Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a

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 ...

in the

Bicol Region The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six Provinces of the Philippines, provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the luzon#Southeastern Luzon, southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Ca ...

of the

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 ...

, mostly on the southeastern part of the island of

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

. Its capital (and largest city) is the city of Legazpi, the regional center of the whole

, which is located in the southern foothill of Mayon Volcano. The province was added to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Network of Biosphere Reserves The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas, known as biosphere or nature reserves, which are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage susta ...

in March 2016.

History

Early history

Long before the Spaniards arrived, Albay had a thriving civilization. Formerly called ''Ibat'', and then ''Libog'', Albay was once ruled by Gat Ibal, an old chief who also founded the old

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 ...

of Sawangan, now part of the City of Legazpi. Historian William Henry Scott wrote that in the local epic called ''siday'' entitled "Bingi of Lawan", an Albay datu by the name of Dumaraog went to Lawan (present-day Laoang, Northern Samar) to ask for the hands of Bingi bringing with him 100 ships. Datu Iberein came from the settlement of Lawan. He was described by Scott as a “Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains.”

Spanish colonial era

In July 1569, Luis Enriquez de Guzman, a member of the expedition led by ''Maestro de Campo'' Mateo de Saz and Captain

Martin de Goiti Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

, led a group that crossed from Burias and Ticao islands and landed on a coastal settlement called ''Ibalon'' in what is now the province of

Sorsogon Sorsogon, officially the Province of Sorsogon ( Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Sorsogon''; Waray: ''Probinsya han Sorsogon''; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. It is the southernmost province in the island of Luzon and ...

. From this point, another expedition was sent to explore the interior and founded the town of

Camalig Camalig, officially the Municipality of Camalig (; ), is a municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 72,042 people. It is popularly known for its finest delicacy—Pinangat, a Bico ...

. In 1573,

Juan de Salcedo Juan de Salcedo (; 1549 – 11 March 1576) was a Spanish conquistador. He was the grandson of Spanish general Miguel López de Legazpi. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish conquest to the Philippines in 1565. He joined th ...

penetrated the

Bicol Peninsula The Bicol Region, designated as Region V, is an administrative region of the Philippines. It comprises six provinces, four on the Bicol Peninsula (the southeastern end of Luzon): Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon, and two ...

from the north as far south as Libon, establishing the settlement of Santiago de Libon. Jose Maria Peñaranda, a military engineer, was made “''corregidor''” of the province on May 14, 1834. He constructed public buildings and built roads and bridges. The entire Bicol peninsula was organized as one province with two divisions, Camarines in the northwest and Ibalon in the southeast. In 1636, the two ''partido''s were separated, and Ibalon became a separate province with Sorsogon as the capital. In the 17th century, Moro slave raiders from the southern Philippines ravaged the northeastern coastal areas of the province of Albay. By the end of the 1700s, Albay had 12,339 native families and 146 Spanish Filipino families.ESTADISMO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS TOMO PRIMERO By Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga (Original Spanish)
/ref>ESTADISMO DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS TOMO SEGUNDO By Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga (Original Spanish)
/ref> Mayon Volcano, in one of its most violent eruptions, destroyed the five towns surrounding its base on February 1, 1814. This eruption forced the town of Cagsawa to relocate to its present site, Legazpi. A

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

was issued by

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Narciso Claveria in 1846 separating

Masbate Masbate, officially the Province of Masbate (Masbateño language, Masbateño: ''Probinsya san Masbate''; ), is an island Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located near the midsection of the nation's archipelago. Its provi ...

, Ticao, and Burias from Albay to form the ''comandancia'' of Masbate. Albay was then divided into four districts: Iraya, Cordillera or

Tabaco Tabaco, officially the City of Tabaco (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,961 p ...

, Sorsogon, and

Catanduanes Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes (), is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across the M ...

