Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete (; ; ), is a

component city A city ( or ) is one of the units of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities (Filipino: ), whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific municipal charters in a ...

and capital of 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 ...

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Oriental (; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete, one of the two regional centers of Negros Island Region, with the other b ...

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 134,103 people. It is the most populous city and the smallest city by land area in Negros Oriental, as well as one of the two regional centers in

Negros Island Region The Negros Island Region (NIR). is an administrative region in the Philippines. Covering both the islands of Negros and Siquijor, the region is composed of three provinces: Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, as well as the ...

(the other one is

Bacolod Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; ; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Negros Island Region in the Philippines. With a total of 600,783 inhabitants as of the 2020 census, it is th ...

). Dumaguete is a university city with four large universities and several colleges, attracting students of the province and students from across the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

and

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

. The city is best known for

Silliman University Silliman University (also referred to as Silliman or SU) is a private, Protestant, and research university located in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, it is ...

, the first

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and American university in the country and in Asia. Schools in Dumaguete include 18 public elementary schools and eight public high schools. Dumaguete is bounded by the towns of

Bacong Bacong, officially the Municipality of Bacong, is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,207 people. Bacong was the hometown of the Visayan hero of the Philippine ...

Sibulan Sibulan, officially the Municipality of Sibulan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,343 people. Sibulan is from Dumaguete. It is the location of Du ...

, and

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. The power source of the city comes from the

geothermal power plant Geothermal power is electricity generation, electrical power generated from geothermal energy. Technologies in use include dry steam power stations, flash steam power stations and binary cycle power stations. Geothermal electricity generation i ...

in Valencia.

Etymology

"Dumaguete" was coined from the Cebuano word , which means "to snatch". The word , meaning "to swoop", was coined because of the area's frequent raids by Moro pirates and its power to attract and keep visitors, both local and foreign. In 1572, Diego López Povedano indicated the place as Dananguet, but

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

Pedro Murillo Velarde in 1734 already used the present name of Dumaguete for the settlement.

History

Early history and the Spanish colonial era

Dumaguete City was once settled by

datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous Indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, though no ...

s from Borneo who exiled themselves into the newly established

Madja-as Madja-as was a legendary precolonial confederacy on the island of Panay in the Philippines. It was mentioned in Pedro Monteclaro's book titled Maragtas. It was supposedly created by Datu Sumakwel to exercise his authority over all the other ...

. However, after the

Spanish colonization of the Philippines Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, the island of

Negros Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Tr ...

was divided into the provinces of Negros Oriental and

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental (; ), officially the Province of Negros Occidental (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Negros, Negros Island. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically s ...

by a royal decree executed by Governor General

Valeriano Weyler Captain General Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, 1st Duke of Rubí, 1st Marquess of Tenerife (17September 183820October 1930) was a Spanish Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Philippines and the Gover ...

on January 1, 1890. Dumaguete was also made the capital of the new Negros Oriental Province. In 1898, months after the arrival of

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

from exile, the

Negros Revolution The Negros Revolution (; ; ), commemorated and popularly known as the Fifth of November () or Negros Day (; ; ), was a political movement that in 1898 created a government on Negros Island in the Philippines, ending Spanish control of the isla ...

suddenly broke out.

Province, which was still ruled by the Spanish authorities, eventually surrendered to the Negrense Revolutionary Forces after a battle on November 6. They then began a week-long march which captured Dumaguete on November 24. By this time, the Spanish forces had left the entirety of

. The " Negros Republic" was then proclaimed on November 27.

American era

The American era saw the allegiance of the

Republic of Negros The Republic of Negros (; ; ) was a short-lived Revolutionary government in the Philippines, revolutionary entity which had existed on the Negros Island, island of Negros first as a Canton (country subdivision), canton of the First Philippine Rep ...

grow towards a collaborationist stance as a Pro-American Protectorate amidst the Philippine-American War. The Americans saw the people of Negros as more dependable allies compared to other Filipinos. Therefore, Dumaguete observed the establishment of

, the first American-founded university in Asia."NHI Resolution No.7, Series 2002"
National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved June 8, 2012.

