REGION V BICOL REGION
Overview The Bicol Region is located in the southernmost tip of Luzon, which lies at 123 to 126 degrees longitude and 12 to 14 degrees latitude or generally at the mid-section of the country. It has a total land area of 17,362 square kilometers representing 5.67% share of the Philippines in terms of land area.
The region is the gateway of Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao and is within the international seas, hence, the gateway to the Pacific. Located in the heart of the industrialized countries, the place would serve as a jumping board for market and business in the Pacific Rim, Europe, and the United States.
Bicol is accessible by land from Manila and the rest of Luzon thru the Maharlika and Quirino Highways. From the Visayas and Mindanao islands, it can be reached via the Matnog ferry terminal. Manila is about 10 hours away from Legaspi City. It is serviced by major bus lines traversing the Manila-Bicol route.
Capital Legazpi City Population 5,420,411 (as of 01 May 2010) Provinces, 6 Provinces Cities and Albay Municipalities Camarines Norte (as of 31 March 2010) Camarines Sur Catanduanes Masbate Sorsogon 7 Cities 107 Municipalities Barangays 3,471 (as of March 2010)
Physical Characteristics
Location 13°30' N 123°20 E Southernmost tip of Luzon Island Land Area 1,763,250 ha. Topography • Slightly undulating to rolling and from hilly to mountainous • Volcanoes and mountains dominate the sceneries in the countryside.
Climate: • Tropical, with a normal average year-round temperature of 27.4°C to 29.6°C • Two pronounced seasons --- dry and wet
Natural Resources
Land Resources Certified Alienable & Disposable land 1,238,091 ha. Forest land 525,159
Water Resources • 30 river basins provide an estimated annual runoff of 12,804 MCM of surface water across the region • Groundwater has an estimated storage of 22,449 MCM region wide
Human Resources
Indicator Reference Period Data Employment Profile Employment Rate Oct-11 5.30% Unemployment Rate Oct-11 94.7% Labor Force Participation Rate Oct-11 67.2% Educational Profile Number of College Graduates (Public AY-2009-2010 22,060 and Private) Employed Persons by Industry Agriculture Oct-10 847,000 Industry Oct-10 253,000 Services Oct-10 962,000
Infrastructures / Utilities
Transportation A. Land Transportation
Roads Indicator Reference Data Period National Road Length 2011 2,312.45 (in km) Concrete 2011 1,140.20 Asphalt 2011 764.68
Gravel 2011 405.63 Earth 2011 1.94 Length of Existing Bridges 2011 19,375.01 (in Lineal Meters)
Railways • Philippine National Railways (PNR) - Bicol Express - Isarog Express
B. Air Transportation
Airports • Legazpi City International Airport • Naga (Pili) Airport • Bagabas (Daet) Airport • Bulan Airport • Moises R. Espinosa (Masbate) Airport
C. Ports
National Ports • Base port in Legazpi City • Tabaco City Terminal Port • Jose Panganiban Ports • Pantao Port in Libon Albay Local Ports • 38 implemented by LGUs Fishing Ports • 7 municipal fishing ports • 1 barangay fishing port in Legaspi City
Public Utilities A. Electrification
Indicator Reference Period Data Total Power Generated 2011 1,234.21 (in Gigawatt-Hours) Energization Coverage Municipalities 2011 112 Barangays 2011 3,410
B. Water Supply
• 39 operational water districts strategically located in the urban areas of the region • 66.11% total households provided with potable water C. Communications
Indicator Reference Period Data Exchange 2010 81 Capacity/Lines 2010 106,227 Connections 2010 63,055 Telephone Density (per ‘000 2010 1.86 population)
Economy
Economic Accounts
At Current Prices Indicator Reference Data Period (in thousand PhP) Gross Regional Domestic Product 2011 206,618,832 Agriculture 2011 57,728,015 Industry 2011 44,854,917 Services 2011 104,035,899 Per Capita GRDP 2011 37,526
Finance
Indicator Reference Data Period Offices of the Financial System 2011 281 Banking Institutions 2011 281 Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries 2011 - Non-Bank Thrift Institutions 2011 -
Investment Potentials • Agribusiness and fishery - Commercial production of crops - Poultry and livestock - Seaweed production - Animal and aqua feeds
• Mass housing • Energy • Iron and Steel • Creative industries or Knowledge-based Services - Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) • Construction - Infrastructure activities - Shipbuilding - Research and development - Green projects - Motor Vehicles
Priority Industries • Agriculture • Commercial fishing • Mining • Jewelries manufacturing
Products • Coconuts • Abaca • Banana • Coffee • Jackfruit • Handicrafts • Jewelries
Cost of Doing Business
Contact Details
Governor Joey Salceda Governor Migz Villafuerte Province of Albay Province of Camarines Sur www.albay.gov.ph www.camarinessur.gov.ph
Governor Edgardo Tallado Governor Joseph Cua Province of Camarines Norte Province of Catanduanes Tel. No. (054) 571-2998 Tel. No. (052) 811-3229 www.camarinesnorte.gov.ph www.catanduanes.gov.ph
Governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete Governor Raul Lee Province of Masbate Province of Sorsogon Tel. No. (056) 333-5844 Tel. No. (056) 211-2121 www.masbatecity.gov.ph www.sorsogon.gov.ph
Sources: http://bicol.da.gov.ph/Statistics/regional_profile.html http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/secstats/education.html http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/secstats/environment.html http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/secstats/labor.html