MACRO SITE ANALYSIS

1. Physical Profile
Bicol Region, as Region V is more popularly known, is situated at the southernmost
tip of the Luzon landmass. It is straddled between 11o-30 to 14o-20 North latitude
and 122o-20 to 124o-30 East longitude.
The Region has a total land area of roughly 18,139.08 square kilometers, 6.0
percent of the country's total land area. It is politically subdivided into six provinces,
one chartered city, six component cities, 107 municipalities, and 3,471 barangays.
At present, it has 14 congressional districts.
The population of the Bicol Region reached 5,420,411 as of May 1, 2010, growing at
an average annual rate of 1.46 percent between 2000 and 2010. The region's
population density increased to 298.8 persons per square kilometer in 2010. A
region rich in history and natural resources, Bicol is inhabited by hospitable, smiling
and fun-loving people.
The province of Albay, which is strategically located in the center of the region, is
home to the world famous Mount Mayon with its perfect cone shape. Legazpi City,
also in Albay and is called the Gateway City of Bicol, is the regional center. On the
northernmost part of the region is the province of Camarines Norte whose capital,
Daet, holds the distinction of being the town to erect the first monument of the
country's national hero, Jose Rizal. Naga City in the province of Camarines Sur is
host to Colegio de Sta. Isabel, the first known normal school for girls in the Orient.
The province of Catanduanes boasts of white beaches and resorts is an island
paradise in the Pacific. The province of Masbate, which lies exactly at the center of
the Philippine archipelago, is known for its mining and cattle industry while
Sorsogon, the province known for its historic and panoramic places, shelters the
world's largest fish - the whale shark locally known as Butanding.
With its strategic location in the Philippine archipelago, the region is accessible by
land, air and sea transportation facilities.
The PROVINCES
Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon
The regions economy is basically agricultural with close to 40 percent of its
workforce dependent on the industry. Owing to its location, Region V is known for its
natural resorts and white beaches and has thirteen major fishing grounds supplying
fish markets in places as far as Metro Manila. Mining is also one of the contributors
to the regions economy. It is also the site of two major geothermal fields which
contribute substantially to the Luzon Power Grid.

Overview of the Region

Geography
Location: Located at the mid-section of the country, situated at the southernmost
tip of the Luzon landmass between 11 - 30' to 14 - 20' North latitude and 122 20' to 124 - 30' East longitude. Northwest, it is bounded by Quezon province, East
by the open seas of the pacific, Southeast by Samar Sea and Southwest by Sibuyan
Sea.
Land Area: The Region has a total land area of roughly 18,139.08 square
kilometers, 6.0 percent of the country's total land area. It comprises three major
islands and several islets. It is composed of six provinces, namely: Albay, Camarines
Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, in the southernmost part of Luzon; and the two
island provinces of Catanduanes and Masbate.
Inhabitants: As of May 1, 2010, the region's population reached 5,420,411 growing
at an annual average of 1.46 percent between 2000 and 2010. The region has a
population density of 298.8 persons per square kilometer. The number of
households in the Bicol region increased to 1,111,753 in 2010.
Topography: Range from slightly undulating to rolling and from hilly to
mountainous. Volcanoes and Mountains dominate the sceneries in the countryside.
Mounts Mayon, Malinao, Masaraga and Catburawan in Albay; Mount Labo in
Camarines Norte; Mounts Isarog and Iriga in Camarines Sur; and Bulusan Volcano in
Sorsogon.
Terrain: Diverse, owing to its numerous high mountains and/or volcanic landforms
and extensive valleys interspersed with rivers and lakes.
Climate: Tropical, with a normal average year-round temperature of 27.4C to
29.6C. Two pronounced seasons --- dry and wet.
Time Zone (Standard Time): One time zone. 120 East Meridian Time, which is
eight hours in advance of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Physical Characteristics
Bicol is the fifth administrative region under the Integrated Reorganization Plan
(IRP), which was implemented through Presidential Decree No. 1 in 1972. Generally
located at the midsection of the country or at the southern tip of Luzon, Bicol lies
within coordinates 122 to 124.5 degrees longitude and 12 to 14.5 degrees latitude.
It is bounded northwest by Quezon Province, east by the open seas of the Pacific,
southeast by Samar Sea and southwest by Sibuyan Sea.