Japanese occupation era

Imperial Japanese The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to 19 ...

forces In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...

landed at Dumaguete on May 26, 1942, after the fall of the

, and all of

Province surrendered shortly thereafter. Resistance against the Japanese occupation continued by guerilla groups in the inner mountains, where many native residents had fled to. The local Negrense guerillas attacked the remaining Japanese officials and troops on August 6, 1945, and after their victory, they welcomed combined American and Filipino forces that formally liberated Negros Oriental.

Cityhood

The City of Dumaguete was formally created on July 15, 1948, under Philippine Congressional Republic Act No. 327, also known as the "Charter of the City of Dumaguete". This was later amended on June 21, 1969, by Republic Act No. 5797, which clarified and refined the powers and functions of the local government unit in the earlier act.

Martial law

According to journalist Crispin Maslog who was teaching at Silliman University at the time, Dumaguete was one of the first cities in the country to learn about

Marcos Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) * Marcos family Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Né ...

' declaration of

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

on September 23, 1972. Local news station DYSR was able to pick up the news from an Australian broadcast. Elsewhere in the country, media outlets such as newspapers and broadcast stations had already been shut down, but DSYR was able to make the announcement before Information Secretary

Francisco Tatad Francisco "Kit" Sarmiento Tatad (born October 4, 1939) is a Filipino journalist and politician best known for having served as Minister of Public Information under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from 1969 to 1980, and for serving as a Senat ...

did at around noon. DYSR itself would be shut down later that day. Maslog recounts that Silliman University in Dumaguete was one of the last four universities in the Philippines to be allowed to reopen for classes, with Marcos himself complaining about instances where members of the political opposition such as Senators

Jovito Salonga Jovito Reyes Salonga, Knights of Rizal, KGCR (; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) also called "Ka Jovy," was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from th ...

and

Juan Liwag Juan Ramos Liwag (June 12, 1906 – November 30, 1983) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as senator in the 5th and 6th Congress of the Philippines. He was among the few Filipino officials who have served in all three branches o ...

were invited to speak at the university. In the mid-1980s, the

crony capitalism Crony capitalism, sometimes also called simply cronyism, is a pejorative term used in political discourse to describe a situation in which businesses profit from a close relationship with state power, either through an anti-competitive regul ...

which characterized the Marcos administration had a major effect on the island of Negros in which Dumaguete is located. A sugar hoarding scheme by National Sugar Trading Corporation (NASUTRA) of

Roberto Benedicto Roberto Salas Benedicto (April 17, 1917 – May 15, 2000) was a Filipino lawyer, ambassador, diplomat, and banker historically most remembered as a crony of President Ferdinand Marcos. Benedicto owned Philippine Exchange Company, the '' Phili ...

backfired, resulting in the mass-firing of sugar workers in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. Worsened by the economic nosedive which had begun in 1983, it eventually became known as the 1985

Negros famine The Negros famine took place on Negros island in the Philippines in the mid-1980s, during the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship. It was a key moment in the history of sugar production in the Philippines, as well as the broader political histo ...

Landing Fields - Philippines - Negros Island - NARA - 68161330

Geography and environment

Dumaguete has a land area of , situated on the plains of the southeastern coast of the large island of

, near the mouth of the Banica River. Of the province's 19 municipalities and 6 cities, Dumaguete is the smallest in terms of land area. It is bounded on the north by

, south by

, and west by

. As a coastal city, it is bounded on the east by the

Bohol Sea The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is a sea located between the Visayas and Mindanao islands in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao. Siquijor and Camiguin are its two major islands. The major ...

and the

Tañon Strait The Tañon Strait () is a body of water, separating the islands of Negros and Cebu in the Visayas, Philippines. The strait, which is about long, connects the Visayan Sea in the north to the Bohol Sea in the south. Its width varies from , with t ...

, serving as a natural border of the southeastern border of Negros Oriental. The city's topography is generally flat from two to six kilometers from the shoreline. It slopes gently upwards to the adjoining municipality of Valencia. The highest ground elevation is located at the boundary of the municipality of Valencia, about one hundred meters above mean sea level. About 93% of the land have slopes of less than 3%. The remaining areas have a 3% to 5% slope.

