Naga, Camarines Sur

This article is about the independent city in Camarines Sur. For the city in Cebu, see Naga, Cebu. For other uses, see Naga (disambiguation).

Naga
Independent component city
City of Naga
(From top, left to right) Universidad de Santa Isabel, Holy Rosary Seminary, Ateneo de Naga University, Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, Naga City Hall, Malabsay Falls, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine, Peñafrancia Festival, Carmelite Monastery
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Queen City of Bicol The Heart of Bicol An Maogmang Lugar (The Happy Place) Pilgrim City of Naga One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun
Motto(s):  Naga Na, Uswag Pa! (Naga Now, Prosper More!)
Anthem: Heart of Bicol March
Map of Camarines Sur with Naga highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Naga Location within the Philippines Naga Naga (Philippines)
Coordinates: 13°37′28″N 123°11′11″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Province	Camarines Sur (geographically only)
District	3rd district
Founded (as Ciudad de Nueva Caceres)	1575
Royal City-Charter	1595
Renamed as Naga	1919
Cityhood	June 18, 1948
Founded by	Capt. Pedro de Chavez
Barangays	27 (see Barangays)
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Mayor	Nelson S. Legacion
• Vice Mayor	Cecilia V. de Asis
• Representative	Gabriel H. Bordado, Jr.
• City Council	Members Jessie R. Albeus Joselito S. del Rosario Ghiel G. Rosales Melvin Ramon G. Buenafe Gilda Gayle A. Gomez Vidal P. Castillo Jose C. Rañola Jose B. Perez Salvador M. del Castillo Antonio B. Beltran
• Electorate	117,481 voters (2022)
Area
• Independent component city	84.48 km2 (32.62 sq mi)
• Urban	225.79 km2 (87.18 sq mi)
• Metro	1,342 km2 (518 sq mi)
Elevation	66 m (217 ft)
Highest elevation	1,864 m (6,115 ft)
Lowest elevation	−1 m (−3 ft)
Population  (2020 census)
• Independent component city	209,170
• Density	2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi)
• Urban	342,769
• Urban density	1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
• Metro	858,414
• Metro density	640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
• Households	45,984
Demonym(s)	Nagueño (masculine) Nagueña (feminine) Nagueñians (English, unofficial)
Economy
• Income class	1st city income class (R.A. 11964)
• Poverty incidence	21.37 % (2021)
• Revenue	₱ 1,362 million (2020), 703.3 million (2012)
• Assets	₱ 5,536 million (2020), 2,222 million (2012)
• Expenditure	₱ 1,294 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 718.8 million (2020), 671.3 million (2012)
Service provider
• Electricity	Camarines Sur 2 Electric Cooperative (CASURECO 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4400
PSGC	0501724000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)54
Native languages	Central Bikol
Feast date	Third Saturday and Third Sunday of September
Catholic diocese	Archdiocese of Caceres
Patron saint	Our Lady of Peñafrancia
Website	naga.gov.ph

Naga, officially the City of Naga (Central Bikol: Syudad nin Naga; Rinconada Bikol: Syudad ka Naga; Filipino: Lungsod ng Naga; Spanish: Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres), or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is a 1st class independent component city in the Bicol Region. According to the 2020 census, Naga has a population of 209,170 people. The most populous in Camarines Sur and the second most populous following Legazpi City in Albay.

The town was established in 1575 by order of Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande. The city, then named Ciudad de Nueva Cáceres (New Cáceres City), was one of the Spanish royal cities in the Spanish East Indies, along with Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo, historically to be the third oldest.

Geographically and statistically classified, as well as legislatively represented within Camarines Sur, but administratively independent of the provincial government, Naga is considered to be the Bicol Region's trade, business, religious, cultural, industrial, commercial, medical, educational, and financial center.

Naga is known as the "Queen City of Bicol" due to the historical significance of Naga in the Bicol Region; as the "Heart of Bicol", due to its central geographical location on the Bicol Peninsula; and as "Pilgrim City," since Naga is also the destination of one of the largest Marian pilgrimages in Asia to the shrine of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, an image that is one of the country's most popular objects of devotion. Naga is described as "One of the Seven Golden Cities of the Sun" by Nick Joaquín.

It is one of the two Philippine cities named Naga, the other being Naga, Cebu in Visayas.

Etymology

Lignum nephriticum cup made of narra wood (the namesake of the province) produced opalescent colors when water is poured into it. These wooden cups were a major pre-colonial and colonial industry of Naga.

Naga is the native pre-colonial name of the city. It is named after the narra tree (Pterocarpus indicus), which is known as naga in the Bikol language. It was abundant in the region and was part of a pre-colonial industry of wooden cups and bowls made from narra that produced distinctive blue and yellow opalescent colors when water is poured into them (later known to Europeans as lignum nephriticum). During the Spanish colonial era, they were exported to Mexico as luxury goods for their purported diuretic properties via the Manila-Acapulco Galleons, and from there, to Europe. They were often presented as gifts to European nobility.

