,610 ft).Among these mountains are Mount Catburawan in Ligao and Mount Pantao inOas.

Administrative divisions

Albay comprises 15municipalities/townsand threecomponent cities(Legazpi,LigaoandTabaco).

Political map of Albay

	Cityormunicipality		Population			±% p.a.	Area		Density (2020)		Barangay
			(2020)		(2015)		km2	sq mi	/km2	/sq mi
	Bacacay		5.3%	72,485	68,906	+0.97%	122.13	47.15	590	1,500	56
	Camalig		5.2%	72,042	66,904	+1.42%	130.90	50.54	550	1,400	50
	Daraga		9.7%	133,893	126,595	+1.07%	118.64	45.81	1,100	2,800	54
	Guinobatan		6.2%	85,786	82,361	+0.78%	244.43	94.37	350	910	44
	Jovellar		1.3%	17,795	17,308	+0.53%	105.40	40.70	170	440	23
	Legazpi City	†	15.2%	209,533	196,639	+1.22%	153.70	59.34	1,400	3,600	70
	Libon		5.5%	75,073	75,172	−0.03%	222.76	86.01	340	880	47
	Ligao	∗	8.6%	118,096	111,399	+1.12%	246.75	95.27	480	1,200	55
	Malilipot		3.0%	40,857	37,785	+1.50%	44.13	17.04	930	2,400	18
	Malinao		3.4%	47,395	45,301	+0.86%	107.50	41.51	440	1,100	29
	Manito		1.9%	26,162	24,707	+1.10%	107.40	41.47	240	620	15
	Oas		4.8%	66,084	67,960	−0.53%	263.61	101.78	250	650	53
	Pio Duran		3.6%	49,070	46,693	+0.95%	133.70	51.62	370	960	33
	Polangui		6.5%	89,176	88,221	+0.21%	145.30	56.10	610	1,600	44
	Rapu-Rapu		2.6%	36,151	36,920	−0.40%	155.30	59.96	230	600	34
	Santo Domingo		2.7%	37,765	34,967	+1.48%	51.22	19.78	740	1,900	23
	Tabaco City	∗	10.3%	140,961	133,868	+0.99%	117.14	45.23	1,200	3,100	47
	Tiwi		4.1%	56,444	53,120	+1.16%	105.76	40.83	530	1,400	25
	TOTAL			1,374,768	1,314,826	+0.85%	2,574.91	994.18	530	1,400	720
† Provincial capital and component city Municipality∗ Component city

Demographics

Population census of Albay

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 237,621 — 1918 323,234 +2.07% 1939 432,465 +1.40% 1948 394,694 −1.01% 1960 514,980 +2.24% 1970 673,981 +2.72% 1975 728,827 +1.58% 1980 809,177 +2.11%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 903,785 +1.11% 1995 1,005,315 +2.01% 2000 1,090,907 +1.77% 2007 1,187,185 +1.17% 2010 1,233,432 +1.40% 2015 1,314,826 +1.22% 2020 1,374,768 +0.88%
Figures before 1948 exclude areas that became part ofCatanduanes. Sources:PSA

The population of Albay in the 2020 census was 1,374,768 people,,making it the 20th most populousprovincein the country. It had a density of 530 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,400 inhabitants per square mile. Based on the 2007 census, there were 208,640 households in the province with an average size of 5.22 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99.

Religion

Prior to colonization, the region had a complex religious system that involved various deities. These deities include: Gugurang, the supreme god who dwells inside ofMount Mayonwhere he guards and protects the sacred fire that his brotherAswangwas trying to steal. Whenever people disobey his orders, wishes and commit numerous sins, he would cause Mount Mayon to burst lava as a sign of warning for people to mend their crooked ways. Ancient Bikolanos had a rite performed for him called Atang.Asuang, the evil god who always tries to steal the sacred fire of Mount Mayon from his brother, Gugurang. Addressed sometimes as Aswang, he dwells mainly inside Mount Malinao. As an evil god, he would cause the people to suffer misfortunes and commit sins.Enemy of Gugurang and a friend of Bulan the god of the Moon; Haliya, the masked goddess of the moonlight and the archenemy of Bakunawa and protector of Bulan. Her cult is composed primarily of women. There is also a ritual dance named after her as it is performed to be a countermeasure against Bakunawa.;Bulan,the god of the pale moon, he is depicted as a pubescent boy with uncommon comeliness that made savage beast and the vicious mermaids (Magindara) tame. He has deep affection towards Magindang, but plays with him by running away so that Magindang would never catch him. The reason for this is because he is shy to the man that he loves. If Magindang manages to catch Bulan, Haliya always comes to free him from Magindang's grip;Magindang,the god of the sea and all its creatures. He has deep affection to the lunar god Bulan and pursues him despite never catching him. Due to this, the Bicolanos reasoned that it is to why the waves rise to reach the Moon when seen from the distant horizon. Whenever he does catch up to Bulan, Haliya comes to rescue Bulan and free him immediately;Okot,god of forest and hunting; andBakunawa,a gigantic sea serpent deity who is often considered as the cause of eclipses, the devourer of the Sun and the Moon, and an adversary of Haliya as Bakunawa's main aim is to swallow Bulan, who Haliya swore to protect for all of eternity.