Climate

Dumaguete has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

according to the

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

Climate classification with two distinct seasons: wet and dry. The wet season covers the period from June to November, and the dry season starts from December to May, the hottest being April and May. The average maximum temperature is 30.9 °C and the average minimum temperature is 24.8 °C for the 1991-2020 normals. The relative humidity of the locality for the past years was 81% with January registering the highest. Northeast monsoon winds (amihan) bring cooler temperatures with little sometimes moderate rain to the city during late October until early March. Trade winds from the Pacific help moderate the sultry conditions of the dry season during April and May, and usually record less hot daytime conditions than the rest of the country; yet nearby warm seas also cause warm and humid nights during this time. When no major wind system is in power, trade winds can occur all year round, providing similar conditions. Southwest monsoon winds (habagat) usually bring overcast and rainy conditions from June to early October, but can also bring the hottest temperatures of the year due to the

foehn effect A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windwa ...

; nevertheless, skies are usually clear that nights feel cool, having the widest temperature variation in a day at this time.

Environment

Dumaguete has a rich and unique marine ecosystem that provides livelihoods to fishers and supports tourism. The coastal environment, which includes

seagrass meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...

s, acts as efficient carbon sinks that mitigate the effects of climate change. This ecosystem includes 36.15 hectares of seagrasses and 36.20 hectares of coral reef. Dumaguete has four

marine protected area A marine protected area (MPA) is a protected area of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity ...

s covering 104 hectares that host over 200 species of fish. In 2021, the fragile marine ecosystem was under threat from a proposed reclamation project that was met with opposition from youth organizations, church groups, residents, and environmental scientists, including Philippine national scientist

Angel Alcala Angel Chua Alcala (March 1, 1929 – February 1, 2023) was a Filipino biologist who was named a National Scientist of the Philippines in 2014. Alcala is known for his fieldwork to build Animal sanctuary, sanctuaries and to promote biodiversit ...

. Later that year, the city government halted the project.

Barangays

Dumaguete is politically subdivided into 30

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 ...

. Most of the barangays are classified as urban. The eight ''poblacions'' comprise the city's downtown area and are assigned by numbers. The smallest barangay is Poblacion 4 with an area of only 5.11

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s, while the largest is Banilad with 362.71 hectares.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

in 2020, there are 134,103 people and 32,276 households residing in the city. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, Dumaguete has the lowest poverty incidence among urban centers in the Visayas. It has an average daylight population of 400,000 people. Dumaguete is the most populous city in Negros Oriental, comprising 9.05% of the province's total population. During the 2019 election, its total voting population was 89,193 voters. The Philippine Retirement Authority, a government agency under the Department of Tourism, has named the city as the "Best Place to Retire in the Philippines for 2018". Dumaguete is also listed fifth in ''

Forbes Magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The c ...

's'' "7 Best Places to Retire Around the World".

Economy

The major sources of income in Dumaguete are tourism, the academe, retail, BPO, technology, and IT firms. There are a significant number of banking institutions include a branch of

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on January 3, 1949, and then re-established on July 3, 1993 pursuant to the provision of Re ...

in Dumaguete. Shopping centers in Dumaguete include CityMall Dumaguete (Brgy. Daro), Unitop Mall (Brgy. Poblacion 8), WeShop Center (Brgy. Poblacion 8 & Daro), Cang's Inc. Shopping Complex (Brgy. Daro), Lee Super Plaza (Brgy. Poblacion 3), Filinvest Malls Dumaguete (Brgy. Piapi) and Robinsons Dumaguete (Brgy. Calindagan). Business activities are mostly concentrated in the downtown area. With the completion of four lanes, the Metro Dumaguete Diversion Road helps decongest the traffic in the main thoroughfares of the central business district from the town of

down to

. The new highway is expected to economically benefit the city's barangays as the new centers for economic growth. These growing industries have made Dumaguete the hub for shopping, education, finance, IT, commerce, lifestyle, and sports in the province of Negros Oriental.

Real estate and infrastructure

The real estate industry in the city includes several constructions of condominiums, mixed-use development town centers, and massive horizontal housing projects. Shopping centers such as Filinvest Malls Dumaguete by

Filinvest Filinvest Development Corporation () is the publicly listed holding company for the various firms in the Filinvest group. It was established in 1955 in the Philippines by Andrew L. Gotianun Sr. and his wife, Mercedes Gotianun, as a used-car f ...