The Jesuit missionary and historian Juan José Delgado (1697-1755) describes the industry in the following:

The city called Nueva Cáceres by the Spaniards bears among the natives the name Naga, on account of the abundance of this tree throughout those provinces of Camarines and Albay, where they carve very curious cups out of it for drinking water. Those made of female naga (pale white wood) are much the better, for this wood tinges the water very quickly to a celestial color, more quickly than the male (reddish wood). These cups are much esteemed in Europe and are regarded as a gift well worthy of any prince. Out of one of these cups they made me drink when I was a child, in Cadiz (Spain), as a remedy for hydropsy and oppilation, and I think that it might have helped me had I not drunk too much.

— Juan José Delgado, Biblioteca Histórica Filipina: Historia general sacro-profana, política y natural de las islas del poniente llamadas Filipinas (1751),

History

Precolonial era

The Bicolandia was closely allied with the Kedatuan of Madja-as Confederation, which was located southeast on Panay Island. According to the epic Maragtas, two datus and their followers, who followed Datu Puti, arrived at Taal Lake, with one group later settling around Laguna de Bay, and another group pushing southward into the Bicol Peninsula, placing the Bicolanos between people from Luzon and people from the Visayas. An ancient tomb preserved among the Bicolanos, discovered and examined by anthropologists during the 1920s, refers to some of the same deities and personages mentioned in the Maragtas.

Spanish colonial period

Main article: Nueva Cáceres

Visit of Gov.-Gen Narciso Claveria y Zaldua at Nueva Caceres in Feb 16, 1845. Painting by Honorato Lozano

In 1573, on his second expedition to this region, the conquistador Juan de Salcedo landed in a settlement named Naga in the native languages, because of the abundance of narra trees (naga in Bikol).

In 1575, Captain Pedro de Chávez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on the site of the present business centre (across the river from the original Naga) a Spanish city which he named La Ciudad de Cáceres, in honor of Francisco de Sande, the Governor-General and a native of Cáceres in Spain. Nueva Caceres, had 30 Spanish Households then.

It was by this name of "Nueva Caceres" that it was identified in the papal bull of August 14, 1595, which established the see of Cáceres, together with Cebú and Nueva Segovia, and made it the seat of the new bishopric subject to the Archdiocese of Manila. Nueva Caceres was settled by around 100 Spaniards from Europe and reinforced by migrations from Mexico.

In time, the Spanish city and the native village merged into one community and became popularly known as "Nueva Cáceres", to distinguish it from its namesake in Spain. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with an ayuntamiento and cabildo of its own. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines. Nueva Cáceres remained the capital of the Ambos Camarines provinces and later of Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent chartered city of Naga under a sovereign Philippines.

For hundreds of years during the Spanish colonial era, Naga grew to become the center of trade, education, and culture, and the seat of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Bicol.

Oragon Monument (Historical Marker)

Liberation (1898)

Under the commands of Corporals Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo, revolutionaries planned a revolt against the Spanish on September 18, 1898. Gunfire rang out until 5 a.m., and the remaining Spaniards sought shelter at the convent of San Francisco Church. When the Spaniards could no longer withstand the pressure, they signed a peace treaty at the University of Sta. Isabel, a school. The aforementioned "peace treaty" is displayed at the USI Museum.

A display at Museo Historico de Universidad de Sta. Isabel depicting Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo, two Bicolano revolutionaries during the Spanish period.

This revolt marked a turning point in Naga City's history, bringing an end to over 323 years of Spanish rule since the founding of Nueva Cáceres. A city ordinance, passed by the Naga City Government, designates September 19th as Liberation Day in the City of Naga. This is ordinance number 2006-050. The ordinance also outlines activities for commemorating Liberation Day and allocates funds to support them.

American colonial period

Naga, Camarines Sur (1935)

With the advent of American rule, the city was reduced to a municipality. In 1919, it lost its Spanish name and became officially known as Naga.

World War II and Japanese occupation

Naga came under Japanese occupation on December 18, 1941, following the Japanese invasion of Legaspi a few days earlier.

In 1945, toward the end of World War II, combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth troops—of the United States Army, Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary, as well as Bicolano guerrilla resistance groups—liberated Naga from Imperial Japanese troops.

Independent Philippines

After Naga was liberated from the Japanese, Naga began rebuilding. Having suffered only a few casualties, Naga was able to rebuild quickly after the war.

Cityhood

Main article: Cities of the Philippines

After many petitions, Naga became a city on June 18, 1948, when it acquired its present city charter; and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year by virtue of Republic Act No. 305.

Geography

Naga is located within the province of Camarines Sur at the southeastern part of Luzon, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Pili and 435 kilometres (270 mi) southeast of Manila, the nation's capital, and near the center of the Bicol Region.

Naga River along San Francisco, Naga City

It is surrounded on all sides by forests and by rich agricultural and fishing areas. It has an area of 84.48 km² and is located on the serpentine and historic Naga River, at the confluence of the Naga and Bikol rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade, and as center for schools, church, and government offices. Included its territory is a portion of Mount Isarog, Barangay Panicuason, a declared protected area known as Mount Isarog Natural Park covering 10,090.89 hectares.