Philippine revolution

Glicerio Delgado, a condemned ' (insurgent), started revolutionary activities in the province. With a headquarters in the mountain of Guinobatan town, he joined the revolutionary government of Albay as a lieutenant in the infantry. A unit of the Philippine Militia was then organized by the Spanish military authorities. Mariano Riosa was appointed major of the Tabaco Zone, which comprised all the towns along the seacoast from

Albay Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; Baybayin, ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the isla ...

to Tiwi while Anacieto Solano was appointed major for the Iraya Zone, which was made up of the towns from

Daraga Daraga ( ɐrɐ'gaofficially the Municipality of Daraga ; ), is a municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 133,893. The municipality is home to the famous Cagsawa Ruins. Hist ...

to Libon. Each town was organized into sections of fifty men under the command of a lieutenant. During the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

on September 22, 1898, the provisional revolutionary government of Albay was formed with Anacieto Solano as provisional president. Major General Vito Belarmino, the appointed military commander, reorganized the Filipino Army in the province.

American invasion era

Following the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, the new colonial power the

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 ...

did not recognize the country's independence, which had been declared in June 1898, and the Americans subsequently acquired direct control of the country as a de facto colony, under the terms of the

Treaty of Paris (1898) The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898, was signed by Spain and the United States on December 10, 1898, and marked the end of the Spanish–American Wa ...

, over which the Filipinos had no say. During the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, Brigadier General William August Kobbé headed the expedition that landed at the ports of Sorsogon, Bulan and Donsol. From there, the Americans marched to Legazpi and captured it. Although a

civil government In Portugal, the Civil Governments (, singular ') are the bodies of public administration that represent the Government of Portugal, central government at the Districts of Portugal, district level. Each Civil Government is headed by an ''administ ...

was established in Albay on April 26, 1901, Colonel Harry Hill Bandholtz, Commanding Officer of the Constabulary in the Bicol Region, said that General Simeon Ola, with a thousand men, continued to defy American authority after the capture of Belarmino in 1901. Ola was later captured with about six hundred of his men.

Japanese occupation era

Following the December 12, 1941, Japanese invasion of Legazpi during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Kimura Detachment of the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

occupied Albay Province. The region was defended only by the

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...

unit under the command of Major Francisco Sandico. During the Japanese Occupation, the military general headquarters of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines remained active from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 5th Constabulary Regiment of the

was established from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, and stationed in Albay. Then came the clearing operations and anti-Japanese insurgency in the

, helped by the local Bicolano resistance. Some Bicolano

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

groups invaded around the province of Albay during the Japanese Insurgencies between 1942 and 1944 and were supported by local Filipino troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and pre-war Philippine Constabulary 5th Infantry Regiments attacking the enemy soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army. In the aftermath of three years of siege and conflicts, many Bicolano guerrillas were forced to retreat by the Japanese around the province before liberation in 1945 by Allied forces.

Marcos dictatorship

Oas, Albay, was one of the localities particularly harmed by the Dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos; in the waning days of the dictatorship, Oas was hit by a series of political killings targeting those who dared to speak out against the abuses of the Military and against Ferdinand Marcos. The most prominent of the victims was Clemente Ragragio, the municipal sanitation inspector of Ligao who was later also assigned to Oas. Known for his effectiveness, he had been awarded the 1983 Best Sanitary Inspector for Albay. However, this led the dictatorship's local administrators suspecting him of being a rebel sympathizer, because his close relationship with locals in far-flung barangays allowed him to move around fearlessly, and because he expressed disagreements with the dictatorship's governance. A killer shot him three times in front of his house in the early evening of August 21, 1985, and the government did not investigate his murder. He was later honored by having his name inscribed on the wall of remembrance at the Philippines'

Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the Martial law under F ...

(lit. Monument of Heroes), which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought to restore democracy in the wake of the Marcos dictatorship.

Geography

Albay has a total land area of , which makes it the 53rd biggest province. The province is bordered by the provinces 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 ...

to the north and

to the south. To the northeast lies Lagonoy Gulf, which separates the province from

. To the southwest of the province is the Burias Pass with the island of Burias of

province located about offshore. In 2016, an area of was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The Albay Biosphere Reserve is home to 182 terrestrial plant species, of which 46 are endemic to the Philippines. Its marine waters and coastal area also provide habitat to five of the world's seven marine turtle species, as well as mangrove, seagrass and seaweed ecosystems.