Group, Bayshores Dumaguete, and popular restaurants, bars, and dining strips along Flores Avenue have excellent views of Dumaguete Bay. Filinvest is set to develop the beach area for another vertical residential complex in the coastal barangay of Mangnao through its Futura Shores Dumaguete.

CityMall CityMall Commercial Centers, Inc., simply known as CityMall, is a Philippine community shopping mall chain formed as a subsidiary of DoubleDragon Properties. As of 2023, it has 43 branches across the Philippines. History The CityMall brand was ...

Dumaguete, a community mall anchored by SM Retail (SM Savemore and Ace Hardware) owned by

DoubleDragon Properties DoubleDragon Corporation, formerly Injap Land Corporation and DoubleDragon Properties Corporation, is a Philippine real estate development company based in Pasay, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 2009 as a subsidiary of ...

, and Cang's Shopping Complex are located on the national highway serving shoppers in the north. A public transport terminal with multi-level parking spaces is being built at the back of Robinsons Dumaguete within the Dumaguete Business Park. Joining the existing Dumaguete Business Park are the Lifestyle 8880 District, a commercial complex with hotel and convention center in Daro, and the E.C. Ouano Sr. Complex in Bajumpandan, which is being used for government offices and other facilities. DelonixDumaguete

Business process outsourcing

Dumaguete's outsourcing industry has a range of businesses, such as call centers, publishing,

medical transcription Medical transcription, also known as MT, is an allied health profession dealing with the process of transcribing voice-recorded medical reports that are dictated by physicians, nurses and other healthcare practitioners. Medical reports can be v ...

, animation, editing, and architectural outsourcing. Dumaguete is listed among Next Wave Cities in the country with over 30 IT, KPO and BPO locators, and has been described as a hub for Business Process Outsourcing and

Information Technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

Tourism

Data from the Department of Tourism show that Dumaguete, the province's main gateway, and Negros Oriental are listed among the top ten most visited tourist destinations in the country.Top Tourist Destinations in the Philippines

Historical landmarks

Rizal Boulevard is known for its hotels, coffee shops, fine dining restaurants, and bars that were mostly converted from sugar mansions and prominent ancestral houses. The boulevard extension to the north of the Port of Dumaguete is also being developed with new hotels, resorts, restaurants, and bars. The boulevard provides views of Dumaguete Bay and the neighboring islands of

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

and

Siquijor Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor (; ), is a Philippines, Philippine Provinces of the Philippines, island province (List of islands of the Philippines, the third smallest in the country, in terms of population and land area) ...

. Rizal Boulevard also has a

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...

where locals and visitors can relax, dine, and exercise. This area, known locally as Pantawan People's Park, extends from the Port of Dumaguete to the mouth of the Banica River. Food carts in the Pantawan area sell Filipino street food such as balut,

tempura is a typical Japanese dish that usually consists of seafood and vegetables that have been coated in a thin batter and deep-fried. Tempura originated in the 16th century, when Portuguese Jesuits brought the Western-style cooking method of ...

, kikiam, and

fishballs Fish balls are balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep-fried. Similar in composition to fishcake, fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi, salt, and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour, corn, or potato starch. ...

. The reclaimed Pantawan People's Park is the city's newest park located at the southern end of Rizal Boulevard. The St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral is known as the oldest stone church of Negros Island and the ecclesiastical seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dumaguete. The detached 1879 '' Campanario'', the belfry on one of the

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

s of the cathedral, had been used to warn against moro invaders in the 1800

Spanish–Moro conflict The Spanish–Moro conflict (; ) was a series of battles in the Philippines lasting more than three centuries. It began during the Spanish Philippines and lasted until the Spanish–American War, when Spain finally began to subjugate the Mor ...

. It is one of the oldest heritage landmarks of Dumaguete and Central Visayas. On November 23, 2023, Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela, chair of the Commission on Church Cultural Heritage announced the Important Cultural Property historical marker installation at the Campanario. On May 29, 2024, the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines () is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines, including Ethnography, ethnographic, Anthropology, anthropological, Archaeology, archaeological, an ...

granted P9-M funds for the belfry

conservation and restoration of cultural property conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include preve ...

project. The renovation, reinforcement and

retrofitting Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...

will be a joint undertaking of the NMP, Diocese of Dumaguete and the local government. The

Dumaguete Presidencia The Dumaguete Presidencia is a historic building in Dumaguete, Philippines. The Presidencia was built in 1937 with Juan Arellano as its architect. It is a mixture of indigenous Filipino, Spanish and neoclassical architecture. It used to serve as ...