Bicol River watershed

Mount Isarog

Climate

Climate data for Naga
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30.2 (86.4)	31.1 (88.0)	32.8 (91.0)	34.3 (93.7)	34.2 (93.6)	32.4 (90.3)	31.3 (88.3)	30.8 (87.4)	31.1 (88.0)	31.2 (88.2)	31.0 (87.8)	30.3 (86.5)	31.7 (89.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	25.6 (78.1)	26.1 (79.0)	27.6 (81.7)	29.1 (84.4)	29.5 (85.1)	28.4 (83.1)	27.7 (81.9)	27.4 (81.3)	27.6 (81.7)	27.3 (81.1)	26.9 (80.4)	26.0 (78.8)	27.4 (81.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	20.9 (69.6)	21.1 (70.0)	22.5 (72.5)	24.0 (75.2)	24.8 (76.6)	24.4 (75.9)	24.1 (75.4)	24.0 (75.2)	24.0 (75.2)	23.5 (74.3)	22.8 (73.0)	21.6 (70.9)	23.1 (73.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	6.3 (0.25)	3.3 (0.13)	7.1 (0.28)	9.3 (0.37)	100.4 (3.95)	272.7 (10.74)	341.2 (13.43)	398.3 (15.68)	326.0 (12.83)	230.0 (9.06)	120.4 (4.74)	48.8 (1.92)	1,863.8 (73.38)
Average rainy days	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	7.0	14.0	16.0	19.0	17.0	13.0	9.0	5.0	104

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Naga has a tropical savanna climate.

The weather in the city from March to May is hot and dry, with temperatures ranging from 24 to 34 °C (75 to 93 °F). The typhoon season is from June to October, and the weather then is generally rainy. From November to February, the climate is cooler with temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C (72 to 82 °F). The average year-round humidity is 77%.

Barangays

Naga is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Political subdivisions of Naga

Barangays	Class	Population	Barangay head
Abella	Urban	5,757	Hon. Apolinario Malana Jr.
Bagumbayan Norte	Urban	2,203	Hon. Raquel Tutanes
Bagumbayan Sur	Urban	7,867	Hon. Josephine Camba
Balatas	Urban	11,112	Hon. Ferdinand De Hitta
Calauag	Urban	11,295	Hon. Ma. Corazon Peñaflor
Cararayan	Urban	19,692	Hon. Rodrigo Agravante Jr.
Carolina	Urban	6,870	Ho. Leoncio Libuit
Concepcion Grande	Urban	11,125	Hon. Jerrold Rito
Concepcion Pequeña	Urban	25,139	Hon. Juan Francis Mendoza
Dayangdang	Urban	4,130	Hon. Julius Cesar Sanchez
Del Rosario	Urban	10,337	Hon. Jose Peñas III
Dinaga	Urban	344	Hon. Ma. Cristina Intia
Igualdad Interior	Urban	3,008	Hon. Angelito Bendiola
Lerma	Urban	1,640	Hon. Domingo Serrado
Liboton	Urban	3,105	Hon. Ronald Luntok
Mabolo	Urban	8,125	Hon. Arthur Matos
Pacol	Urban	14,747	Hon Ruben Limbo
Panicuason	Urban	3,100	Hon. Domingo Ramos
Peñafrancia	Urban	4,503	Hon. Jacky Villafuerte
Sabang	Urban	6,838	Hon. Cyrus Caballero
San Felipe	Urban	21,098	Hon. Alfonso Rodriguez
San Francisco	Urban	722	Hon. Efren Nepomuceno
San Isidro	Urban	3,432	Hon. Veronica Panganiban
Santa Cruz	Urban	7,135	Hon. Felix Matias Largo
Tabuco	Urban	4,240	Hon. Elisa Carmona
Tinago	Urban	2,904	Hon. Estelita Bautista
Triangulo	Urban	8,702	Hon. Raymund Arevalo

Demographics

Population census of Naga

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 17,943 —     1918 9,396 −4.22% 1939 22,505 +4.25% 1948 56,238 +10.71% 1960 55,506 −0.11%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1970 79,846 +3.70% 1975 83,337 +0.86% 1980 90,712 +1.71% 1990 115,329 +2.43% 1995 126,972 +1.82%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 137,810 +1.77% 2007 160,516 +2.13% 2010 174,931 +3.18% 2015 196,003 +2.19% 2020 209,170 +1.29%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

According to the 2020 census, the population of Naga is 209,170 people, with a density of 2,300/km². Naga had an average annual population growth of 1.29% between 2010 and 2020 according to same census. All populated areas of the city are classified as urban. Naga City has about the same population as Legazpi City (209,533).

Religion

Roman Catholicism

Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Peñafrancia

The city is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres, which oversees the Catholic population in the Bicol Region, whose archbishop is the primate of the region. This dominant faith is supported by the presence of old and influential Catholic institutions, from universities to churches run by different religious institutes, notably the Ateneo de Naga University by the Jesuits; the Universidad de Santa Isabel by the Daughters of Charity; the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, which is the oldest cathedral that is still standing in Luzon outside Metro Manila; Peñafrancia Basilica Minore, which is the largest Catholic structure in southern Luzon in terms of size and land area; Our Lady of Peñafrancia Shrine; the historic San Francisco Church; and Peñafrancia Museum.