Topography

The province is generally mountainous with scattered fertile plains and valleys. On the eastern part of the province is a line of volcanic mountains starting with the northernmost Malinao in Tiwi, followed by Mount Masaraga and the free-standing Mayon Volcano. Separated by the Poliqui Bay is the Pocdol Mountains in the town of Manito. The

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

Mayon Mayon (; , ), also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano is an active stratovolcano in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Albay in Bicol Region, Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is renowned for its "perfect cone" bec ...

standing at around , is the highest point of the province. It is the most famous

landform A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement ...

in Albay and in the whole

. This

active volcano An active volcano is a volcano that is currently erupting, or has the potential to erupt in the future. Conventionally it is applied to any that have erupted during the Holocene (the current geologic epoch that began approximately 11,700 years ...

falls under the jurisdiction of eight municipalities and cities of Albay:

, Guinobatan,

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 ...

, Ligao City, Malilipot,

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

, and Tabaco City. The western coast of the province is mountainous but not as prominent as the eastern range with the highest elevation at around . Among these mountains are Mount Catburawan in Ligao and Mount Pantao in Oas.

Administrative divisions

Albay comprises 15 municipalities/towns and three component cities ( Legazpi, Ligao and

). {, class="wikitable sortable" style="table-layout:fixed;text-align:right;background-color:white;font-size:95%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:auto;" , - style="vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap;" ! scope="col" style="border-width:thin 0 0 thin;" class="unsortable" rowspan="2" , ! scope="col" style="border-width:thin 0 0 0;text-align:left;padding-right:1.5em;" class="unsortable" colspan="2" , City municipality ! scope="col" style="border-bottom:none;" class="unsortable" ,

District A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

! scope="col" style="border-bottom:0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" colspan="3" , Population ! scope="col" style="border-bottom:0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" , ! scope="col" style="border-bottom:0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" colspan="2" , Area ! scope="col" style="border-bottom:0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" colspan="2" , Density ! scope="col" style="border-bottom:0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" , , - ! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;" colspan="2" , ! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;" colspan="1" , ! style="border-width:0 0 thin thin;text-align:center;" colspan="2" , ! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;text-align:center;" , ! style="border-top:0;" , ! style="border-width:0 0 thin thin;text-align:center;" , km² ! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" , ! style="border-width:0 0 thin thin;text-align:center;" , /km² ! style="border-width:0 thin thin 0;text-align:center;" class="unsortable" , ! style="border-top:0;" , , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Bacacay , style="text-align:center;" ,

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, , 68,906 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 56 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;" , , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" ,

, style="text-align:center;" ,

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

, , 66,904 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 50 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" ,

, style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 126,595 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 54 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Guinobatan , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 82,361 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 44 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Jovellar , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 17,308 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , - ! scope="row" style="border-width:thin 0 thin thin;background-color:initial;", , -style="background-color:#CCFFCC;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;background-color:#CCFFCC;border-right:0;" , , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Legazpi † , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 196,639 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 70 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Libon , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 75,172 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 47 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , - style="background:#ffe6f3;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left; background:#ffe6f3; border-right:0;" , , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Ligao ∗ , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 111,399 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 55 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Malilipot , style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 37,785 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 18 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Malinao , style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 45,301 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 29 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Manito , style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 24,707 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 15 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Oas , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 67,960 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 53 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Pio Duran , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 46,693 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 33 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Polangui , style="text-align:center;" , 3rd , , 88,221 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 44 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Rapu-Rapu , style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 36,920 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 34 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" ,

, style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 34,967 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 23 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , - style="background:#ffe6f3;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left; background:#ffe6f3; border-right:0;" , , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" ,

∗ , style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 133,868 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 47 , - ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;background-color:initial;", , style="text-align:left;font-weight:bold;border-left:0;" colspan="2" , Tiwi , style="text-align:center;" ,

, , 53,120 , , , , style="text-align:center;" , 25 , - class="sortbottom" ! scope="row" style="border-right:0;" , ! colspan="3" style="border-left:0;text-align:left;font-size:110%;letter-spacing:0.05em;" , TOTAL ! style="text-align:right;" , 1,374,768 ! style="text-align:right;" , 1,314,826 ! style="text-align:right;" , ! style="text-align:right;" , 2,574.91 ! style="text-align:right;" , ! style="text-align:right;" , ! style="text-align:right;" , ! style="text-align:center;" , 720 , - class="sortbottom" style="background-color:#F2F2F2;line-height:1.3em;border-top:double grey;white-space:nowrap;" , colspan="13" style="border-width:thin 0 0 0;text-align:center;padding:0.7em 0 0 0;" , Provincial capital and component city Municipality , - class="sortbottom" style="background-color:#F2F2F2;line-height:1.3em;font-size:110%;" , colspan="13" style="border-top:0;text-align:left;padding:0 12em;" ,

Demographics

The population of Albay in the 2020 census was 1,374,768 people,, making it the 20th most populous

in the country. It had a density of . Based on the 2007 census, there were 208,640 households in the province with an average size of 5.22 persons, significantly higher than the national average of 4.99.

