My Hometown

As I travel around my hometown
I remember all the good memories I found
The people and every moment I remembered
To cherish those moments those times I spent

The breeze that touches my skin
Sweet and aroma of the sugar cane fields
from the cold breeze, I inhale
Which at the dawn I exhale

I remember the beauty of the sights
of a sweet place of mine
Besides the perfect bay
of abandoned of seafood.

I remember a simple old world cham
My cradle of love and family
that filled my heart and soul
that I found and embellish

My Hometown 2015

Baisanon Poet Penn Tulabing Larena  some of his works influenced by family ,relatives and friends. Some of his works including Hacienda in 2013, Hometown 2015,Rizal 2016, Katacgahan 2005 , The space between us 2018 ,Spanish Bread of Jose Rafael  2018 and Pretty Girl  2018. He is a nephew of  Literary icons in the Philippines like Fr. Rudy Villanueva aka in literature Renato Madrid, Dr. Elsa Martinez – Coscolluela,Atty .David C. Martinez, Lilius Pinili,Dr. Tichie Saycon E. Baena ,Atty Arturo Valencia Umbac,  Simon Anton Niño Diego Galera Baena and his mother Leonaga Tulabing Larena .

Pretty Girl

It was a hot afternoon in the place of sweet and honey
When I saw a little girl crying in –front of the grave site
A sorrowful encounter was the grandmother laid into rest

Her face composed of wildflowers, we say
So, we leave the sweet innocent face fondly there:
The beauty and hope of grace beyond, lie there!

The moon sings the relaxed forest with wildflower,
To bloom at midnight hour
She was innocent found true love at last

To beautiful morning stars
You are incomparable my angel
My heart point with joy at the thought of you
My face exhibits beautiful expression at the sight of you
Behold a beautiful face of sincerity & sweetest of all creatures

By Penn Larena 7:24PM Sept 24,2018

Baisanon Poet Penn Tulabing Larena  some of his works influenced by family ,relatives and friends. Some of his works including Hacienda in 2013, Hometown 2015,Rizal 2016, Katacgahan 2005 , The space between us 2018 ,Spanish Bread of Jose Rafael  2018 and Pretty Girl  2018. He is a nephew of  Literary icons in the Philippines like Fr. Rudy Villanueva aka in literature Renato Madrid, Dr. Elsa Martinez – Coscolluela,Atty .David C. Martinez, Lilius Pinili,Dr. Tichie Saycon E. Baena ,Atty Arturo Valencia Umbac,  Simon Anton Niño Diego Galera Baena and his mother Leonaga Tulabing Larena .

Katacgahan

By : Leonaga Hermoso Tulabing Larena in 2005

The Sky was crystal blue and mountains so dry

The sun kisses my skin

Dark surface and the volcanic fertile the Land

Smell the aroma of sweet green grass

Tamarind sweet and sour stand for ages

The land ruled by King and Queen

Duke and Baroness

Draw to angry, principle and greed

The family is torn apart

When the wind blows from North to South

East and West to touch your skin

Remembering the glorious  past with pride and honor

Giant’s men rule the land

The surface became dark

People suffering from a feudal system

From famine to War

Make the field very dry

The thirst, no food and the search for clean water for ages

I lay down to the empty land

My heart bleeding so fast

I feel like I’m drowning in shallow water

Giant men thumb my back, destroy my soul and took my identity

I saw my reflection in the crystal creek

After the rain, a beautiful rainbow appeared

My self was restored

The green grows blowing  into the wind from side and side

The little boy became a King

Everything so happy and endless peace 

Hacienda Katacgahan Bais City

A 2005 Poem by Baisanon Poet Leonaga H.Tulabing Larena a lover of World Literature and a member of Dumaguete Reading Club from 1971 to 1985. In  Summer of 1965 and 1966  she was sent to Manila thru a government scholarship to study Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo at the University of the Philippines Diliman.Her another poems are the following, River, Total Stranger ,Rizal 

Editor 

Baisanon Poet Penn Tulabing Larena  some of his works influenced by family ,relatives and friends. Some of his works including Hacienda in 2013, Hometown 2015,Rizal 2016, Katacgahan 2005 , The space between us 2018 ,Spanish Bread of Jose Rafael  2018 and Pretty Girl  2018. He is a nephew of  Literary icons in the Philippines like Fr. Rudy Villanueva aka in literature Renato Madrid, Dr. Elsa Martinez – Coscolluela,Atty .David C. Martinez, Lilius Pinili,Dr. Tichie Saycon E. Baena ,Atty Arturo Valencia Umbac,  Simon Anton Niño Diego Galera Baena and his mother Leonaga Tulabing Larena .

