Negros Oriental

Early history

Negros, the largest island in the Visayas, is believed to have once been part of a larger landmass that was cut off by rising waters at the end of the last ice age.^[3] Among the early inhabitants of the island were the Negritos and the Austronesians, and later the Han Chinese, who are mainly merchants.^[4] They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".^[3]

Spanish colonial era

Spanish explorers on the expedition of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi first came to the island in April 1565. Legazpi dropped anchor in Bohol and sent his men to scout the island.^[4] Because of the strong currents of the Tañon Strait between Cebu and Negros, they were carried for several days and forced to land on the western side of the island. They reported seeing many dark-skinned inhabitants, and they called the island "Negros" (Negro means "black" in Spanish). The island was sparsely settled at the time, except for a few coastal settlements including Ilog and Binalbagan. In 1571, Legaspi assigned encomiendas on the island to 13 of his men.^[4] Augustinian friars began the Christianization of the island the next year. The island was administered as part of the jurisdiction of Oton until 1734 when it became a military district, and Ilog became the capital of the island. By 1818, Negros Oriental had large numbers of Spanish-Filipino families settling in it.^[5]: 359 With Amlan having 155 Spanish-Filipino families^[5] and Dumaguete having 25 Spanish-Filipino families.^[5] The capital was transferred to Himamaylan in 1795. Negros became a politico-military province in 1865 and the capital was transferred to Bacolod.

Due to its proximity to Mindanao, the southeastern coasts of Negros were in constant threat from Moro marauders looking for slaves, so watchtowers were built to protect the Christian villages. The Moro raids and Negros Oriental's distance from the Negrense capital of Bacolod, induced 13 Recollectionist priests to petition for the division of the island in July 1876.^[4] The island of Negros was then divided into the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental by a royal decree executed by Governor General Valeriano Weyler on January 1, 1890. Dumaguete was made the first and only capital of Negros Oriental. In 1892, Siquijor became a part of Negros Oriental, having previously been administered by Spain under the politico-military province of Bohol.

The Philippine Revolution reached Negros in 1898, disrupting government functions but without extreme violence and bloodshed. Revolutionary troops in the island were composed mostly of farm labourers and other prominent people of the province of Negros Oriental, who were organized and led by Don Diego de la Viña. The Spanish colonial government in Dumaguete and the rest of the island was overthrown on November 24, 1898. Later, the Negros Occidental area under the leadership of Gen. Araneta, along with the Negros Oriental area under the leadership of Don Diego de la Viña, merged to form the Cantonal Republic of Negros, a separate government from the more familiar Malolos Republic established in Luzon.^[6]

American occupation era

In 1901, the Negros Oriental province was reorganized by the United States and a civil government was established, with Demetrio Larena as governor. The American government made Siquijor a "sub-province" of Negros Oriental. Negros Oriental became a province under the American civil government on March 10, 1917, through Act 2711.^[7] In 1934, Negros Oriental became a corregimiento, a separate military district. Under the American colonial government, transportation infrastructure was developed with improvements of roads and new bridges.^[8]

Japanese occupation era

During World War II, both Negros provinces were invaded by Imperial Japanese forces, resorting many residents to flee to the inland mountains.^[9] Negros Island was liberated by combined Philippine & American troops with the local Negrense guerillas attacking the Japanese on August 6, 1945. The 7th, 73rd, 74th, and 75th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were established from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 7th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Oriental.^{[clarification needed]} They started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Negros from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial forces.^{[further explanation needed]}

Creation of Siquijor

On September 17, 1971, Siquijor became an independent province by virtue of Republic Act No. 6396.^[10]

Marcos dictatorship era

The beginning months of the 1970s had marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Negros Oriental.^[11][12] During his bid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused^[13][14] the Philippine economy to take a sudden downwards turn known as the 1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest.^{[15][16][17][18] : "43"} With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years.^[19] This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record of human rights abuses,^[20][21] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.^[22]

Dumaguete was one of the first cities in the country to learn about Marcos' declaration of martial law on September 23, 1972. Local news station DYSR was able to pick up the news from an Australian broadcast. Elsewhere in the country, media outlets such as newspapers and broadcast stations had already been shut down, but DSYR was able to make the announcement before Information Secretary Francisco Tatad did at around noon. DYSR itself would be shut down later that day.^[23] Silliman University was one of the last four universities in the Philippines to be allowed to reopen for classes, with Marcos himself complaining about instances where members of the political opposition such as Senators Jovito Salonga and Juan Liwag were invited to speak at the university.^[23]

In the mid-1980s, the crony capitalism which characterized the Marcos administration had a major effect on the island of Negros in which Dumaguete is located.^[24][25] A sugar hoarding scheme by National Sugar Trading Corporation (NASUTRA) of Roberto Benedicto backfired,^[25] resulting in the mass-firing of sugar workers in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. Worsened by the economic nosedive which had begun in 1983, it eventually became known as the 1985 Negros famine.^[25]

Contemporary

The municipality of Guihulngan became a component city by virtue of Republic Act No. 9409 which sought to convert the municipality into a city. The law was ratified on June 14, 2007. However, the cityhood status was lost twice in the years 2008 and 2010 after the LCP questioned the validity of the cityhood law. The cityhood status was reaffirmed after the court finalized its ruling on February 15, 2011 which declared the cityhood law constitutional.