Religion

Prior to colonization, the region had a complex religious system that involved various deities. These deities include: Gugurang, the supreme god who dwells inside of Mount Mayon where he guards and protects the sacred fire that his brother Aswang was trying to steal. Whenever people disobey his orders, wishes and commit numerous sins, he would cause Mount Mayon to burst lava as a sign of warning for people to mend their crooked ways. Ancient Bikolanos had a rite performed for him called Atang.Clark, Jordan (2011) ''The Aswang Phenomenon'' Animation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goLgDpSStmc Asuang, the evil god who always tries to steal the sacred fire of Mount Mayon from his brother, Gugurang. Addressed sometimes as Aswang, he dwells mainly inside Mount Malinao. As an evil god, he would cause the people to suffer misfortunes and commit sins. Enemy of Gugurang and a friend of Bulan the god of the Moon; Haliya, the masked goddess of the moonlight and the archenemy of Bakunawa and protector of Bulan. Her cult is composed primarily of women. There is also a ritual dance named after her as it is performed to be a countermeasure against Bakunawa.; ''Bulan'', the god of the pale moon, he is depicted as a pubescent boy with uncommon comeliness that made savage beast and the vicious mermaids (Magindara) tame. He has deep affection towards Magindang, but plays with him by running away so that Magindang would never catch him. The reason for this is because he is shy to the man that he loves. If Magindang manages to catch Bulan, Haliya always comes to free him from Magindang's grip; ''Magindang'', the god of the sea and all its creatures. He has deep affection to the lunar god Bulan and pursues him despite never catching him. Due to this, the Bicolanos reasoned that it is to why the waves rise to reach the Moon when seen from the distant horizon. Whenever he does catch up to Bulan, Haliya comes to rescue Bulan and free him immediately; ''Okot'', god of forest and hunting; and '' Bakunawa'', a gigantic sea serpent deity who is often considered as the cause of eclipses, the devourer of the Sun and the Moon, and an adversary of Haliya as Bakunawa's main aim is to swallow Bulan, who Haliya swore to protect for all of eternity.

Catholicism

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

is the predominant religion in the province, affiliated by 96.1% of the men and 95.7% of the women of Albay. Each town has its own fiesta for their

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

s and patronesses.

Others

Other religious denominations are the

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 ...

(INC) has 2 percent of the province, other

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 ...

churches such as the

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, other

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

as well as

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Languages

Albay is home to several languages and host to different native languages of Bicol Region. Out of seven Bikol languages (excluding the Bisakol languages, which are

Bisayan languages The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Mo ...

), only Pandan Bikol of northern

is not used or which the origin is not from Albay. The languages in the province are very diverse which includes the languages of Albay Bikol group which comprises the languages of West Miraya, East Miraya, Libon and Buhinon. Of the four Albay Bikol languages, Buhinon is the only one not used in Albay but rather in

Buhi, Camarines Sur Buhi, officially the Municipality of Buhi (Albay Bikol language, Buhinon: ''Banwaan nya Buhi''; Rinconada Bikol language, Rinconada Bikol: ''Banwāan ka Buhi''; Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Bayan ng Buhi''), is a municipality of the Philippines, ...

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 ...

is a minority language in the province and used by people in barangays of Libon and Polangui that are near the boundary of Bato and

Iriga Iriga, officially the City of Iriga (Rinconada Bikol: ''Syudad ka Iriga''; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the ...

. Another primary language used in the province is Central Bikol which is the native tongue of the population on the eastern coast of the

. Both Albay Bikol languages and Rinconada Bikol are members of Inland Bikol group of languages while Central Bikol is a language member of Coastal Bikol. The Tabaco - Legazpi - Sorsogon dialect of Central Bikol is spoken in Legazpi,

and neighboring municipalities on the east side of Albay, and some parts of northern

(especially in

Sorsogon City Sorsogon City, officially the City of Sorsogon (Southern Sorsogon language, Waray Sorsogon: ''Syudad san Sorsogon''; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, pro ...

