Pamplona, Negros Oriental

Originally the place was called “Tampa”, named after a big shady tree located at the heart of the town. The naming of the place into Pamplona has two versions:

• According to professor Timoteo Oracion, a historian of Silliman University, Pamplona was named after the town in Spain called Pamplona. According to his version, the first Spanish priest who was assigned to the place was amazed by the beautiful terrain which resembles to that of Pamplona, Spain. So that Tampa was renamed into Pamplona.
• Other history told by the old people of the place is that the place was called after a certain priest named Fr. Santiago Pamplona, the first Spanish Curate assigned in area.

Pamplona, then a barrio of Tanjay, was created into a municipality by virtue of Republic Act No. 535 enacted on June 16, 1950.^[6] The law was authored by Pedro Bandoquillio, elected congressman in 1947. Since its creation, it has been administered by six municipal mayors. They were the late Juan Cañaveral, Sergio Aniñon, and late Apolinario P. Arnaiz, Sr., who managed to hold the reign for more than 22 years. After the EDSA Revolution in 1986, Douglas T. Diago was appointed as Officer In Charge, ran and won in the 1987 election and took the reign for twelve years, managing to complete his three term of mayorship from 1986 to 1998.

The late Wenceslao E. Duran, the undefeated politician, took hold of the administration for a brief period, after winning the 1998 election. He died of cardiac arrest while delivering his address during training in the municipality on December 18, 1999. Atty. Ricarte R. Valencia, who was then the vice mayor took office up to June 30, 2001. He ran for the post and lost in the election. Winning in the three elections in 2001. 2004 and 2007, the young, and energetic Apolinario P. Arnaiz, Jr. now reigns in his three terms of office. In the May 2010 election, the brother of Apolinario P. Arnais, Jr., Apollo P. Arnaiz who won the election and reigns in his two terms of office. In the May 2016 election, Janice Vallega Degamo won as the first lady mayor of the municipality.

On March 4, 2023, politician Roel Degamo, who was then serving as Negros Oriental governor, was fatally shot along with eight others by unidentified gunmen at his residence while he was distributing aid to beneficiaries of a conditional cash transfer program.

Pamplona is located 37 kilometres (23 mi) north-west of the provincial capital of Dumaguete, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) west from Tanjay, and 44 kilometres (27 mi) from Santa Catalina.

Tanjay bounds it on the north, on the east by Amlan and Tanjay, on the south by Sibulan and on the west by Santa Catalina.

Pamplona is politically subdivided into 16 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Poverty incidence of Pamplona

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]}

Agriculture continues to be the main economic activity in Pamplona as it played an important role in the development of the town. The main crops raised in the place are sugar, coconuts and bananas. Other crops such as corn, rice and other root crops grows in areas where accessibility to farm to market roads is rare. Coconut is the largest crops raised accumulating 3,676 hectares, followed by sugar 3,432 hectares and corn, 1,022 hectares. Only 107 hectares are irrigated rice land while 643 hectares are upland rice. Of the total agriculture areas of the municipality, 11,395 is strategic areas for development of Agro-industrial crops, 1,925 hectares for food crops while 925 for High Value Crops. Other agri-related economic activities which greatly helped in the increase of farmer's income is livestock raising. Record shows that livestock raised includes large cattle, swine, chicken, goats and many others. Other information on agricultural support facilities are shown in the following presentation.

There are 243 food establishments operating in the municipality, 218 or 90% which have sanitary permits. There are 10 sand and gravel companies operating in the municipality, six copra buyers and five hog buyers.

Another potential area which attracts visitors, is the sulfuric waterfalls known as The Palaypay Falls. Its water source is nestled by the mountains of Sibulan. The place is accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles and motorcycles, being connected by rough roads. It is located 12 kilometers from the Poblacion and can be reached within 30-min drive or 2-hour walk from the Poblacion.

Mountain ridges overlooking the plains of Pamplona, can be an object for viewers of scenic beauties. Nabalabag ridge, located at an elevation of 800 m above sea level at barangay San Isidro, overlooks on the west at municipalities of Bayawan and Santa Catalina and in the east, with the town of Pamplona, Tanjay and Manjuyod and the city of Bais.

Pasalubong delicacies processed in the municipality include Glazed Banana and Carmelitos. The famous Bodbod is also processed in the area.

The municipality launched the Kasulad Festival on October 1–12, 2005. This is a yearly festival which will include street dancing and agricultural and industrial fair.

Every October 12 of the year, the town marks the celebration of Yamog Festival.^[22] Through Presidential Proclamation 690, October 12, 2024 was declared a special non-working day for the celebration of the Yamog Festival.^[23]

The municipality has a total of 23 established primary and elementary schools. Each of the sixteen barangays composing the municipality has at least one primary school.

Performance indicator for the School year 2004-2005 revealed that the literacy rate is 80%, Cohort Survival rate is 40.89%, drop out rate is 2.32%, and participation rate is 85.97. This mean that out of the total children enrolled in schools 2.32% drop out or stop during the school year and of the total school age population, 85.97% are in schools.

DepEd is undertaking various educational programs. Among which is the Third Elementary Education Program (TEEP) for School buildings, improvement and Innovation facilities. To the moment five buildings were improved and repaired.

The Fifth Country Program for Children (CPC V) has identified another two pilot barangays for its child program. Day care Children, Grades I and II of barangays Magsusunog and Inawasan had availed the program. They were provided with vitamin supplements, plastic chairs and other materials to meet the child-friendly-school standards. Barangay Health Centres on the other hand had received equipment and facilities in the delivery of health services.

The public schools in the town of Pamplona are administered by two school districts under the Schools Division of Tanjay City.

The Negros Oriental State University Main Campus College of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has an extension campus in Pamplona. In 2008, Paidos Learning Center (now Paidos Learning And Nurturing Academe+, Incorporated) was established for early childhood ages. As a private institution, PLAN A+ has been an active partner in community development for Education and Care (EDUCARE). Paidos complements the EDUCARE services of children in DSWD Daycare centers and the Kindergartners in DepEd schools.