Naga:  The Heart of Bicol

By Apolinario Villalobos

Two hundred years before the first shot of the American Revolution was fired in Lexington and Concord, Naga was already a Christian city as Ciudad de Caceres. It was a Spanish city founded in 1575 by Captain Pedro de Chavez, the commander of the garrison, whom the great Spanish conquistador, Juan de Salcedo left behind two years after the conquest.

The city was built across the river from the “native” community which was already thriving when Salcedo came who named the place “Naga” because of the abundance of narra, an indigenous hardwood. Later on, the Filipino “Rancheria” as the other side of the river was called then, and the Spanish city were merged when both came under the jurisdiction of the parish of San Francisco, one of the first to be established in the entire region in 1518, when the “Kabikolan” became the exclusive mission of the Franciscans. To distinguish it from the original city of Caceres in Spain which was the hometown of its incumbent governor at the time, Francisco Sande, it was referred to as the “Nueva Caceres”.

Some local historians aver that “Naga” came from a Malayan term “naga” that refers to dragon or serpent which even the ancient settlers of Pampanga and Tagalos  use as a decorative figurehead on the prow of their boats. For the Islamic Filipinos, the “naga” refers to the undulating design that go with “okir” in their architecture and artworks found in brass and wood sculptures.

On August 14, 1595, Naga was made as the seat of a new diocese in the Philippines (Ecclesia de Caceres in Indis Orientalibus), and thus, was made the religious center, not only of the Bicol region but also of a territory that included parts of the southern Tagalog area and the eastern coast of Luzon extending to as far as Palanan in Isabela. Its being the religious  heart of the region was further enhanced when Our Lady of Peῆafrancia became the patroness.

Naga lost its city status during the American regime. It became officially known as Naga in 1919. In 1948, however, it became a city once more, through the effort of Rep. Juan Q. Miranda. By then, it had long become a true heart of Bicol…the center of the region’s cultural, religious, educational, and government activities.

Naga is peopled by Bicolanos – hardy, proud, hardworking and adventurous. Their sense of adventurism brought some of them to as far as Cagayan Valley in the north and the Cotabato area in the south. They rival the Cebuanos in their penchant for music. They also have the best hand and taste as regards spicy and coconut milk-based culinary.

It is said that the real Bicol dialect is what those of Naga are using. This is the result of the frequent use of the dialect in Mass and religious literature during the Spanish era. The dialect is a fusion of Tagalog, Spanish, Waray and a sprinkling of Bisaya.

Aside from being the site of the popular Peῆafrancia festival celebrated for ten days starting on the second Friday of September, the city also boasts of old churches whose antiquity is compared to other old churches around the country. The baroque and sturdily built 400-year old Metropolitan Cathedral easily catches the attention of visitors because of is distinct architecture. During the Peῆafrancia festival, it becomes the temporary shrine of the image of the Lady to accommodate thousands of pilgrims, who cannot be possibly accommodated in the small shrine of the image, the Peῆafrancia Basilica Minore. Worth mentioning, too, is the San Francisco church in the heart of the city. It was built after the old one (built in 1578) was destroyed in 1915. It was once the center of activities of the Franciscan missionaries. It was here where the last governor of Ambos, Camarines province, surrendered to the Filipino troops in 1898. A massive circular structure made of bricks and which was once a vital part of the destroyed church stands as a remnant of what should have been a beautiful church of the city.

Naga is the prime city of Camarines Sur. It is also the jump-off point for interesting around the province, such Mt. Isarog, at the foot of which is Lake Buhi, particularly located at Cabatuan. Lake Buhi is the home of “sinarapan” (Mistichtys Luzonensis), the world’s smallest edible fish which measures approximately between 6 to 8 millimeters. A resort is located at Lake Buhi. Visitors should take time to visit  Itbog Twin Falls  and Malabsay Falls.

Other important landmarks of the city are the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary Museum where one can find artifacts such as burial jars, antique chinese porcelains, rare stones and ritual stuffs, antique religious objects and images; Peῆafrancia Museum, repository of religious objects related to the Marian devotion; the University of Nueva Caceres Museum, one of the oldest museums outside Manila; the Bicol Science and Technology Centrum, a science museum established in 1993 with the aid of the Department of Science and Technology; Metro Naga Sports Complex in Barangay Pacol with its Olympic-sized swimming pools, tennis courts and a track oval; and the Naga City Coliseum, the “Big Dome of the South”.

Nature trippers who are taking flights from Manila, use Naga as their jump off point for Caramoan and Donsol. Caramoan is the habitat of a giant lizard that caught the interest of researchers from other countries during the ‘70s, while Donsol is famous for butanding sightings.

The airport of Naga is located at Pili, and from Manila, it is between 35 to 40 minutes away. By land, it is 7 to 8 hours from Manila, via Quirino and Andaya highways or 10 hours via Maharlika highway.