The region is composed of four mainland provinces and two island provinces. It has
a total of seven (7) cities and 107 municipalities subdivided into 3,471 barangays.
Politically, 14 congressional districts subdivide the region.
Land Area
The regions land area of about 1.8 million hectares is roughly 6.04 percent of the
countrys 30 million hectares. Around 69 percent or two-thirds of the regions land
area is part of mainland Luzon while the rest is the combined land area of the island
provinces of Masbate and Catanduanes.
Camarines Sur has the largest land area with 548,60 hectares or 30 percent of the
regional area while Catanduanes has the smallest with 149,216 hectares or 9
percent.
As to municipal areas, Labo in Camarines Norte has the largest municipal land area
of 58,936 hectares followed by Milagros in Masbate with 56,530 hectares. In
contrast, Camaligan and Gainza both of Camarines Sur, have the smallest land
areas of 468 and 1,475 hectares respectively. Among the seven cities in the region,
Sorsogon City is the largest with 27,611 hectares followed by Ligao City (24,675
hectares) and Masbate City with 18,800 hectares.
Topography
The regions topography may be generally described as ranging from slightly
undulating to rolling and from hilly to mountainous. Bicol is endowed with numerous
mountains and volcanoes. The most famous, Mt. Mayon in Albay, has the highest
elevation at 2,462 meters above sea level. Other volcanoes and mountains
dominating the countryside and their corresponding elevations include: Mt. Malinao
(1,548 meters), Mt. Masaraga (337 meters) and Mt. Catburawan (473 meters) in
Albay; Mt. Isarog (1,966 meters) and Mt. Iriga (1,143 meters) in Camarines Sur; and
Bulusan Volcano (1,560 meters) in Sorsogon.
In Camarines Norte, a rolling to rugged terrain surrounds the plains of Labo, Talisay,
Vinzons and Daet. This rugged topography stretches from Mt. Labo to the
Camarines Norte-Camarines Sur boundary and thence to a rolling strip along the
western coast of Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon. The rugged landforms of
Eastern Bicol, Cordillera in the northeast extending from Calinigan Mountain
(Caramoan Peninsula) to Mt. Mayon, on the other hand, separates the plains of
Lagonoy, San Jose, Goa, Tigaon and Sangay from Bicol Plains. The Bicol Plains, a
main physiographic feature in the region, is a wide depression that trends
northwesterly from the western slopes of Mt. Mayon and stretches across the
central part of Camarines Sur. Three lakesBuhi, Baao and Batoare located within
this valley.
Small patches of plains that are utilized for lowland farming intermittently break the
rolling terrain in the western coasts of Albay and Sorsogon. In Sorsogon, the most
noted physiographic feature is the fertile Irosin-Juban Valley, which is surrounded by
rough terrains of Bulusan Volcano in the southeast and Mts. Juban and Batuan in the
southwest. This valley is also noted as schistosomiasis and filiariasis outbreak areas.

Such water and mosquito-borne diseases pose a big threat to public health in the
area.
In the islands of Masbate, the relief conditions are almost similar in all three islands
(Ticao, Burias and Masbate). The terrain ranges from slightly undulating to rolling
and from hilly to mountainous. In each island, rugged topography is concentrated
on the north and gradually gives way to hills and rolling areas in the south,
southeast and southwest. The highest point in the province is the conical peak of
700 meters above sea level located in Masbate, Island.
A rugged topography in its central core generally characterizes the island of
Catanduanes. Along its coastal regions, narrow strip of plains are found. A narrow
depression both in the northern and southern cores.breaks the rough terrain of the
island in its midsection.
Coastal Area
The regions coastal area is deeply embayed. This is characterized by the
presence of numerous bays and gulfs. These are: the Ragay Gulf, San Miguel Bay
and Lagonoy Gulf outlining the coasts of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur; Albay
Gulf and Sorsogon Bay in Albay and Sorsogon. In addition, the region is endowed
with natural harbors, which serve as refuge for ships during heights of weather
disturbances in the vicinity.
Volcanoes, Faults and Earthquake Zones
The distribution of faults, volcanic and earthquake belts in the region is shown in
Figure 3.03. A parallelism between the Bicol Volcanic Belt, the Philippine Fault Zone
and the deep Philippine trench can be noticed.
The Bicol Volcanic Belt or Chain spans a total of 240 kilometers from Camarines
Norte in the north down to Sorsogon in the south. A total of sixteen volcanoes
approximately 24 kilometers apart, lie along the 200 kilometer chain which runs
parallel to and west of the Philippine Trench.
There are three active volcanoes, which have erupted within the past 600 years)
and their last recorded eruptions are: Mt. Mayon (2001); Mt. Bulusan (1988) and Mt.
Iriga (1628).
Most famous among the active volcanoes is the majestic Mt.Mayon with its near
perfect symmetry, fiery outbursts and destructive mudflows. It consists of
deposits formed basically by four major volcanic activities: airfall disposition,
pyroclastric flows, rain triggered debris flows and lava flows.
Mt. Iriga, with a peak of 1,143 meters above sea level, is likewise, of the
stratovolcano type. The main historical event for Mt. Iriga was a large volume
debris avalanche in 1628 AD, which dammed the Barit River and created Lake Buhi
presently known as the habitat of the smallest edible fish in the world, the
sinarapan.

