Buhi, officially the Municipality of Buhi (
Buhinon: ''Banwaan nya Buhi'';
Rinconada Bikol
Rinconada Bikol or simply Rinconada, spoken in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines, is one of several languages that compose the Inland Bikol (or Southern Bicol) group of the Bikol languages, Bikol macrolanguage. It belongs to the Austr ...
: ''Banwāan ka Buhi'';
Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Buhi''), is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,306 people.
According to the
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
,
Lake Buhi is home to the world's smallest edible fish locally known as "Sinarapan".
Buhi is not just known for
Lake Buhi but it is likewise the home to the world's smallest commercial fish locally known as the ''
sinarapan'' (''Mystychtis luzonensis'').
History

The town known today as Buhi began as a small settlement by refugees fleeing the outrage of
Mayon Volcano hundreds of years ago. These people founded a permanent settlement in an area close to the lake and flourished as time passed.
The general
exodus of people fleeing and being able to escape grave calamities such as Mayon's eruption was known in local vernacular as "naka-buhi". Local lore takes this as the most probable explanation as to how the town acquired its present name – Buhi. One version of local legend attributes the town being accorded the name to the time when the first Spaniards came and asked local settlers the name of the area. The local settlers misunderstood the question as how they came to be there and so gave the response "Naka-Buhi".
There were two
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
s with whom the town directed their devotion. The first was
St. Francis of Assisi placed in the
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
made of wooden materials. Unfortunately, in 1730 the church was razed down by fire. It was, however, replaced by a stone structure built under the supervision of Rev. Fray Jose de Cerda. Another saint was installed,
St. Anthony of Padua.
The present
Buhi Church was completed in 1884. The roof was destroyed by fire and fully repaired in 1890.
On December 28, 1995, 13 people of Sitio Bogtong, Barangay Gabas were killed, three of whom were beheaded, by four gunmen inside a house, with survivors numbering at least seven.
The massacre arose due to disputes over a 24-hectare farm land previously owned by the assassinated Cristito Nieva Jr. and his wife Ester; two of the victims, Estelito Campo and Alex Gaite, were petitioners in an agrarian case that had the Nieva couple as respondents.
A witness pointed to brothers Toto and Rogelio "Crisboy" Clyde and two of their relatives as being the perpetrators of the crime.
Geography

Buhi is located in the south-eastern part of the province of
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...
. It is bound on the east by
Mount Malinao, on the west by
Mount Asog
Mount Iriga, also known as Mount Asog, is a dormant stratovolcano in the province of Camarines Sur, in the Philippines.
It is a stratovolcano about a kilometer from Lake Buhi. It rises with a base diameter of . It has a large crater formed du ...
and
Iriga City, on the north by
Sagñay-Buhi
mountain ranges
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
and on the south by the low-lying ranges of
Polangui, Albay, with the following coordinates: 13 degrees 25’ 32.4" north latitude and 123 degrees 30’ 49.1" east longitude. It is north-east of
Legazpi City
Legazpi (, American Spanish: , European Spanish: ), officially the City of Legazpi (; ), is a Component City, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a ...
and and south of
Naga City.
The municipality has been divided into five sectors, namely:
*The
Poblacion
''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...
*The Lake/Mt. Asog sector
*the Road/cross road sector
*The Mountain sector
*The Malangkaw Sector
Barangays
Buhi is politically subdivided into 38
barangay
The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
s. Each barangay consists of
purok
A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...
s and some have
sitios
A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...
.
* Amlongan (del Rosario)
* Antipolo
* Burocbusoc
* Cabatuan
* Cagmaslog
* Dela Fe
* Delos Angeles
* Divino Rostro
* Gabas
* Ibayugan
* Igbac
* Ipil
* Iraya
* Labawon
* Lourdes-Hinulid-tubog
* Macaangay
* Monte Calvario
* Namurabod
* Sagrada-Pito
* Salvacion
* San Antonio
* San Buenaventura
* San Francisco Parada
* San Isidro
* San Jose Baybayon
* San Jose Salay
* San Pascual
* San Pedro
* San Rafael
* San Ramon
* San Roque
* San Vicente
* Santa Clara
* Santa Cruz
* Santa Elena
* Santa Isabel
* Santa Justina
* Santa Lourdes
* Tambo
Topography
Buhi has generally mountainous and hilly surface, with 50% of its area having a slope of around 25%. The Poblacion located on the south shore of Lake Buhi, has gently rolling topography.
Mt. Malinao and Mt. Asog dominate the town's surface terrain whose highest elevations are and above main sea level respectively.
Itbog Falls located in Barangay Santa Cruz, on the south-eastern side of Lake Buhi, is a twin waterfalls. It could be reached by means of a motorized boat ride from the town proper, then a 30-minute trek.
Climate
Buhi has a warm, humid climate. During the warmest months from March to June, temperatures reach . The weather cools off during the rainy season which last from August to February with an average temperature of .
Land use

