Region VII

CENTRAL VISAYASCebu.  Bohol.  Negros Oriental.  Siquijor.  Four magical provinces lying right in the very navel of the Philippine archipelago.  Four

provinces home to many natural wonders, colorful cultural traditions, and a mix of the old and the new.  Four provinces that make up the region known as the Central Visayas.

HISTORY

September 24, 1972● The existence of the Region when the provinces of the Philippines were

organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree No. 1 as part of the Integrated Reorganization Plan of President Ferdinand Marcos.

LOCATION

ABSOLUTE LOCATION10° 00’ N 123° 30’ E

RELATIVE LOCATIONN Visayan SeaE Camotes Sea and Camiguin ChannelS Mindanao SeaW Negros Occidental Province

GEOGRAPHY AND TOGOGRAPHY

TOTAL LAND AREA15,875 km2 (6,129 sq mi)

PROVINCE AREA (km²) CAPITAL CITIESBOHOL 4 117.3 Tagbilaran City Tagbilaran

CEBU 4 800.11 Cebu City

BogoCarcarCebu

DanaoLapu-LapuMandaue

NagaTalisayToledo

NEGROS ORIENTAL

5 402.3 Dumaguete City

BaisBayawanCanlaon

DumagueteGuihulngan

Tanjay

SIQUIJOR 343.5 Siquijor -

DIVISIONS

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TABLE 1. List of Provinces of Central Visayas

Provinces 4Cities 16Municipalities 116Barangays 3,003Cong. Districts 15

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS● Islands are hilly and mountainous● Terrain is characterized by highlands with narrow coastal strips of arable land● Region has rugged interiors because of high mountains● Central Visayas has also many volcanoes (among them are Mt. Canlaon and Mt.

Balinsasayao)

MEDIA

BROADCAST TELEVISION NETWORKSABS-CBN Channel 3ABS-CBN Sports and Action Channel 239TV Channel 9ETC Channel 62nd Avenue Channel 33BEAM Channel 31IBC Channel 13CCTN Channel 47TV5 Channel 21AksyonTV Channel 29GMA Network Channel 7GMA News TV Channel 27

*Aside from the 24 national daily newspapers available, Cebu City also has 20 local newspapers. Among the widely read is the Sun Star Cebu

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS

CEBUMagellan's Cross

● A Christian cross planted by Portuguese and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines.

BOHOLBlood Compact Statue

● The statue portraying the blood compact between the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna.

NEGROS ORIENTALDumaguete Bell Tower

● A bell tower built in the province of Dumaguete.

SIQUIJOR

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Lazi Convent● A convent built in Lazi, Siquijor.

DEMOGRAPHY

POPULATION6,800,180 (as of 2010 by NSO)5th most populous in the country

LANGUAGECebuano 65%Bisaya 17%Boholano 12%Hiligaynon 5%Others (Tagalog, English and Spanish) 1%

*Porohanon is spoken (a variation or mixture of Cebuano, Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) and Masbateño language with 87% Cebuano vocabulary) in town of Poro

PEOPLEThe Visayan is…

Happy-go-lucky● More interested in the here and now than in the past or the future.

They are ready to spend their last peso for the finer things in life.

Adventurous and Independent ● Loves to go anywhere. They will be ready to leave their home in

search of adventure. 

Hedonist● Guiding principle in life is to drink and be merry for tomorrow he dies. 

Music lover● Their musical instrument and their songs are sufficient to drive all their

sorrows away.

*The Ilongos, Cebuano, Warays, and Magahats are a few of the ethnic groups that inhabit the Visayan community

RELIGION

Roman Catholics 92%Aglipayans 2%Evangelicals 1%Others 5%

*The remaining 5% belonged to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Iglesia ni Cristo, various Protestant denominations or other religions

TRANSPORTATION

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By Landa. Jeepneysb. Busesc. Taxisd. Tricyclese. Multicabsf. Trisikads (bicycles with sidecars)g. Habal-habals (motorcycles with extended back seats)

By Aira. Airplanes (e.g., Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific)

By Seaa. Ship and Fastcraftsb. Banca

PRODUCTS, LIVELIHOD AND INDUSTRIES

Economic Activities: FarmingManufacturingMiningAnimal-raisinHome industries (sinamay hats and mats)

*The copper mine in Toledo City, Cebu is the biggest in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia

Agricultural Commodities: HogChickenPalayChicken EggsSugarcaneMango

*Hog and chicken production in Central Visayas ranked 5th in the national production and the region was also placed 3rd in the production of sugarcane and mango

Agricultural Sectors: AgricultureCropsLivestockPoultryFisheries

CLIMATE

Tropical● The seasons affecting the provinces are not very pronounced. The

provinces experience no maximum wet nor dry seasons. Three months of dry season from March to May and the rest of the year are relatively wet.

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