Other Christian faiths

Protestant denominations in the city include Seventh-day Adventists and Bible Baptists, whose churches are located along Magsaysay Avenue, while other Protestants attend the Methodist Church which is among the old structures along Peñafrancia Avenue.

The Assemblies of God maintains a fast-growing ministry in Naga. Aside from Naga Bethel Church (formerly Naga Bethel Temple), which is located on Felix Plazo Street, other local congregations are Philippians Christian Fellowship (in barangays San Felipe), Gethsemane Christian Ministries (in Carolina), and outreach ministries in other barangays.

The largest minority religion in Naga is Iglesia ni Cristo (INC). INC has several chapels in different barangays in the city, and the local congregation is the largest in the district. It is followed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formerly known as "Mormon") which has several congregations (wards) with their main church building situated along Panganiban Drive not far from the INC's.

There is also a concentration of Jesus Miracle Crusade ministries in the city.

Other religions

Taoist Temple along Naga river

Muslims, Sikhs, and Taoists can also be found in the city.

Language

The Coastal Bikol-Central dialect of the Coastal Bikol language is the dominant dialect spoken by the population in Naga. Central Standard Bikol is also the basis for other dialects in the Bicol Region. The majority of the city's population can understand and speak English, Filipino, and Tagalog. Because of the influx of people from the Rinconada area that are studying in different universities, Rinconada Bikol can also be heard in different schools and throughout the city. Some Nagueños have varying degrees of proficiency with Rinconada Bikol, since the southern half of Pili, which is the boundary between Rinconada Bikol and Coastal Bikol speakers, is just few kilometers away from Naga. Although the main language is Bikol, and the medium of instruction in school is English, people in Naga usually tell time and count in Spanish.

Isarog Agta Language

In 2010, UNESCO released its 3rd volume of Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, where three critically endangered languages were in the Philippines. One of these is the Isarog Agta language, of the Isarog Agta people, who live on Mount Isarog and are one of the original Negrito settlers in the Philippines, belonging to the Aeta people classification but with language and belief systems unique to their own culture and heritage.

Only five Isarog Agta spoke their indigenous language in the year 2000. The language was classified as "Critically Endangered", meaning the youngest speakers are grandparents and older, speak the language partially and infrequently, and hardly pass the language to their children and grandchildren. If the remaining 150 Isarog Agta do not pass their native language to the next generation, it will be extinct within one to two decades.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Naga

5 10 15 20 25 30 2006 16.60 2009 24.39 2012 15.69 2015 19.29 2018 9.12 2021 21.37 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Central Business District 2

Naga is the Bicol Region's center of commerce and industry. Strategically located at the midway of Bicol, Naga is the trade center in Bicol for goods from Luzon and Visayas. Naga was inducted into the “Hall of Fame – Most Business Friendly City” by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry for being a reliable partner to the business community. Consistently, Naga is the No. 1 competitive independent component city of the Philippines from 2015-2016; and 2021-2024.

The city's economy was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during mid-2020 and was estimated that its assets contracted by around 4% and an unidentified number of small to medium businesses closed. In the 2nd quarter of 2021 following the 11-12% quarterly growth of the country, several businesses in the city reopened. From 2021, the city is experiencing steady economic improvement and growth.

Business districts

Panganiban Drive

Naga City People's Mall (Public Market)

Downtown Naga (commonly called "Centro") is located in the southern part of the city. It is bordered on the north by the Naga University Belt and on the south by the historical Naga City People's Mall or simply Naga City Community Supermarket. It encompasses the three public plazas of Naga: The Plaza Quince Martires, The Plaza Quezon, and the Plaza Rizal, which is the center of Central Business District 1 (CBD-1). Downtown Naga is the location of local businesses that sell local delicacies and native products from neighboring municipalities and provinces.

San Francisco Church behind Plaza Quince Martires

Plaza Rizal

The Oragon Monument in front of Naga City People's Mall

A second business district, known as the Central Business District 2 (CBD-2), is located along Panganiban Drive and Roxas, Ninoy, and Cory avenues. It is also the location of several shopping complexes (S&R, Landers, SM, Robinsons and LCC Malls, a central bus terminal and PUV south-bound terminal, and the Naga City IT Park, which houses several business process outsourcing offices.

South Riverfront growth area

South Riverfront is composed of the whole of Barangay Sabang except those areas that are socialized housing sites or are otherwise excluded by the Naga City land-use plan for commercial or industrial development. It is bordered by CBD-1 (to the east), the Naga River, and the town of Camaligan, Camarines Sur.

Magsaysay district

Naga City-Magsaysay skyline.