Four Poems by Simon Anton Nino Diego Baena

Boracay Blues and Other Poems

Four Poems by Simon Anton Nino Diego Baena

Boracay Blues

In the gathering fog,

the miniature sun explodes

among the shards of broken bottles of gin

afloat on the shimmering sea.

At dawn, all the lost kisses

and those firm breasts heaving

in the sparkling sand,

become dry and lifeless

shells, trampled upon by the multitude.

Every day, the shrill of human noises

and the hissing waves

are ever so distant,

like a headland

of silence,

in my muted memory.

Simply Boracay

5:25 pm at Dos Mestizos

I drank three glasses of Sangria,

and slowly descended the golden orb gleaming

in her pristine waters. Scattered fragments

of dead corals strewn

as necklaces on her now spoiled beach.

There are screeching passenger planes but gulls are nowhere

to be seen. In station one, every evening,

when alcohol inhabits the brain,

the sea itself becomes

the indigo firmament poets dream

with their eyes wide open. Boracay’s parade

of lights akin to tiny fireflies

in the distance. In this glittering island,

time and space is a portrait

of tattoo needles and braids. Everyday

mundane scene of banana boats and sandcastles washed away

by the endless coming of tourists,

and the smell of those stained sheets haunted my nostrils.

At daybreak, the cascading beats of techno music

and voices of a monotone summer

lingered in my ears–

near Epic and Bombom bar,

in the aftertaste of saliva and tequila,

I saw the aeta child with copper hair, strode

like a starving war prisoner,

as she asked for coke in can,

while selling trinkets and wood carvings

with the image of the messiah and the virgin.

Cityscape

There is no need to mention

the rain and the cadaver of trees

lying helplessly in mount Kalatungan.

We are not descending

on hillsides and green plateaus,

where the maya and the hummingbird

own the serene ether and air

within the feathers of their wings

and music of their whistles.

We are like mannequins

in this overlapping skyways,

overlooking the stress and grime

of the metro under the comfort of seat belts.

The acrid smell of oil covers

her dying skyline. Burning

in this heat of summer

are cyclones of bellowing cars

and buses that strangle our nostrils

even in the dark of midnight.

There are no shrieking crows

in the streets of Manila,

only loitering prostitutes

worth three hundred pesos.

Boracay Blues and Other Poems by Simon Anton Nino Diego Baena

Bais City Negros Oriental

Bais, officially the City of Bais, is a 3rd class city in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 76,291 people.^[3]

Contents

• 1Geography
• 2Barangays
• 3History
  • 3.1Etymology
  • 3.2Pioneer in the Sugar Industry
• 4Demographics
• 5Economy
• 6Education
  • 6.1Colleges & Universities
  • 6.2Elementary & Secondary Schools
• 7Culture
• 8Notable people
• 9References
• 10External links

Geography[edit]

Located 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the provincial capital Dumaguete, it has a land area of 31,964 hectares (78,980 acres). There are two bays in the area, hence the name "Bais." The shore line is mostly mangroves, which are in danger of destruction due to the increasing population. The richness of marine life in the bays is because of these mangroves.

Bais City is located on the east coast of Negros island, about 45 kilometers north of Dumaguete City, the capital city of Negros Oriental. Its name is derived from the Visayan word "ba-is" for brackish-water eel – a fish species native to the city and one which has become the city's delicacy. A former barrio and later a municipality, Bais, officially became a city on September 9, 1968 (R.A. No. 5444).

The territorial jurisdiction of Bais includes two islets (Olympia and Dewey) and the Bais Bay. The Bais Bay area holds a diversity of animal life and is a rich breeding and fishing ground for demersal and other fish species, and also invertebrates. South Bais Bay is also famous for dolphin watching.

Bais City's bays are widely known to have one of the most beautiful coral reefs in the area.

The Pelarta River runs beside the city center. There is, however, a dispute that the name Bais was taken after the eels locally called "bais" that used to thrive in this river. The river has been the source of irrigation water for the nearby sugar farms. This has been vital in the success of sugar plantations in this area. This river also has a big influence on the city's geography, as it deposits sediments in the former mangrove areas during the (formerly annual) flood season. These former mangrove swamps have now dried out and become populated with residents. In the late 1970s, under the Genaro Goñi administration, a river control system stretching from the city center toward the low-lying areas was established in order to lessen flooding during the rainy season.

Barangays[edit]

Bais City is politically subdivided into 35 barangays.