, formerly the city hall, was restored to its original design and is now the branch of the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

in Dumaguete. The cathedral, belfry, and museum are all located near Quezon Park, named after the first President of the Philippines,

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

's Anthropology Museum, located in the university's Hibbard Hall, contains archaeological artifacts excavated from throughout Negros and parts of Mindanao. The

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines (NCCA; , ) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. It is the overall policy making body, coordinating, and grants giving agency for the preservation, d ...

and Dumaguete LGU installed

Eddie Romero Edgar Sinco Romero, (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013), commonly known as Eddie Romero, was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter. Early life Romero was born on July 7, 1924. His father was José E. Romero, the first Philipp ...

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

bust by sculptor Frederic Caedo. It was unveiled by Mayor Felipe Antonio B. Remollo, Joey Romero and NCCA Deputy Director Marichu Tellano at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium.

Negros Oriental Capitol building

On May 17, 2024, the 1924 Grecian- Ionic

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the ''Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been "the most successful power broker the American archi ...

Capitol" building's historical marker for the

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the List of national independence days, date of independen ...

- "Jubilee Year" commemoration was installed by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...

' Directress Carminda Arevalo. Governor Manuel "Chaco" L. Sagarbarria signed the marker's Certificate of Transfer in the presence of

Imee Marcos Maria Imelda Josefa Remedios "Imee" Romualdez Marcos-Manotoc (; born November 12, 1955) is a Filipino politician and film producer serving as a Senate of the Philippines, senator since 2019. She previously served as governor of Ilocos Norte ...

Francis Tolentino Francis Ng Tolentino (, born January 2, 1960) is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as a senator since 2019. He has been the Senate Majority Leader since 2024 and was formerly the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from 2022 t ...

Mark Villar Mark Aguilar Villar (, born August 14, 1978) is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2022. He served in President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet as the Secretary of Public Works and Highways from 2016 to 2021, and was the ...

Risa Hontiveros Ana Theresia "Risa" Navarro Hontiveros Baraquel (; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician who has served as a senator of the Philippines since 2016. A member of the progressive Akbayan party, she previously served as its party-list ...

Lito Lapid Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor, director and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He started his political career in Pampanga, serv ...

Jinggoy Estrada Jose Pimentel Ejercito Jr. (born February 17, 1963), better known as Jinggoy Estrada or Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is a Filipino politician and film actor serving as a senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016. He is the current presi ...

, Irish Ambassador William John Carlos and Philippine Tour Operators Association who graced the historic event.

Kuh Ledesma Maria Socorro "Kuh" Hashim Ledesma (born March 16, 1955) is a Filipino singer and actress. Regarded as “''OPM's'' ''Pop Chanteuse''”, she is noted for her "masterful" and "rich distinct vocal style." With a career spanning over 40 years, L ...

Dance Troupe and Orchestra Sin Arco performed with others followed by the finale, Pyro Musical Competition at the Freedom Park.

Festivals

One of the city's important annual celebrations is the Sandurot Festival, which is held every September to commemorate Dumaguete's history. The celebration starts with the ''Paghimamat'', a re-enactment of how people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds came to Dumaguete, bringing gifts of rich cultures. ''Pasundalan'' follows, gracing the city streets with dancing to drumbeats and other instruments participated by different barangays and schools in Dumaguete. The street dancing ends at Quezon Park after which the participants prepare for the grand ''Pasundayag'', a display of dances portraying different stories of the Dumaguete tradition. Another important annual occasion in Dumaguete is the Buglasan Festival, also known locally as the "Festival of All Festivals", which is also held throughout the whole Negros Oriental province every October since 2002. The majority of activities are held in the Provincial Capitol and Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park with booths and local products either on display or for sale. It is also spread to other venues such as the Sidlakang Negros Village at Barangay Piapi and the city's Rizal Boulevard. Showdowns and street dancing are among the activities done in observance of the festival.

