Dumaguete City History, Philippines

The island of Negros has been divided to the two equally beautiful provinces: Negros Occidental on the west and Negros Oriental on the East.  The capital of Negros Oriental located on the southeastern coast of the island is known as Dumaguete city serving as the largest city and principal seaport.

Its location is a perfect mix of land and sea with the town of Sibulan on its North; Tañon Strait and Mindanao Sea on the East making it only accessible to it neighboring provinces of Siquijor and Cebu by sea; the town of Valencia on the West; and the town of Bacong  on the South.

 Dumaguete has been tagged as the “City of Gentle People” owing to the friendly and hospitable nature of its people that has reached 102,265 as of the 2000 census. Likewise, another nickname is the “University town” because it is home to four prestigious universities: the Silliman University the first protestant university in the country built in 1901,  St. Paul's University-Dumaguete built in 1904,  Foundation University and the Negros Oriental State University.

The inspiration of naming of the city Dumaguete is the Visayan word “daggit” which means to snatch. In the course of history this coastal town has been a favorite prey to frequent looting attacks of the Muslim pirates; however as of current, it has the amazing charm to attract visitor both local and foreign and even keep them for good. Thus the name evolved to “dumaguet” which means to swoop. Murillo Velarde is credited as being the first to refer to the town of that period with its present name Dumaguete, in 1884.

It has always been a part of Negros Oriental especially when the whole island was divided in two in 1890. When the Philippine-American War concluded on May 1 1901, the Americans found it wise to build a civil government on the province with the city as its base. During the Second World War, the Japanese Imperial Forces captured and occupied the city on May 26, 1942.

On April 26, 1945 the city finally tasted freedom with the joint efforts of the U.S. Army and the Filipino guerrillas against the Japanese. The Japanese were left with no choice but to leave the island. On June 15, 1948 by virtue of Republic Act Number 327, the city of Dumaguete was born. Some decades later on June 21, 1969 Republic Act Number 5797 or the Revised Charter of Dumaguete City was put to law.

Dumaguete is one city in the Philippines that is flocked by thousands of visitors every year. Its beauty and its people are the main reason of such occurrence. Make this city your home away from home for the best trip of your lifetime.