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Bago, officially the City of Bago ( hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bago; fil, Lungsod ng Bago), is a 2nd class component city in the
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of Negros Occidental,
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 191,210 people. Located south of the provincial capital
Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...
, Bago comprises 6.63% of the population of the entire Negros Occidental, making it the third most populous city in the province. It sets a land area of 389 square kilometres, which is 5% of the entire Negros Occidental and 10% of the total land area of component cities. It is also tagged as the “Home of Historical and Natural Treasures”, owing to its contribution to the history of the province of Negros Occidental and country, and its scenery and flora and fauna making it an eco-tourism destination. It is also known as the “Boxing Capital of the Philippines” title, owing to the great names it produced in boxing. It is also home to the only three known populations of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin in the entire Philippines. The other two populations are in Guimaras and Palawan. All of which are designated as critically endangered populations.


Etymology

The community was named after a large tree called ''“bágo”'' (''
Gnetum gnemon ''Gnetum gnemon'' is a species of ''Gnetum'' native to southeast Asia and the western Pacific Ocean islands, from Mizoram and Assam in India, south and east through Indonesia and Malaysia to the Philippines, Fiji, and Hawaii in the United States ...
'') under which a native prince Mapagic died according to the writings of a Spanish historian, Diego de Povedano. Another version, however, noted that the name came from the shrub, ''bago-bago'' that grew abundantly in the riverbanks. Around the 17th and 18th Centuries, settlers from Molo, Iloilo formed a little village at the mouth of
Bago River , native_name_lang = , name_other = , name_etymology = , image = , image_size = , image_caption = , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , pushpin_m ...
, presently a rich source of sand and gravel. The village grew into a large settlement prompting its elders to pass a petition for its conversion into a town or ''pueblo'', which was granted in 1800.


History


Spanish Era

Its history has its beginning on September 6, 1571, when the Spanish Adelantado,
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disambi ...
, allotted the community to a Spaniard named Juan Gutierrez Cortes as his ''"encomienda"''. At that time, the community was still composed of small clusters of settlements along the banks of a big river which later became known as the Bago River. The ''"encomiendero"'', since then, administered to the spiritual and socio-economic needs of the natives in the settlements until June 1578; however, a year before that, this community was placed under the evangelical visitations of Father Geronimo Marin, an
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...
priest who had taken charge of the Christianization of the natives of
Binalbagan Binalbagan, officially the Municipality of Binalbagan ( hil, Banwa sang Binalbagan; tl, Bayan ng Binalbagan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71 ...
since the year 1572. Father Marin, upon his arrival in the community, celebrated the feast of
St. John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
, who would later be accepted as the patron saint of the place. Following the traditions and practices of the Spanish missionaries and historians in recording the founding of a "''pueblo''" or town that usually coincides with the feast day of a saint and since the feast day of St. John the Baptist, falls on June 24 of each year, it follows thereof that Bago was founded on June 24, 1575. History only records 1575 as the year when Bago was founded so that the exact month and day can only be deduced from such traditional practices of the
Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...
.
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
,
Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
and
Binalbagan Binalbagan, officially the Municipality of Binalbagan ( hil, Banwa sang Binalbagan; tl, Bayan ng Binalbagan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 71 ...
also predicted the dates of their founding on the same historical situations; hence, the logical conclusion is that Bago was officially founded on the month, day and year heretofore mentioned. As regards on how the town acquired its name, according to the manuscript of a Spanish historian, Diego Lope de Povedano, which is available in the library of the University of San Carlos, Cebu City, the town was named after a large tree called "''Bago''" under which, a prince by the name of Mapagic died. Another historical version is that the place got its name from a shrub called ''"bago-bago"'' which was then growing luxuriantly along the river banks.


17th century

From the year 1575 up to the close of the 16th century, no historical account was written about the community. Bago came into the historical scene again when, at early part of the 17th century, a group of settlers settled along the banks of Bago River. The arrival of these settlers merged into a sizable village capable of self- governance. In later years, the descendants of these settlers petitioned the Spanish authorities to declare their village a "pueblo" or town and to name it "Bago". Among the petitioners were Manuel Sitchon, Gregorio Varela, Paulino Torres, Jacinto Araneta, Clemente Celis, Mariano Gonzaga and Fernando Villanueva, whose forebears hailed from the town of Molo, lloilo. The said petition was finally granted by the Spanish authorities in the year 1800; thus, Bago officially attained the status of a "pueblo" or town in that same year.


19th century

Between the years 1800 and 1898, the inhabitants of Bago are among those who suffered tremendously under the Spanish tyranny, injustice and oppression. This social condition finally led to a great revolt on November 5, 1898, when on this day, General Juan Anacleto Araneta rallied his people in the struggle for freedom. This historic event was chronicled in a historical marker found in the city public plaza of Bago which bears the following inscriptions: Together with General Aniceto Lacson who led the forces in Talisay, he was able to force the capitulation of the Spanish garrison at Bacolod thus putting an end to the Spanish sovereignty in the province. Forthwith, a revolutionary government was established with General Juan A. Araneta as the Acting Governor. The Municipality of Bago, an election was held and Ramon del Castillo became the first elected municipal president who served in such capacity from the year 1898 up to the year 1900.


20th century

In April 1901, the Americans came and established a civil government in the province of Negros Occidental which completely abolished the revolutionary government of General Araneta. Bago as one of the towns that were placed under the control of the Americans; however, they allowed the municipality to be governed by
Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
officials. When the Japanese forces invaded the Philippines, the civil government of Bago was dissolved. The Japanese occupation forces tried to establish a provisional government but the local people refused to cooperate. When the joint American and Filipino forces including recognized guerrillas liberated the town on March 29, 1945, it was completely destroyed but rehabilitation work was immediately started. Bago was finally granted its cityhood on February 19, 1966, by virtue of Republic Act. No. 4382 with Manuel Y. Torres as the hold-over City Mayor until 1998. Legal limitations on the number of successive terms disqualified Mayor Manuel Y. Torres in running again as city mayor and in the 1998 local elections, his wife, Janet E. Torres run as candidate for mayor and won. Mayor Janet served Bago as city mayor for three consecutive terms. Presently, the City of Bago is under the leadership of Mayor Nicholas Yulo.