Healthcare

Dumaguete has four major

tertiary hospital A tertiary referral hospital (also called a tertiary hospital, tertiary referral center, tertiary care center, or tertiary center) is a hospital that provides tertiary care, which is a level of health care obtained from specialists in a large hos ...

s, namely the Holy Child Hospital (HCH), Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital, ACE Dumaguete Doctors Hospital, and the Silliman University Medical Center which is currently associated with

St. Luke's Medical Center St. Luke's Medical Center (SLMC) is a private non-profit health care institution based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines which operates two hospitals of the same name in Quezon City and Taguig. The first health facility of the St. L ...

in Metro Manila. The Dumaguete Health Office is responsible for the implementation and planning of the health care programs provided by the city government, which also operates and supervises Health Centers in the barangays of the city.

Transportation

Air

Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport is the city's domestic airport located in the neighboring town of

in the north. It provides daily flights to and from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

through

Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc. (), operating as Cebu Pacific (stylized in lowercase), is a Philippine low-cost airline based in Pasay, Metro Manila. Founded in 1988, the airline was the first low-cost carrier in Asia and is also the largest airline in the Phi ...

Cebgo Cebgo, Inc., operating as Cebgo (stylized in all lowercase), is the wholly-owned regional subsidiary of Cebu Pacific. It is the successor company to South East Asian Airlines and Tigerair Philippines. It is now owned by JG Summit, the parent com ...

and

PAL Express Air Philippines Corporation, operating as PAL Express and formerly branded as Air Philippines and Airphil Express, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Philippine Airlines. It is PAL's regional brand, with services from its hubs in Manila, Clark, Ce ...

while

is servicing thrice weekly flights to

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

."CEB adds 2nd daily frequency to Manila-Dumaguete "
. Cebu Pacific. Retrieved November 4, 2010. In March 2021, upgrade works were made to the Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport which included pavement reconstruction, expansion of the terminal building, and expansion of CAAP administrative buildings. An airport to replace Sibulan Airport is being planned to be built in

, a town bordering Dumaguete in the south. Construction is expected to cost

₱ The Philippine peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol used for the Philippine peso, the official currency of the Philippines. The symbol resembles a Latin script, Latin letter P with two horizontal strokes. It differs from the currency symbol u ...

17 billion.

Sea

Dumaguete, as a major port city, is a jump-off point for passengers travelling to other Visayas and Mindanao areas. Currently, the port is equipped with two modern port operations and passenger terminal facilities. It is also the headquarters site of Philippine Coast Guard Southern Visayas District and Coast Guard Station Negros Oriental. As a major point of the Philippine Western Nautical Highway System, there are daily ferry connections to

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

and

operated by

Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (APFC) is a ferry company based in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines. It serves passenger and cargo routes serving select seaports in the Philippines with its fleet of catamaran Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo ...

(FastCat),

Aleson Shipping Lines Aleson Shipping Lines, Inc. is a shipping company based in Zamboanga, Philippines. Their services include routes to Sandakan, Malaysia and over Dapitan to Dumaguete. They also ship cargo from Zamboanga City to Manila with twelve of their container ...

Montenegro Lines Montenegro Shipping Lines, Inc. (MSLI) is a Philippine domestic shipping line based at Batangas City, Philippines. The office is located at Montenegro Corporate office, along Bolbok Diversion Road, Bolbok Batangas City. It operates passenger, car ...

, Medallion Transport, Ocean Jet Shipping, Seen Sam Shipping Inc., Cokaliong, H S Star Marine Shipping Corp., Lite Ferries and other companies. Alternatively, there are smaller ports north of the city where short and frequent ferry connections mostly to the Province of Cebu are available. Dumaguete is a port of call for travelers to

Dapitan Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan (; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan''; ), is a component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,202 people. ...

, and

Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (; ; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Bagbenwa Sembwangan''; Sama–Bajaw languages, Sama: ''Lungsud Samboangan''; ; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city i ...

by a ship serviced by

2GO Travel Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to: Arts and entertainment Games and sport * Go (game), a board game for two players * ''Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel * Go, the starting position l ...

Land

The main form of public transport in Dumaguete is the

motorized tricycle A motorized tricycle, motor trike, or motortrycle is a three-wheeled vehicle based on the same technology as a motorcycle, and powered by an electric motor, motorcycle, scooter or car engine. Classification Depending on the design of the vehic ...