UMA Residences Condo, Magsaysay

The main road in the city is Magsaysay Avenue, or Boulevard, which runs from Bagumbayan Road (Naga-Calabanga–Siruma–Garchitorena–Partido North Road), connecting it to Magsaysay district, where accommodations and restaurants catering to travelers are found. Businesses are usually open until late at night, with some shops open 24/7. Naga also has its share of fastfood restaurant chains. The city hall and several provincial offices are also located in the district, around the Peñafrancia Basilica.

Naga City Industrial Park

A sprawling 25+ hectares of land is the Naga City Export Processing Zone in Barangay Carolina, Naga City (Proclamation No. 299, s. 2023), to cater light manufacturing industries focused on high-value engineering products destined for export. First of its kind in Naga and the Bicol Region, the export processing zone will boost the city's economy, provide employment opportunities, and bolster the country’s export manufacturing sector.

Banking and finance

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) Naga Office, handling Clearing house and Gold trade.

In 2017, the banks in the city numbered around 66, excluding Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The city hosts the regional bank offices of Banco de Oro, Philippine National Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank, RCBC, Allied Bank, China Banking Corporation, Philtrust Bank, UnionBank of the Philippines, Philippine Veterans Bank, Asia United Bank, Maybank, Bank of Commerce, East West Bank, Bank of Makati, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and the Philippine Postal Savings Bank. Other government banks include Landbank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines.

Shopping malls and Hotels

SM City Naga

Avenue Plaza Hotel (Avenue Square), Magsaysay

SM City Naga, the first SM Supermall in Bicol Region opened in 2009. LCC Mall Naga arose at Felix Plazo Street, Sabang in 1997, while Nagaland E-Mall, set up in 2004, is in Downtown Naga. Built in 2005, Avenue Square is the region's first "lifestyle center", along Magsaysay Avenue. Metro Mall Naga (2012) is in front of Bicol Medical Center. Later, Robinsons Place Naga opened in 2017. Followed by Vista Mall (2018) along Maharlika Highway, in Barangay Del Rosario. Both S&R Membership Shopping and Landers Superstore which opened in 2023 and 2024, respectively, are located along Roxas Avenue. Leisure hubs abound in the city proper and suburbs but most of which are in Magsaysay Avenue, Dayangdang, and along Roxas Avenue (Diversion Road). There are more than sixty (60) hotels and inns within the city proper, having two 4-star hotels: Avenue Plaza Hotel and Summit Hotel Naga, and ten (10) 3-star hotels.

S&R Naga

Landers Naga

IT–Business Process outsourcing

Naga City Technology Park

Naga was cited as one of the best places to conduct information technology–business process outsourcing (IT–BPO) activities in the Philippines.

As of 2024, the city currently has several IT parks and centers (registered special eco-zones) — the Naga City IT Park (Triangulo IT Park, Proclamation No. 616, s. 2013), ALDP E-Park, ANR Business Center, and the Robinsons Cybergate Naga.

Cybergate Naga

Current clients include IBM, Quantrics, Concentrix, ProbeCX, Stellar, and Klasp Global Solutions, Inc.

Culture

Naga is considered to be Bicol's cultural center, due to the largest festival in the region, the Peñafrancia Festival, being held in the city.

Festivals

Fluvial Procession for Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Peñafrancia Festival

The city celebrates the feast of Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia (Our Lady of Peñafrancia), the patroness of the Bicol Region. Starting on the second Friday of September each year, the 10-day feast, the largest Marian devotion in the country. The start of the festival is signalled by a procession (or Translacion) when the centuries-old image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is transferred from its shrine at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia to the 400-year-old Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. Coinciding with nine days of novena prayer at the cathedral, the city celebrates with parades, pageants, street parties, singing contests, exhibits, concerts, and other activities. Finally, on the third Saturday of September, the image is returned, shoulder-borne by so-called voyadores, to the basilica via the historic Naga River. The following day marks the feast day of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, when Pontifical High Masses are celebrated in the basilica, attended by hundreds of thousands of faithful devotees.

Kamundagan Festival

Naga celebrates the Kamundagan Festival every Christmas. It begins with the lighting of the Christmas Village in the Plaza Quezon Grandstand.

Kinalas Festival

Naga celebrates the Kinalas Festival during its yearly anniversary of chartership or cityhood. It honors local delicacies, including kinalas and siling labuyo, with a food contest.

Food and delicacies

Naga is known for some native foods and delicacies.

Kinalas and log-log are noodle soup dishes served Bicol style, similar to mami except for a topping of what looks like a pansit palabok sauce, and the meaty dark soup made from boiling a cow's or a pig's head until the flesh falls off. Kinalas is from the old Bicol word kalas, which refers to the "fall off the bone" meat that is placed on top of the noodles. The soup is the broth of beef bone and bone marrow (sometimes skull and brain included) or what Manileños call bulalo. The soup is topped with very tender meat slices that also come from the head. It is usually served hot with an egg, and sprinkled with roasted garlic and spring onions. Kalamansi and patis may be added according to taste. Kinalas is usually paired with Baduya, or with Banana or camote cue.

Other delicacies, such as, buko juice, nata de coco, and pan de Naga are found in the city.