Catholicism

Nuestra Señora de la Porteria ChurchinDaraga,built in 1773

Catholicismis the predominant religion in the province, affiliated by 96.1% of the men and 95.7% of the women of Albay.Each town has its ownfiestafor theirpatronsand patronesses.

Others

Other religious denominations are theIglesia ni Cristo(INC) has 2 percent of the province, otherProtestantchurches such as theBaptist Church,Methodist,otherEvangelical Christians,Seventh-day Adventists,Mormons,Jehovah's Witnessesas well asIslam.

Languages

Albay is home to several languages and host to different native languages of Bicol Region. Out of seven Bikol languages (excluding theBisakol languages,which areBisayan languages), onlyPandan Bikolof northernCatanduanesis not used or which the origin is not from Albay. The languages in the province are very diverse which includes the languages ofAlbay Bikolgroup which comprises the languages ofWest Miraya,East Miraya,LibonandBuhinon.Of the fourAlbay Bikol languages,Buhinon is the only one not used in Albay but rather inBuhi, Camarines Sur.

Rinconada Bikolis a minority language in the province and used by people in barangays ofLibonandPolanguithat are near the boundary ofBatoandIrigainCamarines Sur.Another primary language used in the province isCentral Bikolwhich is thenative tongueof the population on the eastern coast of theBicol Peninsula.Both Albay Bikol languages and Rinconada Bikol are members ofInland Bikolgroup of languages whileCentral Bikolis a language member ofCoastal Bikol.The Tabaco - Legazpi - Sorsogon dialect of Central Bikol is spoken inLegazpi,Tabacoand neighboring municipalities on the east side of Albay, and some parts of northernSorsogon(especially inSorsogon City).

The majority of the inhabitants also understandEnglishandFilipinoas second languages.

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Albay

10 20 30 40 50 2000 18.70 2003 48.50 2006 36.43 2009 36.71 2012 40.96 2015 26.20 2018 21.17 2021 15.40 Source:Philippine Statistics Authority

Pili nuts(unshelled)

Agricultureis the main industry in Albay, which produces crops likecoconut,rice,sugarandabacá.Handicraftsare the major source of rural income and comprises a fairly large share in the small-scale industries of the province. Forestry, cement production and paper-making are other sources of livelihood. The manufacture of abacá products such asManila hemp,hats, bags, mats, furniture, home decors,and slippers is one of the main sources of income in the rural areas. Production of abaca fiber experienced a boom from the late 1800s until the American period.Fishing is the main livelihood along both shores of the province. Tourism, especially related to Mayon Volcano, also creates income for Albay. For the year 2013, Albay had a total of 339,445 foreign tourist arrivals.

In the December, 2023 Pili Fiesta, Director Marita A. Carlos ofDOST-PCAARRDintroduced technologies onpili(C. ovatum tree) production in Albay,Bicol Region.She aimed to promote pili as a flagship industry.

Government

Albay hasthreecongressional districtsencompassing its 18 municipalities and 3 component cities.

District	Representative	Cityormunicipality	District population (2020)
1stDistrict (Coastal District)	Edcel C. Lagman	Bacacay Malilipot Malinao Santo Domingo Tabaco Tiwi	395,907
2ndDistrict (Capital District)	Jose Sarte Salceda	Daraga Legazpi Manito Rapu-Rapu Camalig	477,781
3rdDistrict (Miraya District)	Fernando Cabredo	Guinobatan Jovellar Libon Ligao Oas Pio Duran Polangui	501,080

Transportation

Roads

Albay has 383.22 kilometers (238.12 mi) of national roads, mostly paved with asphalt, with 5.25 kilometers (3.26 mi) remaining unpaved.Maharlika Highway(N1/AH26) serves as the principal road connection between other provinces. Most of the province is served bysecondary national roads,assigned route numbers in the series, namelyBicol-630andBicol-640.Almost all of the cities and municipalities are connected by national roads, except forRapu-Rapu.