Bulusan Volcano, located near the central part of Sorsogon province, peaks at 1,550
meters above sea level. Its last eruption was in 1988.
Associated with non-active volcanoes are geothermal fields. Tapped for power
generation, these fields operate geothermal power plants in Tiwi and Bacon-Manito
area in Albay and Sorsogon, respectively, for a combined Total Generating Capacity
of 512.574 MW and 317.67 MW dependable capacity. Sources of geothermal power
are Mt. Malinao in Albay and Pocdol Volcano in Sorsogon.
In addition to its location along the volcanic belt, the region lies near the center of
the Philippine Fault Zone (PFZ), which is a major earthquake generator in the
Philippine Archipelago. The zone, about 1,300 kilometers long, is characterized by a
bundle of parallel to sub parallel active faults confined with a narrow zone trending
north-northwest and south-southwest. It is characteristic of an active fault, like the
PFZ, to generate potentially destructive tremors since those are shallow-seated or
occur near the earths surface (less than 80 kilometers deep).
Another major source of earthquake in the region is the Philippine trench. A trench
is defined as a long, narrow and generally steep-sided very deep depression in the
ocean floor. The axis of a trench marks the position of a subduction zone, where old
oceanic lithospheric plates begin their descent into the earths interior.
A study conducted by Efren A. Uy and Benito T. Punsalan published in 1987
indicated that the Bicol Region is prone to earthquakes of Intensity V from the
above-cited source zones.
Climate and Weather Disturbances
Based on the Modified Coronas climate classification system, three climate types
occur over the Bicol Region, as shown in Figure 3.04. Type II is experienced over the
eastern coasts of the region directly facing the Pacific Seas including the island of
Catanduanes and the whole of Camarines Norte. These areas are characterized by
the absence of dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period generally
in the months of December and January. There is not a single dry month in these
areas. A dry month is defined as a month with less than 50 mm of rainfall. A month
with more than 100 mm can still be considered as dry if it is preceded by three or
more very dry months.
A Type III climate is characterized by not very pronounced maximum rain period,
with a short dry season occurring either in winter or spring. Places under this type
include the western coast of Mainland Bicol along Burias Pass, Burias Island and
Mainland Masbate. The rest of the region, i.e. the western part extending from
Camarines Sur to the southwestern tip of Sorsogon belong to Type IV climate.
Rainfall in these areas is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year with
exception of the occurrences of tropical cyclones in the vicinity, which can cause
rainfall abnormalities.
Rainfall