Sports

Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum

The Metro Naga Sports Complex, in Barangay Pacol, has Olympic-sized swimming pools, tennis courts, and a track oval.

The Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum, formerly the Naga City Coliseum which is renamed in honor of the late DILG secretary and former mayor of Naga, is the largest indoor arena in southern Luzon.

Transportation

Airport

Naga Airport

The city is served by the Naga Airport (WNP) located in Barangay San Jose in the neighboring town of Pili. It has a runway of 1,402 meters (4,600 ft) and thus is capable of handling only small aircraft.

Railways

Philippine National Railways Naga Station

Naga is the regional head office and the center point of the Philippine National Railway's Bicol Line.

Naga—along with those of adjacent towns and cities, from Tagkawayan, Quezon Province, to Ligao, Albay—is served daily by the Bicol Express. Naga City to Ligao City, Albay resumed operations last July 2023, while Naga to Legazpi resumed in December 2023.

Roads and bridges

As of December 2009, Naga's total road network is 185.02 kilometers (114.97 mi) in length, of which 147.67 kilometers (91.76 mi) are paved with concrete, 14.63 kilometers (9.09 mi) with asphalt overlay, 4.10 kilometers (2.55 mi) with asphalt, 11.87 kilometers (7.38 mi) are gravel, while 5.76 kilometers (3.58 mi) are dirt. This translates to an increase of 19.74 kilometers (12.27 mi) since 1998.

The city is connected to the capital Manila by the Andaya and Maharlika highways.

In order to spur development in the city, the Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 the extension of South Luzon Expressway. A 420 kilometres (260 mi), four-lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the under-construction SLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao, Lucena City in Quezon, to Matnog, Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that they will fund the project, which will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours.

Public transportation

Bicol Central Station

The most common vehicles used for intra-city travel are public utility jeepneys (PUJ), multicabs, trikes (tricycles) and e-trikes, and padyak.

PUJs and multicabs, a total of 300+ units, are a major mode of intra-city transport used by regular commuters.

Trikes are the most used land transport in the city. There are around 1,500 units available for hire while 1,150 are for private use. Concerns with abusive local transport drivers, overcharging and traffic violations are reported and handled by the Naga City Public Safety Office and city transport franchising.

Padyak is commonly used in short distances such as subdivisions and barangay roads transportation. They are generally slow and small, perfect for cul-de-sacs and alleys.

Inter-town trips are served by 400+ filcab vans and 700+ jeepneys, while inter-provincial trips are served by an average of 300+ airconditioned and non-airconditioned buses and 80+ Filcab vans.

Recently, about 50+ taxi units is available in the city. SM City Naga serves are their waiting area for passengers

Public services

Health care

Naga is the medical center of the Bicol Region. The largest hospitals include the government-owned Bicol Medical Center (1000-bed capacity by virtue of Republic Act No. 11478), Camarines Sur Medical Center in Bula, Camarines Sur, and the Universidad de Sta Isabel – Mother Seton Hospital, owned and operated by the Daughters of Charity. The Metropolitan Naga Medical District, in Naga, is the only medical district in Bicol.

Bicol Medical Center

Bicol Medical Center (BMC) offers residency programs in anesthesia, otolaryngology, head and neck surgery (ENT), internal medicine, pathology and laboratories, obstetrics & gynecology, orthopedics, pediatrics, radiology, and surgery, among others. It is also a base hospital of the Helen Keller Foundation, where eye specialists from all over the country are trained and later assigned to different parts of the Philippines.

Naga City General Hospital

Universidad de Santa Isabel - Mother Seton Hospital (USI – MSH), is the largest private hospital in the region by number of admissions, medical equipment facilities, number of beds available, physical structure, and number of board-certified medical consultants. It is the only private hospital in Bicol offering specialty training programs, accredited by the Philippine Medical Association's component society, in major fields of medicine, such as internal medicine, pediatrics, and general surgery.

Located in Balatas Development Center, Balatas, Naga City, the Naga City General Hospital (NCGH) [Phase I], was inaugurated last December 12, 2023, to provide top-notch additional medical care and services to Naga City constituents.

The Plaza Medica houses the Naga Endocrine Laboratory (also called the Endolab), a modern hormone laboratory and facility.

Bicol Access Health Centrum is another large hospital located in the city. It houses the Regional Disease Research Center, the first and only in the region.

Several secondary and tertiary hospitals can be found in the city.

Waste management and disposal

Solid waste

The main pollutants in the city come in the form of solid waste generated daily. Generally, these wastes come from various sources: residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional.

Naga generates approximately 85.8 tons of waste per year, based on the latest 2009 estimates, where agricultural waste makes up a little more than one-fourth (26%) of the total volume. Food waste makes up a slightly smaller share, at 23%. Paper-based materials compose 12%, while other categories contribute smaller percentages.

Solid wastes are disposed of and collected via the city's garbage trucks, which traverse ten routes on a daily basis. Collected wastes are then dumped at the new sanitary landfill in Barangay San Isidro, where they are segregated according to type of waste, and whether biodegradable or non-biodegradable.

