Camarines Norte

Introduction

Province of Camarines Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol

Region in Luzon. Its capital is Daet, the center for commerce and education. The
province borders Quezon to the west, Camarines Sur to the south, and the
Philippine Sea to the north. It has historically been a Bikol-speaking region.
However, there has been a language shift in recent years to Tagalog, which is
more commonly used nowadays.
The province is divided into twelve (12) municipalities named Basud, Capalonga,
Daet (capital), Jose Panganiban, Labo, Mercedes, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz,
San Vicente, Sta Elena, Talisay, and Vinzons. The province covers a total area of
2,320.07 square kilometers.
History
The province of Camarines was created in 1636, which was divided in 1829,
creating Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. They were briefly merged from
1854 to 1857 into Ambos Camarines (ambos is Spanish for ‘’both’’). Merged into
Ambos Camarines once again in 1893.The province was divided into Camarines
Norte and Camarines Sur once again in 1917.
When Camarines Norte was separated from Ambos Camarines in 1829, it was
assigned the towns of Daet, as capital.
Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo, dispatched by Legazpi to explore the
Island in 1571, influenced the existence of Camarines Norte.
April, 1898 – Local members of the Katipunan led by Ildefonso Moreno and
other patriots staged an uprising against the Spanish authorities.

People
 José María Panganiban — Bicolano propagandist,
linguist, and essayist. He is one of the main writers and
contributors for La Solidaridad, writing under the pen
names "Jomapa" and "J.M.P."

 Gen. Vicente R. Lukban — officer in Emilio Aguinaldo's

staff during the Philippine Revolution and the politico-
military chief of Samar and Leyte during the Philippine–
American War. On September 28, 1901, Sunday, he led
Filipino rebels, armed only with bolos and sharpened
bamboo poles, in an attack against the contingent of American forces
in Balangiga, Samar. Only 36 troopers of Company C, 9th Infantry
Regiment of the US Forces survived the attack against 16 casualties
among the Filipino rebels, giving the encounter its famous label
"Balangiga Massacre" in Philippine history.

 Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, Sr. — Lawyer, orator, labor

leader, writer, youngest delegate to the 1935
Constitutional Convention and youngest signatory of
the Charter at the age of 25. As the governor in 1940
and congressman-elect in 1941 and refusing to
surrender, he evacuated the provincial government
during the Japanese occupation to the hinterlands of
Labo and led a guerrilla force against the Japanese
forces.

 Manuel Conde — legendary film actor, director,

producer, and National Artist of the Philippines.

 Ricky Lee — screenwriter, journalist, novelist,

playwright, and National Artist of the Philippines.
 Robin Padilla — Senator in the 19th Congress, actor

 Liwayway Vinzons-Chato — former Bureau of Internal

Revenue commissioner and Lone District of
Camarines Norte congresswoman.

Language
Prior to colonization, the region had a complex religious system which involved
various deities. The coastal Bicol dialect is the main language spoken. Among
these deities include: Gugurang, the supreme god who dwells inside of Mount
Mayon where he guards and protects the sacred fire.
Tagalog and English are widely understood
and are used in businesses and education.
The manide language is also spoken in
minority by the Manide indigenous peoples,
concentrated mainly on the towns of Jose
Panganiban, Labo, and Paracale.

Geography
The province covers a total area of 2,320.07 square kilometers, occupying the
northwestern coast of the Bicol Peninsula in the southeastern section of Luzon.
It is bounded on the northeast by the Philippine Sea, east by the San Miguel
Bay, west by the Lamon Bay, southwest by Quezon province, and southeast by
Camarines Sur.
Its capital town, Daet, is
342 kilometers
southeast of Metro
Manila, an 8-to-10-hour drive by bus, 6 to 7 hours by private car or a 45- minute
trip by plane.
Camarines Norte is subdivided into two legislative districts comprising a total of
12 municipalities.

Economy
The province’s economy largely depends on agriculture, with grain crops,
vegetables, coconuts, root crops, and fruits as its main products.
The four major manufacturing and processing industries in the province are
mining (particularly gold and iron ore), jewelry craft, pineapple and coconut
industry.
Other sources of the province’s economic stability are from the growth of
numbers in terms of tourists and tourism activities.

Culture and Pop Culture

The Bantayog Festival, a historical commemorating festival in Camarines Norte
that features the first Rizal monument. It is also the centerpiece pf the
celebration held simultaneous with the foundation anniversary of the province
which is also celebrated in other towns.
Palong Festival. This festival coincides with the feast of the Black Nazarene and
is celebrated through street dancing and an agro-industrial fair to which the
natives express their gratitude for the abundance of ornamental plants known
as rooster combs or “palong manok”.
Pinyasan Festival, showcase Camarines Norte’s premier Agri-product which is
the sweetest pineapple called Formosa.
Gold-panning or Pabirik Festival, is a week-long celebration which
commemorate the past culture, traditions, history, and customs of Paracale
considered as a gold town of Camarines Norte. A highlight of the Pabirik Fetival
gives emphasis on its rich mining industry while showcasing its gold products all
of which are available in the municipality. Pabarik means ‘’pan’’ which is a
medium used by the natives of Paracale in gold panning.
Karagatan Festival, celebrated by fishermen to give respect, express gratitude
and recognize Mother Nature for the vast marine resources to the town of
Mercedes.
Busig-on Festival, is based on the epic of the hero Busig-on who hails from Labo
town and also of Bicolano values. The festival is a showcase of talent and skills
in a competitive manner while showing the town’s places of interest and
featuring the town’s unique historical values.
Mambulawan Festival, held to coincide with the Feast of Our Lady of the Most
Holy Rosary, the festival aims to forge unity and cooperation among the local
community, promote culture and arts, revitalization of mining industry,
exposition of the town’s best, homecoming and involvement of Balikbayans, all
geared towards advancement and economic growth.

Tourist Attractions
Bagasbas Beach
One of the top surfing destinations in the Philippines.
In February 2009, Bagasbas hosted the First International Kiteboarding
Competition in the region.
First Jose Rizal Monument
The construction of the memorial marker started on December 30,189 and it
was declared as a historical landmark in 1961.
Made of mortars and boulders from the demolished Old Spanish Jail in Daet
where many patriots died, making it historically and culturally significant.
Capalonga Shrine of the Black Nazarene
One of the famous tourist spots of the province.
Lead to every May 23RD
Our Lady of Candelaria Church, Paracale, Camarines Norte
The century Old church holds history and mystery.
One of the first churches built in Camarines Norte in 1611.
The 400-year-old town of Paracale is believed to be rich in gold mines, but to
date, despite of the town’s gold mining activity.
The old stone church was built by the early Franciscan missionaries.

Products
Mining (particularly gold and iron ore)
Jewelry Craft
Pineapple/Pilipina pie
Coconut Industry

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