21st century

On July 27, 2018, the city of Bago was awarded at Gawad Kalasag 2018 City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management as 1st Placer under Component City Category.


Geography

Bago has a total land area of 38,941 hectares, 3,651 ha. of which belongs to Mt. Kanla-on Natural Park. It is composed of 24 barangays, 16 of which are rural and 8 are urban. Based on NSO 2000 Census, urban barangays include Abuanan, Atipuluan, Caridad, Balingasag, Don Jorge Araneta, Ma-ao, Poblacion and Taloc. Barangay Ilijan, however, with a distance of 30.50 km from the city proper is the farthest barangay. Barangay Bacong has the biggest land area with 4,827.0350 hectares while Brgy Poblacion, as the smallest, has 311.5044 hectares. The city has 1,100 has-water area and 15 km coastline. Bago is traversed by the widest river in the province, the Bago River, which starts from the northeast slope of
Kanlaon Volcano Kanlaon, also known as Mount Kanlaon and Kanlaon Volcano ( hil, Bolkang Kanglaon; ceb, Bolkang Kanglaon; fil, Bulkang Kanlaon), is an active stratovolcano and the highest mountain on the island of Negros in the Philippines, as well as the hig ...
and drains into Guimaras Strait. It has moderately sloping to rolling lands. Slopes are raging from 0 to 3% comprises 22.911.42 has. 3 to 8% comprises 5,783.92 has. 8 to 18% comprises 4, 682.22 has, 18.1 to 30% comprises 1,514.84 has, 30 to 50% steep hills and rolling comprises 1,735.18 has. and a very steep and mountainous 50% above comprises 2,313.57 has. Normally, the city is wet from May to December and dry from January to April with a temperature level of 24.40 degrees Celsius. Average rainfall recorded is 5.68 mm for 89 rainy days within a year while average humidity level is at 76.17%.


Barangays

Bago is politically subdivided into 24
barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s.


Climate


Demographics

99.6% of the residents speak Hiligaynon/Ilonggo while 0.4% speak other languages such as Kinaray-a and Cebuano. When it comes to religion, 82% are Roman Catholic, 6% are Aglipayan, 3% are Iglesia ni Cristo, 2% are Convention of the Philippines Baptist Church, and the remaining are either Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists, Evangelicals, and etc. Here are some notes regarding the city's demographic information: * First recorded population was 23,630 in 1903 * 2000 census showed that Bago has a population of 141,721 * Male Population is 72,777 (NSO 2000 Census) * Female Population is 86,944 * Urban Population is 60,557 (NSO Census) * Rural Population is 81,164 (NSO Census) * Population Density is 362 persons per km2. * Barangay Ma-ao has the biggest population of 14,916 * Barangay Bagroy has the lowest population of 1,305


Economy


Government

Ramón D. Torres was elected as Mayor of Bago in 2007, replacing Janet E. Torres, whose husband served as mayor for almost 40 years. The coliseum located in the heart of the city is named after him.


List of former chief executives

The following were the succeeding municipal presidents and mayors of Bago until the outbreak of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
on December 7, 1941: The leadership since World War II:


Notable personalities

*
Araneta family The Araneta family is a Filipino family that originated from Guipúzcoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the Basque word ''aran'' meaning "valley", with the suffix ''-eta'' meaning "abundance of", but also a loc ...
- prominent Filipino clan who consider Bago as their primary hub. *
Juan Araneta Juan Anacleto Araneta y Torres (July 13, 1852 – October 3, 1924), was a pioneer sugar farmer and revolutionary leader during the Negros Revolution. Early life Juan was born to Romualdo Araneta y Cabunsol and Agüeda Torres y Villanueva ...
- revolutionary National Hero * J Amado Araneta - business tycoon *
Rafael M. Salas Rafael Montinola Salas (August 7, 1928 – March 4, 1987) was the first head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). His tenure started at the agency's inception in 1969 and ended with his sudden death in 1987. Prior to accepting the UN ...
- United Nations Under-Secretary General, Executive Director
UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...
, National Hero * Jesus Varela - Roman Catholic Bishop *
Jorge B. Vargas Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and ...
- Wartime Head of the Philippine Government, Executive Secretary to Manuel Quezon * Mansueto Velasco, Jr. - Olympic Silver Medalist *
Roel Velasco Roel Velasco (born June 26, 1969 in Bago, Negros Occidental) is a retired boxer from the Philippines. He competed in the light flyweight (– 48 kg) division during the late 1980s, early 1990s. He represented his native countr ...
- Olympic Bronze Medalist * José Yulo - Speaker of the House, Wartime Chief Justice *
Arthur Villanueva Arthur Villanueva (born January 20, 1989) is a Filipino professional boxer. He is currently under the Bantamweight division. Early life Villanueva is the second youngest of 12 children in their family. His father died when he was 15, leaving hi ...
- pro boxer *
Rogen Ladon Rogen Ladon (born November 10, 1993) is a Filipino amateur boxer. He first took up boxing in 2007, and won medals in international tournaments such as the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships and Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games ...
– Medalist,
Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...


References


Sources

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External links

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Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

www.otopphilippines.gov.ph
*
Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Cities in Negros Occidental Populated places established in 1788 1788 establishments in the Philippines Component cities in the Philippines