In order to spur development in the province, the Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 the extension ofSouth Luzon Expressway.A 420-kilometer, four lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the now under construction SLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao,Lucena CityinQuezontoMatnog,Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that they will invest the project which will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours.

Water transport

Legazpi harbour and port

Albay is the region's principal trans-shipment point with its ports: Tabaco International Port, Legazpi National Port, Pio Duran Provincial Port, and the Pantao Regional Port.

Air transport

Traveling to the province by air is served by theBicol International Airportin the municipality ofDaraga,adjacent municipality of Legazpi City. The airport is the province's gateway fromManilaandCebu Cityin the Visayas. The province was formerly served by the now defunctLegazpi Airport.

Railroads

Albay is served by the mainline of thePhilippine National Railways(PNR), and has commuter service betweenNagainCamarines Sur.Trains to Manila (Tutuban), theMayon Limited,is suspended from November 2012. Four stations serve Polangui, Ligao, Guinobatan, and Legazpi, respectively.

• 
  Aerial view of the Legazpi Grand Central Terminal
• 
  Front area of the Bicol International Airport Terminal Buildling
• 
  APNRtrain inLigao railway station

Notable people

• Crispin Beltran– Filipinolaborleader. Former member of13th Congress of the Philippineswith theAnakpawisparty-listand former chair ofKilusang Mayo Uno.
• Barbie Imperial– actress, model, and former housemate fromPinoy Big Brother: 737
• Gwen Apuli– model, singer, dancer, formerPinoy Big Brother: Otsohousemate, and member ofPinoy popgirl groupBini
• Francis Tolentino– formerMetropolitan Manila Development AuthorityChairman
• Elizabeth Oropesa– actress
• Simeon Ola– Revolutionary general
• Ramon Paje– 19thSecretary of Environment and Natural Resources
• Ramon Obusan–National Artist of the Philippinesfor Dance.
• Susan Enriquez– journalist, host
• Salvacion Lim Higgins–National Artist of the Philippinesfor Fashion Design.
• Bogs Adornado– three-timePBAMost Valuable Player (1975, 1976, and 1981), one of the PBA's25 Greatest Players of All-Time
• Merlinda Bobis– contemporary Philippine-Australian writer and academic
• Irene Cortes– former Associate Justice of theSupreme Court of the Philippines;first female Dean of theUP College of Law
• Janelle Quintana– actress; 19thAliw AwardsBest New Female Artist nominee
• Valerie Weigmann– TV host, actress;Miss World Philippines 2014
• Athena Imperial– newsfield reporter,communication researcher andMiss Philippines Earth 2011.
• Miguel White– track and field athlete; bronze medalist in the400-metre hurdlesat the1936 Summer Olympics
• Jun Lozada–electronics and communications engineerand formerchief executive officerof thePhilippine Forest Corporation
• David Nepomuceno– 1924 Olympian, first Filipino to compete in the Olympics
• Catriona Gray–Miss Universe 2018winner
• Jonalyn Viray– singer-songwriter
• Pedro Sabido– Former Senator, Former Ambassador to Spain and the Vatican, Former Albay 3rd District Representative (1922–1925, 1925–1928, 1928–1931, 1931–1934, 1935–1938, 1938–1941)
• Joey Salceda– Albay 2nd District Representative (2016–present), Former Albay Provincial Governor (2007–2016),Former Albay 3rd District Representative (1998–2001, 2001–2004, 2004–2007),Malacañang Chief of Staff(February 10, 2007 – March 29, 2007)
• Reno Lim– Former Albay 3rd District Representative (2007–2010)
• Dianne Necio–Binibining PilipinasInternational 2011,Binibining Pilipinas2010 First Runner-up, Miss Tabak 2009, Mutya ng Bicolandia
• Rodolfo Salalima– First Secretary of theDepartment of Information and Communications Technology(DICT)
• Henry Omaga-Diaz– journalist
• Thomas Franco Rodriguez– member of Pinoy pop boy bandAlamatand finalist,Pinoy Big Brother: 737teen edition
• Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri– senator (2007-2011, 2016-2022, 2022-present), 24th Senate president (2022-2024), Senate Majority Leader (2008-2010, 2018-2022); former representative ofBukidnon's3rd district(1998-2007). He traces his roots fromLibon,Albay, a birthplace of his mother Maria Victoria Ocampo Fernandez who migrated with her family to Bukidnon as a child.

See also

• Biosphere reserves of the Philippines

External links

• Media related toAlbayat Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related toAlbayatOpenStreetMap
• The dictionary definition ofAlbayat Wiktionary
• New Albay Tourism Promotion Website
• Province of Albay Official WebsiteArchivedNovember 26, 2016, at theWayback Machine