BICOL REGIONAL PROFILE

Region 5 (Bicol Region) is best known for being the home of the world's largest fish - the butanding
(whale shark) and the majestic Mayon Volcano. It also has the other beautiful natural features like
mountains, waterfalls with lush vegetation, and beaches that have grown famous for water sports
activities.

The region is located in the southermost tip of Luzon Island. It is bounded by Lamon Bay to the north,
Pacific Ocean to the east, and Sibuyan Sea and Ragay Gulf to the west. The northernmost province,
Camarines Norte, is bordered to the northby the province of Quezon, thereby connecting the region to
the rest of Luzon.

The Bicol Region is composed of six (6) provinces: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, and
the island-provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate. It has one (1) independent component city - Naga
City, and six (6) component cities: Iriga, Legazpi, Tabaco, Ligao, Masbate City, and Sorsogon City.

POPULATION

Per 2010 census, Region 5 has a total population of 5,109,798. The region's population density in 2010
was 299 persons per square kilometer.

LAND USE AND FORESTRY

The Bicol Region has a total land area of 1,763,250 hectares, of which 541,189 hectares are established
as forestland and 1,238,091 hectares are alienable & disposable lands. Per 2011 Philippine Forestry
Statistics, it has a total forest cover of 156,476 hectares.

As of 2011, a total of 83 Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) Agreements were signed by the
DENR in the region involving 47,926 hectares of forestland, and benefitting 12,328 households and 83
people's organizations. The CBFM is agovernment strategy which "gives the management of forests back
to the people." It offers long-term security of tenure to partner-communities and promotes an
integrated approach to sustainable forest resource management.

The region also participated in the National Greening Program, a flagship program of President Benigno
S. Aquino III which aims to reforest the entire Philippines within 2011-2016. In 2011 alone, Region 5 was
able to rehabilitate 6,080 hectares of open and denuded lands by conducting massive tree planting
activities involving its citizens, thereby expecting to increase the region's forest cover.

Bicol Region has a large amount of rich flat land, and agriculture is the largest component of the
economy, followed by commercial fishing. Coconuts, abaca, banana, coffee and jackfruit are the top five
permanent crops in the region. Rice and corn are among the chief seasonal crops. Mining is also one of
the contributors to the region's economy.

GEOLOGY

Bicol Region is volvanic in origin and part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Volcanism is evident by the number
of hot springs, crater lakes, and volcanoes that dot the region starting from Mount Labo in Camarines
Norte to the Gate Mountains in Matnog, Sorsogon. Mayon Volcano is the most prominent of the
volcanoes in the region, famous for its perfect conical shape and for being the most active in the country.
Other volcanoes include Bulusan Volcano, Mount Isarog, Mount Iriga, Mount Malinao, Mount Masaraga,
and the Pocdol Mountains.

MINERAL RESOURCES

The region is endowed with rich mineral resources, which include gold, copper, guano, rock phosphate,
marble, silver, lead and manganese.

WILDLIFE

The Bicol Region is home to both the world's largest and smallest fishes.
Donsol, a fishing town in Sorsogon province, serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale sharks
(Rhincodon typus), which are considered as the largest fish in the world. Locally known as "butanding",
whale sharks visit the waters of Donsol from November to May. They travel across the oceans but
nowhere else have they been sighted in a larger group the in the waters of Sorsogon. They measure
between 18 to 40 feet in length and weight about 20 tons.

Despite the enormous size and the popular misconceptions about all sharks being "man-eaters", this
species does not pose any significant danger to humans. In fact, they are quite gentle and can be playful
with divers. Divers and snorkellers can swim with this giant fish without any risk apart from
unintentionally being hit by the shark's large tail fin.

The world's smallest commercial fish, sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis), can be found only in Lakes Bato
and Buhi in Camarines Sur province. Sinarapan is a goby which grows to an average length of 1.25
centimeters, just slightly longer than the dwarf goby. Today, unabated fishing in teh two lakes threatens
the population of sinarapan.

Another species endemic to the region is the Isarog shrew-mouse, which inhabits in Mt. Isarog,
Camarines Sur.

PROTECTED AREAS

The following sites in the region have been declared by law as protected areas and components of the
National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS): the Malabungot Protected Landscape and Seascape
(Garchitorena, Camarines Sur), Chico Island Wildlife Sanctuary (Cawayan, Masbate), Naro Island Wildlife
Sanctuary (Cawayan, Masbate), Lagonoy Natural Biotic Area (Lagonoy, Camarines Sur), Abasig-
Matogdon-Mananap Natural Biotic Area ( Camarines Norte), Bongsalay Natural Park (Batuan, Masbate),
Mayon Volcano Natural Park (Albay), Bicol Natural Park (Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur), Bulusan
Volcano Natural Park (Sorsogon), and Mt. Isarog Natural Park (Camarines Sur).

DENR JURISDICTION

Six (6) Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices (PENROs) and eleven (11) Community
Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENROs) are serving the mandate of the DENR in Region 5.
These are: PENROs Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes; and
CENROs Daet, Naga City, Iriga City, Goa, Sipocot, Legazpi City, Guinobatan, Sorsogon City, Mobo, San
Jacinto, and Virac

IBALON EPIC
Merito B Espinas

Ibalon is a Philippines epic that comes from a fragment of 60 stanzas that is said to be the source of the
Philippines indigenous identity and the story follows the hero Handiong as he conquers the land of
Ibalon, transforming it into the Bicol it is today. The Ibalon epic was first transcribed by Spanish friars
who heard the story in its original oral tradition form from the people of Bicol themselves.

It is not sure whether or not the story is authentic or not. Nevertheless, it has been embraced by the
Bicol people. Handiong brought order and civilization to the wild area, but he also destroyed the land
and all of the creatures that lived there. Forests disappeared as new settlements grew. The story shows
the cautionary tale of man ignoring nature and forgetting to find a balance between conquest and living
peacefully in harmony with nature.

Handiong is responsible for domesticating creatures in order to survive, but he learns this through his
wife, Oryol. Oryol is a snake woman who is the god of the underworld. When she sees all of the
destruction that Handiong is doing and all of the harm that is coming to the animals, she cuts off her tail
and agrees to marry him in order to help domesticate the Sarimao creatures ensuring that they live.