On May 29, 2015, the Negros Island Region was formed when President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015.^[26] Negros Oriental was separated from the Central Visayas region and transferred to the new region along with Negros Occidental and Bacolod. However, on August 9, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte dissolved the Negros Island Region, revoking Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 through the signing of Executive Order No. 38, citing a lack of funds to fully establish the region according to Benjamin Diokno, the Secretary of Budget and Management. This returned Negros Oriental to the Central Visayas region.^[27]

In 2018, with the Duterte administration promoting federalism, the idea of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental reunified into one federal region was discussed with local provincial politicians, with some additional support from the known native Negrenses. There is also a suggestion, jointly approved by the provincial governors, that Negros Oriental along with Negros Occidental, be renamed with their pre-colonial names as "Buglas Sidlakan" and "Buglas Nakatundan" respectively, with Negros, as a federal state, be named as "Negrosanon Federated Region", due to the negative racial connotation associated with the name "Negros".^{[28][29][30][31]}

On June 13, 2024, Negros Oriental was transferred from Central Visayas to the Negros Island Region after President Bongbong Marcos signed Republic Act 12000.^[32]

Topography

The province's topography is characterized by low, grooved mountain ranges, some of which lie close to the shoreline. At the southern end of the province is Mount Talinis, also known as Cuernos de Negros ("Horns of Negros"), which is a dormant complex volcano which rises to a height of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). At the northern end of the province is the active Kanlaon Volcano, the highest peak of the island region with a height of 2,465 metres (8,087 ft). There are a few flatlands and plateaus in the interior to the southwest of the province, which includes the Tablas Plateau.^[35]

One of the landmarks of Dumaguete is the Dumaguete Bell Tower which stands next to the Saint Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral.^[36] It was once used to warn the city of impending pirate attacks.^[37]

Climate

Negros Oriental has a tropical climate. Because of the mountain range running from the north to the south, the province has two types of climatic conditions.^[38] The eastern part of the province is characterized as having a modestly distinct wet season, and a short dry season lasting from one to three months. The western half of the province is characterized by a distinct wet season and dry season.^[35]

Languages

Negros Oriental is predominantly a Cebuano-speaking province due to its close proximity to Cebu, with 72% of residents reporting it as a first language. Hiligaynon is spoken by the remaining 28% and is common in areas close to the border with Negros Occidental. Filipino and English, while seldom used as first languages, are generally understood and used for official, literary, and educational purposes. The indigenous Minagahat and Karul-an languages are spoken by the indigenous highlander peoples of Negros. The province is also said to be home of the last living remnants of the Inatá language speakers.

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion in the province with Roman Catholicism (75%) as the largest single denomination.^[45] However, there is a strong and growing presence of mainline and evangelical Protestant which forms about 9% of the province population. The Iglesia ni Cristo forms 3–5% of the total population,^[46] the Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Aglipayan Church, also known as the Philippine Independent Church, also have some presence. Adherents of Islam and Buddhism constitute a minority of the population. Some Muslim places of worship are the Imam Khomeini Islamic Center and the Bagacay Mosque, which is officially known as Masjidus Salam.^[47]

Colleges and universities

Public high schools

Within the capital city of Dumaguete

Outside Dumaguete

• Teofisto Guingona Jr. - 48th Secretary of Justice (Philippines), Senator of the Philippines, 11th Vice President of the Philippines, Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Siaton)
• Demetrio Larena Sr. – first Governor of Negros Oriental (Bais)
• Chanda Romero – Actress, TV Personality (Bais)
• Valeen Montenegro Vicente – Actress TV Personality (Bais)
• Eddie Romero – National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts (Bais)
• Jose Mari Chan – Singer, Songwriter and Businessman in the sugar industry (having roots from Bais but currently lives in Iloilo)
• Juanita Amatong – former secretary of Department of Finance (Bindoy)
• Felix Makasiar – 14th Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court (Siaton)^[66]
• Roel Degamo – former governor of Negros Oriental (Siaton)
• Chanda Romero – Philippine actress (Tanjay)
• Eddie Romero – National Artist of the Philippines for Cinema and Broadcast Arts (Tanjay)
• Jose E. Romero Muñoz – Philippine (formerly American) statesman and ambassador to the Court of St. James's
• Jose V. Romero Jr. – Philippine diplomat (Tanjay)
• Emilio Yap – Philippine Chinese businessman (Tanjay)^[67]
• Mariano Muñoz – first Spanish professor and head of the Language department at Silliman University (Tanjay)
• María Cristina Sangróniz de Vázquez Prada – Spanish-Philippine socialite (Tanjay)
• Bishop Daniel Patrick Yee Parcon – current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Talibon in Bohol (Vallehermoso)