). The majority of the inhabitants also understand English and Filipino as second languages.

Economy

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

is the main industry in Albay, which produces crops like

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

and

abacá Abacá ( ; ), also known as Manila hemp, is a species of banana, ''Musa textilis'', endemic to the Philippines. The plant grows to , and averages about . The plant has great economic importance, being harvested for its fiber extracted from t ...

Handicraft A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

s are the major source of rural income and comprises a fairly large share in the small-scale industries of the province. Forestry, cement production and paper-making are other sources of livelihood. The manufacture of abacá products such as

Manila hemp Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the 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 the island of Luzon, it is ...

, hats, bags, mats, furniture, home decors, and slippers is one of the main sources of income in the rural areas. Production of abaca fiber experienced a boom from the late 1800s until the American period. Fishing is the main livelihood along both shores of the province. Tourism, especially related to Mayon Volcano, also creates income for Albay. For the year 2013, Albay had a total of 339,445 foreign tourist arrivals. In the December, 2023 Pili Fiesta, Director Marita A. Carlos of DOST-PCAARRD introduced technologies on pili (C. ovatum tree) production in Albay,

. She aimed to promote pili as a flagship industry.

Government

Albay has

three 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

encompassing its 18 municipalities and 3 component cities. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;background-color:white;text-align:center;" , - style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:top;" ! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" , District ! scope="col" style="text-align:right;" , Representative ! scope="col" style="text-align:left;" , City municipality ! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" , District population , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" ,

District (Coastal District) , style="white-space:nowrap;text-align:right;" , Edcel C. Lagman , , 395,907 , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" ,

District (Capital District) , style="white-space:nowrap;text-align:right;" , Jose Sarte Salceda , , 477,781 , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" , 3rd District (Miraya District) , style="white-space:nowrap;text-align:right;" , Fernando Cabredo , , 501,080

Transportation

Roads

Albay has of national roads, mostly paved with asphalt, with remaining unpaved. Maharlika Highway (N1/AH26) serves as the principal road connection between other provinces. Most of the province is served by ''secondary national roads'', assigned route numbers in the series, namely Bicol-630 and Bicol-640. Almost all of the cities and municipalities are connected by national roads, except for Rapu-Rapu. In order to spur development in the province, the Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 the extension of South Luzon Expressway. A 420-kilometer, four lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the now under construction SLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao, Lucena City in

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon () and historically known as Tayabas, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon Regions of the Philippines, region on Luzon. Lucena, a highly urbanized ci ...

to Matnog, Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that they will invest the project which will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours.

Water transport

Albay is the region's principal trans-shipment point with its ports: Tabaco International Port, Legazpi National Port, Pio Duran Provincial Port, and the Pantao Regional Port.

Air transport

Traveling to the province by air is served by the Bicol International Airport in the municipality of

, adjacent municipality of Legazpi City. The airport is the province's gateway 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 ...

in the Visayas. The province was formerly served by the now defunct Legazpi Airport.

Railroads

Albay is served by the mainline of the Philippine National Railways (PNR), and has commuter service between Naga in

. Trains to Manila (Tutuban), the ''Mayon Limited'', is suspended from November 2012. Four stations serve Polangui, Ligao, Guinobatan, and Legazpi, respectively. File:Legazpi Grand Central Terminal aerial.jpg, Aerial view of the Legazpi Grand Central Terminal File:Front of Bicol International Airport.jpg, Front area of the Bicol International Airport Terminal Buildling File:Philippine Railways PNR Ligao Station.jpeg, A PNR train in Ligao railway station

Notable people

* Crispin Beltran – Filipino

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

leader. Former member of 13th Congress of the Philippines with the Anakpawis party-list and former chair of

Kilusang Mayo Uno Kilusang Mayo Uno (), also known by its initials KMU is an independent labor center in the Philippines. It promotes "genuine, militant and patriotic trade unionism". The KMU was established on May 1, 1980 to fill a clear need for a workers' or ...

. * Barbie Imperial – actress, model, and former housemate from '' Pinoy Big Brother: 737'' * Gwen Apuli – model, singer, dancer, former '' Pinoy Big Brother: Otso'' housemate, and member of

Pinoy pop Pinoy pop (also known as Philippine pop; an abbreviated form of "Pinoy popular music" or "Philippine popular music"; or P-Pop) refers to popular music in the Philippines originating from the Original Pilipino music, OPM genre. With its beginni ...

girl group Bini *

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 ...