Recent studies conducted by the Philippine Atmospheric and Geophysical Sciences

Administration (PAGASA) showed that majority of the average rainfall in the country
is due to the occurrence of tropical cyclones in the vicinity. The southwest and
northeast monsoons each contribute 7 percent while the remaining 39 percent is
attributed to the combined effects of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone,
shearlines, easterly waves and other rainfall-causing weather patterns. The average
annual rainfall in the region ranges from 1,900 to 3,500 millimeters.
Wind Velocity/Directions
The highest normal wind speed observed is 4 meters per second which passes the
region northeasterly. This occurs especially in the months of October to April when
northeast monsoon is dominant air stream over the country.
Temperature
The hottest months are May and June while the coldest months are January and
February. Higher temperatures are observed in the island provinces particularly in
Masbate.
Humidity
The annual average humidity is about 82 percent, almost equal to the countrys
average relative humidity.
Inland Waters, Rivers and Lakes
The regions inland waters consist of an intricate network of rivers, streams and
lakes. This network serves as the natural drainage system especially in the
mainland provinces. The Bicol River is the largest river in the region and is
considered as the main drainage way for the 3,771 hectares major basin area of the
Bicol Plains. It originates from streams in the southern and western parts of
Camarines Sur and from the southwestern slopes of Mt. Isarog. It meanders
generally on a northwest direction from Lake Bato and joins Sipocot River at a point
around seven kilometers from its mouth before discharging to San Miguel Bay,
Sipocot River which is a principal tributary of the Bicol River orginates from the
northern part of the province and trends southeasterly until it joins the Bicol River.
In Camarines Norte, drainage is provided by two minor rivers: Labo and Basud.
Both rivers drain areas of 913 and 270 hectares, respectively, towards the Philippine
Sea. For Sorsogon, a network of seven (7) minor rivers consist the provinces
natural drainage system. These rivers and their corresponding catchment or
drainage areas are:
The narrowness and topography of the two island provinces, contribute largely to
the occurrence of numerous short minor rivers that serve as the drainage channels
for ten basin areas in Masbate and three for Catanduanes.
Lakes consist another vital inland water resource for the region, environmentally
and economically. There are numerous lakes, but most have small volume water
impounding capacities. The more important freshwater ponds in the region are:

Lakes Bato, Baao and Buhi in the Bicol Plains and Bulusan and Aguingay in
Sorsogon.
Lake Buhi is located at the eastern side of Mt. Iriga about 105 meters above sea
level and is surrounded by hills more than 300 meters high. It is well known for the
smallest edible fish called tabios or sinarapan. The lake is believed to have been
formed during Mt. Irigas large volume avalanche in 1628 AD, which dammed Barit
River. Located at the southwestern boundary of Camarines Sur and Albay is Lake
Bato. This serves as the discharge area for numerous small rivers and streams from
a large portion of Albays third congressional district. The lake has an outlet
waterway that runs from its northern shore towards Balatan finally discharging to
Burias Pass. The waterway is joined by another outlet channel from Lake Baao,
which is located north of Bato Lake.
Bulusan Lake, on the southeastern side of Bulusan Volcano, is 635 meters above sea
level. The lake occupies the depression between two lava flow lobes abutting a hill
on the southeast slope of the volcano. With a depth of 33 meters, the lake covers
an area of 16.5 hectares and has a circumference of 2,000 meters. The intermittent
Lake Aguingay is situated at a higher elevation about 1,100 meters above sea level.
This lake appears and disappears depending on the weather condition and even
expands to three times the area of Bulusan Lake during extreme rainfall depths.
Slope
Slope greatly affects the use and management of the land. It determines to a large
extent the appropriate use and the optimum management practices to be adopted
to prevent and/or minimize its rapid degradation.
About 56 percent of the regions total land area is nearly level to moderately sloping
lands (0-18 percent). These are mostly the alluvial plains, mountain footslopes,
floodplains and valleys. The remaining 44 percent are mostly hilly and mountainous
(above 18 percent slope) which includes the ranges of hills on the western and
eastern section and some mountain peaks on the central part of the region (Figure
3.05).
Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Masbate have more level to gently sloping
lands than hilly to mountainous areas (Table 3.03). This physical characteristic is
one major contributory factor to Camarines Surs achieved status as the regions
rice granary. The suitability of this level to gently sloping areas for wetland farming
is considerably high. In the case of Camarines Norte and Masbate, though they have
higher percentages of level lands compared to the other slope categories, both
provinces have not exhibited marked rice production figures due mainly to the
limiting role of water in rice farming. Either they lack irrigation facilities or their
water supply is so minimal that it cannot sustain submerged farming practices.
Thus, other uses for this level to gently sloping lands have been found, i.e.
pineapple production for Camarines Norte and livestock farming for Masbate.
In contrast, the provinces of Albay, Catanduanes and Sorsogon have more sloping
lands than level areas. This could be the main reason why abaca and coconut have

become the principal crops grown in these provinces. These crops are more or less
suitable for the above terrain provided some other factors are present.
Source: https://saminovic.wordpress.com/the-bicol-region/physical-environment/