Liquid waste

A study of wastewater treatment facilities is incorporated in the proposed septage management ordinance, where the city will be very strict in forcing compliance with proper waste treatment by housing and establishment owners. The local water-utility agency has made the Metro Naga Water District its local partner in providing septage services, in exchange for adding environmental fees to water bills.

The new wastewater treatment facility of SM City Naga, operational since April 20, 2009, has a capacity of 500 cubic meters per day; but at present, it is treating only around 200.

Fire safety

The Naga City Central Fire Station (BFP) is one of the most well equipped fire stations in the country. Other fire stations include Naga Chin Po Tong Fire Brigade, and the Naga White Volunteers.

Police and law enforcement

The city is the location of two of the largest police stations in the Bicol Region. The historic Naga City Police Station (now Naga City Police Office), which had been the military base of operations of the Guardia Civil in the region, during the time of Spanish rule. Another police office, located in Barangay Concepcion Grande, is the provincial office of the Philippine National Police for Camarines Sur.

New Development Areas and upcoming development areas

Sta. Cruz Development Area Balatas New Development Area

Balatas New Development Area

Almeda New Development Area

Almeda New Development Area

Naga River Development Area

Naga River Development Area

Education

Naga is the home of the three largest universities in the Bicol Region. The city is also the home of several colleges.

Tertiary education

Ateneo de Naga University

Universidad de Santa Isabel

Ateneo de Naga University is a Jesuit university and the largest Catholic university in the Bicol Region. The school has been accredited by PAASCU since 1979 and is the first university in the Philippines to achieve PAASCU Institutional Accreditation, on top of its Autonomous and Level III status. It is a "center of excellence" in teacher education, and a center of development in business administration, entrepreneurship, and information technology. It has produced animators for the country since it launched its bachelor's degree in animation.

The Universidad de Santa Isabel was inaugurated on April 12, 1869, as a private Catholic university owned and run by the Daughters of Charity and is the "first normal school for women in the Philippines and Southeast Asia and the Heritage and Historical University of Bicol". It was established by six sisters of the order who arrived in the Bicol Region on April 4, 1868, with the Bishop of Caceres, Francisco Gainza, O.P., the founder of Colegio de Santa Isabel.

University of Nueva Caceres was the very first university in Bicol, and is considered to be largest in the region, due to its attendance and size, that offers courses from kindergarten to graduate school. Founded by Dr. Jaime Hernandez in 1948, it has grown to become one of the leading institutions of higher learning in the Philippines. All course offerings are recognized by the government, and the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, and Commerce are accredited by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACU-COA). Its College of Engineering and Architecture is now one of the few regional centers for technological education in the Philippines.

Technical colleges in the city include the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (South East Asian University of Technology), Naga College Foundation, Mariner's Polytechnic Colleges Foundation, AMA Computer College, and STI College. Specialized computer schools include Worldtech Resources Institute (WRI), among others.

The country's oldest live-in Christian higher educational institute for the clergy was established in the city in the early part of the 18th century. The Holy Rosary Seminary (El Seminario del Santissimo Rosario), a Roman Catholic seminary run by the Archdiocese of Caceres, has produced 22 bishops, including the first Filipino bishop, Jorge Barlin, and the first Filipino cardinal to work in the Roman Curia, Jose Tomas Sanchez. The seminary has contributed, as well, to the national heritage, through José María Panganiban, Tomás Arejola, and seven of the Fifteen Martyrs of Bicol. On January 29, 1988, the National Historical Institute declared the Holy Rosary Seminary a National Historical Landmark.

Secondary and primary education

The government-run Camarines Sur National High School, which was established in 1902, registers over 10,000 enrollees every school year, and it is the biggest secondary school in the region. Among other secondary schools in the city is the Tinago National High School.

Naga City Science High School was established in Naga in 1994. It has pilot curricula, including the Spanish curriculum, which is the third one in the Philippines, and the journalism curriculum, which allows students to receive training and exposure to college-level situations. The school is consistently a champion at the Doon Po Sa Amin national documentary contest.

Two schools in the city, Saint Joseph School (SJS) and Naga Hope Christian School (NHCS), cater to Filipino-Chinese students.

Naga Parochial School (NPS) is the largest parochial school in the region; it receives 850 enrollees yearly. It is run by priests of the Archdiocese of Caceres. It is the first PAASCU-accredited parochial school in the Philippines. Some members of the clergy (63 as of 2007 with 3 bishops) assigned to the city are alumni of the school. Well-known personalities—such as the late Raul Roco, Jesse Robredo, Francis Garchitorena, Luis Villafuerte, Jaime Fabregas, Jonathan Dela Paz Zaens, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, and Bishop Jose Rojas—are graduates of NPS.

Private schools—such as Arborvitae Plains Montessori, Inc.; Naga City Montessori School; and the Village Montessori School—can be found in the city. Tutorial and review centers for higher education are also found in the city.

Media

Television networks

For the complete lists of the TV and radio stations, see List of television and radio stations in Naga, Camarines Sur.

