The Bicol Region is located in southern Luzon island and is bounded by water on three sides. It was originally called Ibalon and was first mentioned in Spanish documents in the 1500s. The Spanish influence came through Augustinian and Franciscan missionaries who established some of the oldest churches. The region is composed of six provinces and several cities, with Legazpi and Naga being the major urban centers. Bicolanos speak various Bikol languages and celebrate Catholic fiestas. Agriculture, fishing, and coconut farming are important economic activities. Popular foods include Bicol Express, laing, and dishes made with pili nuts.

1. REGION V:
Bicol Region

2. GEOGRAPHY
 The Bicol Region is located in the
southernmost tip of Luzon Island, the
largest island in the Philippine
archipelago. The region is bounded
by Lamon Bay to the north, Pacific
Ocean to the east, and Sibuyan
Sea and Ragay Gulf to the west. The
northernmost province, Camarines
Norte, is bordered to the north by the
province of Quezon, connecting the
region to the rest of Luzon.

3. Pre-History
 The Bicol region was known as Ibalon,
variously interpreted to derive form ibalio,
"to bring to the other side"; ibalon, "people
from the other side" or "people who are
hospitable and give visitors gifts to bring
home"; or as a corruption of Gibal-ong, a
sitio of Magallanes, Sorsogon where the
Spaniards first landed in 1567 . The Bicol
River was first mentioned in Spanish
Documents in 1572. The region was also
called "Los Camarines" after the huts
found by the Spaniards in Camalig, Albay.

4. Spanish Occupation
 The Spanish influence in Bicol resulted
mainly from the efforts of Augustinian
and Franciscan Spanish missionaries.
The first churches in Bicol, the San
Francisco Church, and the Naga
Cathedral, both in Naga City , along with
the Holy Cross Parish in Nabua,
Camarines Sur are instituted by the Holy
Order of the Franciscans. of the oldest
dioceses in the Philippines, the
Archdiocese of Caceres, was also

5. Political Division
 The region is composed of six provinces,
namely, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines
Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
It has one independent component city, Naga
City, and six component cities - Iriga,
Legazpi, Ligao, Masbate City, Sorsogon City,
and Tabaco. Masbate City and Sorsogon City
are cities within their namesake provinces.
The regional centers are Legazpi, the political
and administrative center; and Naga City, the
cultural and religious center. Together with
Sorsogon City, they are the leading cities in
the region in terms of urbanization and the
hub of the economic activity.

7. Language
 The people of the Bicol region, called Bicolanos,
speak any of the several languages of the Bikol
macrolanguage, also called Bikolano, an
Austronesian language closely related to other
Central Philippine languages such as Cebuano
and Tagalog. Bicol languages include the Inland
Bikol of Bikol-Rinconada (Rinconada area),
Bikol-Albay (Buhi, Cam. Sur; Libon, Oas,
Daraga, Albay and Donsol, Sorsogon), Bikol-
Pandan (Northern Catanduanes). Standard
Bikol is based from the coastal Bikol language of
the dialect of Legazpi City and is understood
widely throughout the region even though they

8. Religion
 Fiestas (Feast day of saints) are annual
celebrations of parishes, from a simple barrio
fiesta honoring a patron associated for good
harvest, to a town fiesta honoring a
miraculous saint, or a regional one such as
the Our Lady of Peñafrancia Fiesta, a week-
long celebration to honor the Virgin Mary,
dubbed as the "Queen Patroness of
Bicolandia". It is widely acknowledged that in
Luzon, it is Bicol Region that holds the most
number of men entering the seminary for
Catholic priesthood, or women entering the
religious life to become Catholic nuns.

9. Economy
 Bicol Region has a large amount of rich
flat land, and agriculture is the largest
component of the economy with close to
50% depending their livelihood on the
industry. Coconuts, abaca, banana, coffee
and jackfruit are the top five permanent
crops in the region. Rice and maize are
among the chief seasonal crops of the
region. Commercial fishing is also
important with thirteen major fishing
grounds supplying fish markets in places

10. Tourism
 The region has recently seen a revival in
its tourism industry, due to the popularity
of Mayon Volcano, the new CamSur
Water Sports Complex, whale shark
spotting, among others, which
consequently increased the number of
upscale resorts in the region.

12. Foods
Bicol Express is a dish which was
named after a passenger train from
Manila to Bicol. Bicol express is made
up of pork cooked in coconut milk and
spiced with lots and lots of red hot chili.

13. Foods
 There is also a Bicolano recipe for
vegetarians: the very popular
laing. Laing is made from local “gabi”
or taro leaves. The leaves is
simmered in coconut cream and then
served with siling labuyo or chili
pepper.

14. Foods
 With pili being endemic to the Bicol
region, Bicolanos have found different
uses of the pili nut. The easiest to
cook pili dish is the tinolang pili. In this
dish, the nuts are soaked in boiling
water until the covering is soft.

15. Thank You for
Listening!!! 
Prepared by: Edison Vi Sacramento