humanities by emmajune

The Sorsogon Provincial Capitol Building

Sorsogon City’s premier annual festival is the Pili Festival which also coincides with the City’s traditional patronal fiesta, June 28-29, in honor of its patron saints, St. Peter and St. Paul.

The Festival showcases the Pili Tree, which is indigenous to Sorsogon, and known hereabouts as “The Majestic Tree” because of its many industrial, commercial, and nutritional uses – from its roots, trunk, branches, leaves, sap and fruit. Appropriately costumed young people dance down the streets of the City during the Festival, demonstrating in dance, the many uses of this remarkable tree.

The Pili Tree is particularly well-known for its nuts, which are much sought after by confectioneries in different parts of the world. It is reputedly better in quality than almonds or macadamia nuts. The pulp that coats the hard shell that, in turn, encases the Pili nut, can also be eaten, as is, by either dipping it in patis, the native fish sauce, or in sugar, after softening it in warm water. It is also served as dips for meat or fish, or even as dressing or icing for pastries or fruit preparations and other desserts









LEGAZPI CITY, Albay - The provincial board of Albay placed the province under a state of calamity by noon of Thursday, to allow the local government to spend five percent of its budget for relief and other operational expenses in connection with the anticipated violent eruption of the Mayon Volcano.

“We had been sheltering under an earlier declaration of a state of imminent danger for Mayon since alert level two was raised by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on July 10 this year but there was a need to further upgrade the status of the province as alert level 3 was hoisted and it is now almost alert level 4,” Albay Governor Joey Salceda, Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council chair, said.

According to the website of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Alert Level 3 means Mayon volcano is in a state of relatively high unrest that could lead to a dangerous eruption in weeks. Alert Level 4 means intense unrest characterized by "persistent tremor, many low frequency-type earthquakes, erratic sulfur emissions, intense crater glow, incandescent lava fragments at the summit area" and that a "hazardous eruption is possible within days." The danger zone is extended to 8 kilometers or could be more.

A curfew has been imposed starting at midnight of Thursday within the 6-kilometer radius permanent danger zone and the extended danger zone up to eight kilometers around the volcano.

“We consider these areas as high-risk zones and need to be deserted by residents and farmers as soon as possible amid the ongoing evacuation efforts,” Salceda said in a meeting with the Task Force Mayon composed of the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army and the Philippine Navy, which have been providing vehicles together with private organizations such as the Ako Bikol, a philanthropic group of volunteers operating in the province.

However, Salceda told the Task Force Mayon to exercise all means of encouraging stubborn residents to move out of their homes because contingency and relief assistance were already in place at their respective evacuation shelters composed of 600 classrooms in 45 evacuation sites, mostly elementary school buildings.

“The Agencia Española de Cooperacion para el desarrollo (Aecid) is also now in the process of turning over the two remaining permanent evacuation centers in Travesia Elementary School in San Francisco, Guinobatan and at the Camalig East Central School in Camalig, Albay, so that evacuees could use them,” he said.

The Aecid has opted to turn over the buildings to the provincial government of Albay and formal turnover ceremonies would just follow afterwards.

Salceda said the task force would apply the law of economy of force, which meant that residents would not be bodily hauled out of their homes or farms and would just be encouraged to move to evacuation centers through reassurances that they would be safe at emergency shelters.

The Albay Health and Emergency Management (Ahem) teams were also deployed to provide the necessary health and emergency care.

“Although the alert status is still at level 3, the province’s preemptive measures are already adopting the kind of response and preparedness similar to that in alert level 4, so that we are a step ahead










Masbate is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands: Masbate, Ticao and Burias.

Masbate City is the capital.

The island of Masbate lies at the center of the Philippine archipelago between latitudes 11o43’ north and 123o09’ east and 124o5’ east. It is bounded on the north by Burias and Ticao Pass, east by San Bernardino Strait, south by the Visayan Sea, and west by the Sibuyan Sea. Relative to mainland Bicol, the province faces the southwestern coasts of Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon.

The general surface configuration of the province ranges from slightly undulating to rolling and from hilly to mountainous. In each island, the rugged topography is concentrated in the northeastern portion and gradually recedes to blunt hills and rolling areas in the south, southeast, and southwest.

When Captain Luis Enriquez de Guzman anchored on the shores of Masbate in 1569, he found tiny settlements spread along the coasts engaged in flourishing trade with China. Chinese traders visited Masbate and founded small settlements during the Shri-Vijayan and Madjapahit periods. Ruins of cave-like dwellings resembling "kiva" (possibly built by Indians who accompanied the Chinese traders), were found along the coasts of Aroroy, Palanas, and Masbate. Porcelain jars dating back to the 10th century were excavated at Kalanay (Aroroy) in the 1930s.

Historical accounts show that the Christianization of the Bicol Region actually began in Masbate in 1569:

Father Alonso Jimenez was the first missionary to the islands of Masbate, Burias, Leyte and Samar. Then he went to Ibalon (Bicol) in the province of Camarines, where he resided many years, and made many religious incursions into Albay and Sorsogon. Fray Jimenez is considered the apostle of the island of Masbate

In December 1600 Dutch Commander Admiral Oliver van Noorth, sought refuge at San Jacinto Harbor after his fleet lost to the Spanish Armada in Manila. He was later engaged in a fierce clash with Limahong's fleet at Canlibas-Matabao passage.

At the height of the Galleon Trade, Mobo contributed first class lumber for the construction of galleons, making it the center of trade in the province and was the capital of the province in the early part of the Spanish occupation

In 1864, Masbate was declared a separate province from Albay. Guiom was made the capital while Ticao became a commandancia-politicio-militar. Shortly before the declaration of Philippine independence by President Emilio Aguinaldo, the town of Masbate was established as the provincial capital.

The Americans came to Masbate in 1900 to extend their pacification campaign. In December 1908, Masbate was annexed to theprovince of Sorsogon. A bill declaring Masbate as independent province was approved on February 1, 1922.

As early as 1906, the Masbate representative made the proposal to the United States Congress to grant the Philippines independence.

The first Japanese elements arrived in Masbate the dawn of January 7, 1942 from Legazpi. They landed in several places without facing opposition- the province was too stunned to mount any resistance.

The Japanese occupation reduced Masbate to total economic shambles. Economic activities were limited to fishing, buying/selling, or stealing. Food production ground to a halt. Camote, pakol, banana blossoms, pith, and even such obscure fruits like barobo were used as food substitutes. Lakad-bulan served as cigarette, tea or coffee. Barter transaction prevailed. For lack of nutrition and sanitation, many people succumbed to beri-beri or malaria. Lice and ticks infestations spared only a lucky few.

Dr. Mateo S. Pecson, who was governor of the province, having refused to cooperate with the Japanese, evacuated the provincial government to Guiom, a command post used by the guerrillas. Pecson was eventually arrested by the Japanese and incarcerated in Cavite. He managed to escape; he later joined the guerrilla movement in Central Luzon.

In 1944, Provincial Board Member Atty. Jose L. Almario was conscripted by the Japanese to govern the province. During the Liberation, he was arrested by the guerrillias and charged with collaboration. He was exonerated and saved from set execution by a letter from General MacArthur.

Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, the lone house representative of Masbate, fought against a congressional bill authorizing the conscription of Filipinos into the service of Imperial Japan and for this he was detained in Fort Santiago.

When Masbate was formally liberated by joint Filipino and American soldiers on April 3, 1945, Pecson was sent to Masbate by President Osmeña to organize the civil government, Pecson took the reins of government on May 11, 1945.