All of the major television broadcasting channels' regional offices are located in the city. TV5 Network Inc.'s TV5 airs shows via channel 22, GMA Network's channel 7 and GMA News TV channel 28 are also available and the newscast Balitang Bicolandia. ABS-CBN TV, ceased operations prior to COVID-19 pandemic.

Cable/satellite TV, ISPs, Telcos and Cellular Networks

The city's cable and satellite TV companies include South Luzon Cable and DCTV Cable Network Naga (Formerly SkyCable Naga).

Internet service providers and Telcos include Globe, PLDT/Smart, DITO, Converge, and DCTV. 5G is available in selected areas.

Radio stations

Naga has a number of FM and AM radio stations, some of which operate 24 hours daily.

Notable personalities

• Andrew E – Filipino singer and rapper
• Johnny Abarrientos – a Philippine basketball player who played in the PBA from 1993 to 2010. He is currently serving as coach of the team B-Meg Llamados
• Tomás Arejola – lawyer, legislator, diplomat, political writer and a propagandist during the Spanish colonial period.
• Joker Arroyo – was a statesman and key figure in the EDSA People Power Revolution which evicted then-president Ferdinand Marcos and his family from office. He also served as Congressman of Makati for 9 years, and a member of the Senate for 12 years. Arroyo has received various awards and commendations for his significant contributions to the law profession and public service. Among these are the Philippine Bar Association's Most Distinguished Award for Justice as a "man beholden to no one except to his country" and Senate Resolution No. 100, enacted in the 8th Congress, commending him for his invaluable services to the Filipino people.
• Wally Bayola – is a Filipino comedian, actor, and TV host of Eat Bulaga!
• Ely Buendia – whose real name is Eleandre Basiño Buendia. He is a Filipino singer, frontman of Eraserheads and Pupil
• Jose Fabian Cadiz – Filipino politician and vice mayor of Marikina.
• AJ Dee – whose real name is Angel James Dee III, is an actor and an international competitive swimmer, like his younger brother Enchong Dee.
• Enchong Dee – whose real name is Ernest Lorenzo Velasquez Dee, is an actor, director and model, and an international competitive swimmer. He is a contract artist of ABS-CBN and has won numerous awards for his work in movies and television. He is the younger brother of AJ Dee, also an actor and swimmer. He came to prominence after starring in his first major TV drama Katorse (2009). He played the role of "Luis" in the Filipino remake Maria La Del Barrio (2011). He also starred in Ina, Kapatid, Anak (2012–13), and Muling Buksan Ang Puso.
• Amalia Fuentes – Filipina actress
• Victor Dennis T. Nierva – poet, teacher, journalist, theatre actor, translator, graphic and book designer.
• Salvador Panelo – former spokesman and chief legal counsel of President Rodrigo Duterte; practicing lawyer known for representing controversial figures.
• Jesse Robredo – was a Filipino statesman and former mayor of Naga. Robredo was able to transform Naga from being dull and lethargic to being one of the "Most Improved Cities in Asia", as cited by Asiaweek Magazine in 1999. During his time in city hall, Robredo was credited for "dramatically improved stakeholdership and people participation in governance, in the process restoring Naga to its preeminent position as the premier city of Bicol Region." In 1995, in recognition of his skills and competence as a leader and development manager, Robredo was elected president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, the national association of city mayors. Robredo also chaired the Metro Naga Development Council. He served as chairman of the Regional Development Council, the regional planning and coordinative body of Bicol's six provinces and seven cities, from 1992 to 1998.
• Leni Robredo – wife of Jesse Robredo, former congresswoman of the Third District of Camarines Sur (2013–16), and the 14th Vice President of the Philippines.
• Raul Roco – was a political figure in the Philippines. He was the standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential bids in 1998 and 2004. He was a then senator and secretary of the Department of Education under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He had a strong following among young voters in the Philippines, due to his efforts to promote honesty and good governance.
• Tecla San Andres Ziga – female senator in the Philippines notable for being the first woman in the country to top the bar examination for law-degree graduates.
• Adolfo Tito Yllana – catholic Archbishop serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Israel and Cyprus, and Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine

Other personalities include:

• Baron Geisler, whose mother hails from Naga
• Jomari Yllana, whose parents hail from Naga

Gallery

• 
  Downtown Naga
• 
  Avenue Square
• 
  Naga City Hall
• 
  Plaza Oragon
• 
  Malabsay falls at Mt. Isarog, Panicuason
• 
  Plaza de Nueva Caceres

Sister cities

Local

• Bacolod, Negros Occidental
• Cotabato City
• General Santos, South Cotabato
• Iloilo City, Iloilo
• Lucena, Quezon
• Makati
• Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental
• Parañaque
• Quezon City
• San Fernando, Pampanga
• Vigan, Ilocos Sur
• Puerto Princesa, Palawan

International

• San Leandro, California, United States
• Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States

See also

• List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres
• Bicolano People
• List of Bicol Region Cities and Municipalities

External links

• Geographic data related to Naga, Camarines Sur at OpenStreetMap
• Official website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information