. The Dumaguete version of the motorized tricycle can fit up to six passengers. For transport to destinations outside the city limit, there are

jeepney A jeepney (), or simply a jeep (), is a type of Public transport, public utility vehicle (PUV) that serves as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. Known for its crowded seating ...

s and buses travelling set routes. Vallacar Transit Corporation operates Ceres buses from a 2-storey terminal building in Barangay Calindagan. Buses from Dumaguete have routes going to Bacolod/

Cebu Province Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

and

Pagadian City Pagadian, officially the City of Pagadian, is a component city and the capital of the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. It is the regional center of Zamboanga Peninsula and the second-largest city in the region and in the province, a ...

via

Dipolog Dipolog (), officially the City of Dipolog (; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dipuleg/Bagbenwa Dipuleg''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, prov ...

Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula (; ; ) is an administrative region in Mindanao, Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur, and the cities of Isabela and Zamboang ...

, Caticlan (Boracay) and

Cubao Cubao may refer to: * Cubao, Quezon City, a district of Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines ** Araneta Center–Cubao station (LRT) on Line 2 ** Araneta Center–Cubao station (MRT) on Line 3 ** Cubao Cathedral The Immaculate Conceptio ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

using Western Nautical Highway. Dumaguete is from

Bacolod City Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; ; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Negros Island Region in the Philippines. With a total of 600,783 inhabitants as of the 2020 census, it is th ...

via

Kabankalan Kabankalan, officially the City of Kabankalan (; ; , Spanish: ''Ciudad de Cabancalán''), is a component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2025 census, it has a population of 330,378 people making it th ...

Mabinay Mabinay, officially the Municipality of Mabinay, is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 82,953 people , making it the most-populous municipality in Negros Oriental. ...

- Bais Road.

Sports

Dumaguete has hosted numerous Asian, national, regional, and provincial sports events, such as the 4th Asian University Basketball Federation (AUBF) 2005, the 2013 Palarong Pambansa, 2012 Philippine National Games (POC-PSC), Philippine Volleyball League, National Frisbee Championship, Batang Pinoy Visayas, Dumaguete Dragon Boat Challenge, Unigames, CVIRAA, the Palarong NIR for short-lived

among others. The Don Mariano Perdices Memorial Coliseum hosted the 2010 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Meet and 2013 Palarong Pambansa that was located in Dumaguete. Its capacity was 25,000 people with a rubberized track oval, main lobby, dormitory, and hostel. Beside it is the Olympic-sized swimming pool known as the Lorenzo G. Teves Memorial Aqua Center. The Lamberto Macias Sports Complex is an indoor arena located near the coliseum which can accommodate around 6,000 people.

Education

Dumaguete is a university city, also called the "center of learning in the South," due to the presence of well-known universities. Public elementary and high schools including Dumaguete Science High School, the regional science high school of Central Visayas, is governed by Dumaguete City Schools Division of

DepEd The Department of Education (DepEd; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of basic education. It is the main agency tasked to manage and go ...

. *

(SU, 1901) is the dominant institution of higher learning in Dumaguete, providing the city with a

university town A college town or university town is a town or city whose character is dominated by a college or university and their associated culture, often characterised by the student population making up 20 percent of the population of the community, bu ...

atmosphere. It is the first

university in the country and the first American university in Asia. The campus is adjacent to and intermixed with the city's downtown district.UP is No.1 based on PRC exams
. UP Newsletter, Vol. XXVIII, No. 09. September 1, 2007. Accessed May 26, 2009. Some of its buildings have likewise been recognized as landmarks, including the Silliman Hall, Hibbard Hall, Katipunan Hall, the Luce Auditorium, and the Silliman Main Library (considered one of the biggest libraries in the Philippines)."Dumaguete City, the City of Gentle People"
Department of Tourism. Retrieved November 4, 2010.WOWPhilippines: Things to do and see in Negros Oriental
Accessed September 1, 2009. CHED designated the Center of Excellence for its Nursing, Teacher Education, Marine Science and Information Technology, and the Center of Development for its Anthropology, Biology, Accountancy, and Medical Technology programs. * Foundation University (FU, 1949) is a private non-sectarian university with its Main Campus located at Miciano Road, offering tertiary education programs, while the North Campus along Locsin Street is the home of Foundation Preparatory Academy for its basic education programs. * Negros Oriental State University (NORSU, 1907) is the premier state university in Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental, with two main campuses in the city. The Main Campus 1 is beside the Provincial Capitol building, while the Main Campus 2 is located in barangay Bajumpandan. It offers affordable yet high quality education making it a top choice for students seeking excellence in various fields. NORSU specializes in engineering, information technology, teacher education, allied health sciences, business and agriculture. It is the first academic institution in the country to offer a BS in Geothermal Engineering. CHED designated the Center of Development for its Teacher Education program. *