– former

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA; ) is a government agency of the Philippines responsible for constituting the regional government of Metro Manila, comprising the capital city of Manila, the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, ...

Chairman * Elizabeth Oropesa – actress * Simeon Ola – Revolutionary general * Ramon Paje – 19th Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources * Ramon Obusan –

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the President of the Philippines on Philippine nationals who have made significant contributions to ...

for Dance. * Susan Enriquez – journalist, host * Salvacion Lim Higgins –

for Fashion Design. *

Bogs Adornado William "Bogs" Adornado (born May 26, 1951) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is one of the Philippine Basketball Association's Greatest Players and was inducted to its Hall of Fame in 2005. He was a three-time ...

– three-time PBA Most Valuable Player (1975, 1976, and 1981), one of the PBA's 25 Greatest Players of All-Time * Merlinda Bobis – contemporary Philippine-Australian writer and academic * Irene Cortes – former Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of the Philippines The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...

; first female Dean of the UP College of Law * Janelle Quintana – actress; 19th Aliw Awards Best New Female Artist nominee *

Valerie Weigmann Valerie Clacio Weigmann (born 22 November 1989) is a Filipino actress, fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World Philippines 2014. She represented the Philippines at the Miss World 2014 pageant held in London, Engl ...

– TV host, actress; Miss World Philippines 2014 * Athena Imperial – news field reporter, communication researcher and Miss Philippines Earth 2011. * Miguel White – track and field athlete; bronze medalist in the 400-metre hurdles at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

* Jun Lozada – electronics and communications engineer and former

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the Philippine Forest Corporation * David Nepomuceno – 1924 Olympian, first Filipino to compete in the Olympics * Catriona Gray – Miss Universe 2018 winner * Jonalyn Viray – singer-songwriter * Pedro Sabido – Former Senator, Former Ambassador to Spain and the Vatican, Former Albay 3rd District Representative (1922–1925, 1925–1928, 1928–1931, 1931–1934, 1935–1938, 1938–1941) Legislative districts of Albay#3rd District * Joey Salceda – Albay 2nd District Representative (2016–present), Former Albay Provincial Governor (2007–2016), Former Albay 3rd District Representative (1998–2001, 2001–2004, 2004–2007), Malacañang Chief of Staff (February 10, 2007 – March 29, 2007) Chief of Staff (Philippines) * Reno Lim – Former Albay 3rd District Representative (2007–2010) * Dianne Necio – Binibining Pilipinas International 2011, Binibining Pilipinas 2010 First Runner-up, Miss Tabak 2009, Mutya ng Bicolandia * Rodolfo Salalima – First Secretary of the

Department of Information and Communications Technology The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) () is the Executive departments of the Philippines, executive department of the Government of the Philippines, Philippine government responsible for the planning, development a ...

(DICT) * Henry Omaga-Diaz – journalist * Thomas Franco Rodriguez – member of Pinoy pop boy band Alamat and finalist, '' Pinoy Big Brother: 737'' teen edition * Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri – senator (2007-2011, 2016-2022, 2022-present), 24th Senate president (2022-2024), Senate Majority Leader (2008-2010, 2018-2022); former representative of

Bukidnon Bukidnon (), officially the Province of Bukidnon (; ; ; Bukid language, Binukid and Higaonon language, Higaonon: ''Probinsya ta Bukidnon''), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindan ...

's 3rd district (1998-2007). He traces his roots from Libon, Albay, a birthplace of his mother Maria Victoria Ocampo Fernandez who migrated with her family to Bukidnon as a child.

Notes

References

External links

* * *
New Albay Tourism Promotion Website

Province of Albay Official Website
{{Authority control Provinces of the Philippines Provinces of the Bicol Region States and territories established in 1636 1636 establishments in the Philippines Biosphere reserves of the Philippines

History

Early history

Spanish colonial era

Philippine revolution

American invasion era

Japanese occupation era

Marcos dictatorship

Geography

Topography

Administrative divisions

Demographics

Religion

Catholicism

Others

Languages

Economy

Government

Transportation

Roads

Water transport

Air transport

Railroads

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

External links