A total area of is occupied by the municipality, about 13,000 hectares of which are part of the watershed in Rinconada. of its land area are within the watershed declared as protected area by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 573 and Executive Order no. 224. All other areas are cultivated for agriculture, quarry and human settlement. Higher slopes east and north of Lake Buhi are predominantly forests and secondary brushland. Total area utilized as built-up areas is .
Farmlands make up about of which about have access to irrigation, while are non-irrigated. About are open water spaces of Lake Buhi, and other lakes and streams.
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Buhi, Camarines Sur, was 81,306 people, with a density of .
The total population was 70,756 in 2007, with a growth rate of about 2.1%. The total number of households was 13,238 and with an average household size of 5 persons. At the 2010 census, the population has increased to 73,809 persons. The local language is Buhinon, a dialect of
Bikolano.
Literacy rate of Buhi is about 99%. The labor force is about 24,000 people strong, or 63% of economically productive people age 15 to 64 years old.
8 out of 10 persons are Roman Catholics;
Iglesia ni Cristo
The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...
makes up about 2% of the total population which is the largest minority religion in the municipality.
Language

Buhinon is the mother tongue of the majority of the population especially those residing around the lake area with
Rinconada Bikol
Rinconada Bikol or simply Rinconada, spoken in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines, is one of several languages that compose the Inland Bikol (or Southern Bicol) group of the Bikol languages, Bikol macrolanguage. It belongs to the Austr ...
as its first language especially the folks residing on the western part of the municipality near
Iriga City. Buhinon is classified as a lone language, and the only one used in the province of Camarines Sur. Buhinon, the Albay Bikol languages, and Rinconada Bikol are members of Inland Bikol group of languages and share common vocabulary.
Economy
*Two thirds of the population depends on agriculture
*More than one-fifth of the total land area is devoted to agriculture primary crops are rice, corn, coconut, and abaca
*Rice grows in the vast field of Road sector while corn and abaca are being grown at Mountain sector
Infrastructure
Transportation

*Three major road networks that link the town to the adjacent province of Albay, Partido District and Iriga City. Most of its roads are gravel, especially those in the lake, road and mountain sectors.
*Presence of tricycles and jeepneys
*Presence of non-aircon and aircon buses
*Presence of motorized boats and bancas
*Presence of motorcycles called door-to-door
Spring Resorts
*Pongol Hot Spring
*Balerite Resort
*Lologon Resort
*Sinagpan Spring Resort
Utilities
Water supply:
*Rural Waterworks Multi-Purpose
*Cooperative provides the potable drinking water to at least 1,683 households in 7 suburban areas
*Burabod ririgusan- tubog Lourdes Buhi Camarines sur
*Magindara
Power and electricity:
*CASURECO III delivers electricity to 63% of households and business establishments and 97% of barangays
*Host to a 1.2 MW mini hydro-electric power plant of the National Power Corporation
Health
Presence of 1 public hospital; 3 private medical clinics; 38 health stations/centers; 3 pharmacies
Public Hospital:
*Buhi Community Hospital (temporarily closed by DOH)
Private Clinics:
*Claveria Clinic
*Portugal Clinic
*Sabio-Valenciano Clinic
Dental Clinic
* CJR Berces Dental Clinic
* Dr. Wennie A. Samper Dental Clinic
Education

*No. of pre-schools: 33 public and 4 private schools
*No. of elementary schools: 33 public and 4 private schools
*No. of high schools: 3 private and 6 public schools
*No. of colleges: 1 state college
*No. of universities: 1 state university
State colleges
*Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges-Buhi Campus (Brgy. Lourdes)
Public high schools
*Sta. Justina National High School (Big School)
*Tambo National High School (Big School)
*San Vicente National High School (Big School)
*Buhi High School (Big School)
*Iraya High School
*Salvacion High School
*Los Angeles High School
*Agapito de Lima National High School (Brgy. Macaangay)
* Dautil-Watkins High School (Brgy. Monte Calvario)
Private high schools
*Buhi St. Joseph's Academy Inc. (formerly St. Joseph's Academy)
*Buhi Lyceum
*Buhi Southeastern Academy, Inc. (Brgy. San Vicente)
*St. Bridget School
Private elementary schools
*Buhi Institute Foundation
*Holy Child Educational Center (Buhi Branch)
*Buhi Lyceum
*Elen O. Villanueva School
Social media
*LGU Buhi Official Facebook page
FM stations
*88.5 DWLF FM – Barita 88.5 (inactive)
*97.7 DWEA FM – Buhi (Radyo Buhi, Numero Uno)
*100.1 Radyo Natin Buhi
*102.9 DWLR – Lauyay Radio (closed)
Notable people
*
Victor Wood – singer, actor, politician
*
Avel Bacudio – fashion designer
*
Elaine Kay Moll – Binibining Pilipinas candidate
*
Yen Quirante – television personality
Gallery
File:Lake_Buhi_2.jpg, Lake Buhi
File:Simbahan Buhi (December 2010).jpg, Buhi Church
File:Patio_Buhi.jpg, Patio
File:PPC_Buhi.jpg, Parish Pastoral Center
File:Baked_Sinarapan.jpg, Baked "Sinarapan"
References
External links
Buhi Online (www.buhi.com) – The First Online Community of Buhi. Established 1998.Buhi Families Municipalities of Camarines SurGenealogical Research project
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