St. Paul University Dumaguete Saint Paul University, also referred to by its acronym SPUD or SPU Dumaguete, is a private Roman Catholic research non-profit coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in Dumaguete, Philippin ...

(SPUD, 1904) is a prestigious Catholic institution founded in 1904 by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres from France. It is one the top universities in Dumaguete and the first St. Paul educational institution to be established in the Philippines known for its strong academic programs, values-based education and excellent campus facilities. SPUD excels in nursing, business, teacher education, and music programs duly recognized by the CHED as a fully autonomous Higher Education Institution (HEI). It is one of the seven campuses comprising the St. Paul University System. * Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alejandria (COSCA, 1959) run by Catholic Diocesan clergy is located beside the Dumaguete Cathedral Church. Formerly known as Dumaguete Cathedral College, it offers pre-school to college programs. Its flagship courses are Commerce/Business Administration, Criminology, and Radiologic Technology. * Metro Dumaguete College (MDC, 2002) is an academic institution with a campus in Barangay Daro, offering a Senior High School program, laddered

TESDA The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA ; ) serves as the technical vocational education and training (TVET) authority of the Philippines. As a government agency, TESDA's goals are to develop the Filipino workforce with ...

accredited Technical Vocational programs, and other 4-year college courses. *

Asian College Asian College (formerly ''Asian Institute of Electronics'' and ''Asian College of Science and Technology'') is a Commission on Higher Education (Philippines), CHED and TESDA-accredited private higher education, tertiary educational institution ...

(formerly Asian Institute of Electronics and Asian College of Science and Technology) is a CHED and TESDA-accredited private tertiary educational institution in the Philippines founded in 1972. It has campuses in Quezon City and Dumaguete. It also offers DepEd and TESDA-certified senior high school.

Notable people

Sister cities

Dumaguete has the following

sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

Local

Mandaue Mandaue (), officially the City of Mandaue (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 people. ...

Butuan Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan (; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; ), is a highly urbanized city and the regional center of Caraga, Philippines. It is the '' de facto'' capital of the province of Agusan del Norte ...

Agusan del Norte Agusan del Norte, officially the Province of Agusan del Norte (; Butuanon: ''Probinsya hong Agusan del Norte''; ), is a province in the Caraga region of the Philippines. Its ''de jure'' capital is the city of Cabadbaran with several government o ...

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

International

Yeongdong County Yeongdong County () is a county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The county should not be confused with the similarly named Yeongdong region. During the Korean War, this county was the site of the No Gun Ri Massacre. Climate Yeongd ...

North Chungcheong North Chungcheong Province (), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region on the south-centre of the Korean Peninsula. Nor ...

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Alameda An alameda is a street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada * Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan ** Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile * Alameda (Santi ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Gallery

File:Silliman Avenue.jpg, Silliman Avenue near the "Gate of Knowledge" of Silliman University File:St. Catherine of Alexandria Church.jpg, St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral File:Dumaguete belltower.jpg, Dumaguete Belfry with grotto File:Dumaguete City Hall.jpg, Dumaguete City Hall File:Negros Oriental Provincial Capitol.jpg, Provincial Capitol of Negros Oriental File:Dumaguete City Public Market.jpg, Dumaguete Public Market File:I love Dumaguete.jpg, The old "I Love Dumaguete" Sign previously situated at Rizal Boulevard File:DumaGetMe Sign.jpg, The popular "#DumaGetMe" Signage landmark located at Rizal Boulevard

References

External links

Official Website of the City of Dumaguete
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

br>Philippine Statistics Authority
* {{Authority control Cities in Negros Oriental Provincial capitals of the Philippines Port cities and towns in the Philippines Component cities in the Philippines