• Barangay I (Poblacion)
• Barangay II (Poblacion)
• Basak
• Biñohon
• Cabanlutan
• Calasga-an
• Cambagahan
• Cambaguio
• Cambanjao
• Cambuilao
• Canlargo
• Capiñahan
• Consolacion
• Dansulan
• Hangyad
• La Paz
• Lo-oc
• Lonoy
• Mabunao
• Manlipac
• Mansangaban
• Okiot
• Olympia
• Panala-an
• Panam-angan
• Rosario
• Sab-ahan
• San Isidro
• Katacgahan (Tacgahan)
• Tagpo
• Talungon
• Tamisu
• Tamogong
• Tangculogan
• Valencia

History[edit]

In the early days of Spanish exploration, some Spaniards came upon a swampy land and docked their boats at the vicinity of the two small islets that guarded the village. While exploring the place, they saw natives fishing along the coast. The Spaniards approached the natives and asked for the name of the place. The natives could not understand Spanish,and believing that the Spaniards were asking for the name of their catch, the natives answered saying "Ba-is"; from that day on, this swampy valley of the Old Panlabangan and Talamban Hills became known as Bais.^[4]

Etymology[edit]

Pioneer in the Sugar Industry[edit]

Loading sugar cane onto a truck parked on the National Highway that runs through Bais City

Negros Oriental's economy was far from progressive, and its rich soil was not utilized to its full capacity. That was in the 1850s. During those years, people in Negros depict a life of content for they tend to produce goods enough only to meet their daily needs. Even before the sugar boom of the 1850s, Negros Oriental was already producing sugar. The transport of most of its product was mainly done in the ports of Iloilo, which explains the fast moving pace of development of the sugar industry in Negros Occidental, primarily due to its proximity to Iloilo. This situation was a disadvantage on the movement of sugar from the Oriental plantations.

A wide array of difficulties barred the development of the sugar industry in the Oriental part of the island. The pioneer sugar traders and adventurers include José Rodrigo Camilo Rubio, Diego García-Baena and Agustín de Sandes (from Mexico), Aniceto Villanueva (from Spain), and Vicente-Anunciación Te (later on adapted the surname Teves, from Amoy Province, China). After hearing about the fertility of the flatland of Bais, these individuals carved the virgin forests of the eastern side of the island. Many came and settled in the area and planted sugarcane, thus producing muscovado sugar (invented by Vicente-Anunciación Teves) from their mills which was then exported to Spain via Iloilo, the principal shipping point in the Visayas. This was loaded in large sailboats called lurchas or Batel built by Aniceto Villanueva and Joaquín Montenegro (Bais Historian Penn T. Villanueva Larena CPS, MPA).

Bais City credits much of its progress to the Central Azucarera de Bais, the largest producer of raw sugar in Negros Oriental. Established by the Real Compañía-General de Tabacos de Filipinas, S.A. of Spain in the early 1900s, it is also the pioneer in the sugar industry in the Philippines. This industry reached its peak in the 1930s bringing affluence to the Negrenses and enabling them to build stately homes and to acquire properties all over the province.

Driving through the city's main national highway, sugar plantations can immediately be seen on both sides of the road. These areas are characterized by expansive lowlands that stretch as far as the eyes can see and are ideal for sugar planting because of the city's naturally fertile soil. It is no wonder why 73% of the city's total land area is devoted primarily to agriculture.

The Central Azucarera de Bais itself is an old foreboding structure of metal and hard wood. The offices may have seen better days, the dank smell of nostalgia hang heavy in the air, but are still functional. Nearby is the Casa Grande, an equally old residential compound surrounded by tall acacia trees, which was built for the use of the employees of the Azucarera. The two-storey wooden houses are greatly influenced by old Spanish design and architecture. Much of the houses have undergone restoration and continue to be used as homes of the representatives of the executives of the new management.

Further south are the stately plantation houses owned by sugar planters, mostly standing on one of the lots in the family hacienda. Inside the haciendas are chapels whose altar and icons date back to 1917. Educational visits to these places may be arranged at the Bais City Tourism Office. What is most interesting is you get to tour via the old railroad trams used by the milling companies to hasten sugarcane transport (Bais Historian Mr. Penn T. Villanueva Larena, CPS, MPA).

Demographics[edit]

Population census of Bais
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	8,016	—
1918	13,952	+3.76%
1939	22,471	+2.30%
1948	17,869	−2.51%
1960	33,653	+5.42%
1970	40,095	+1.76%
1975	45,672	+2.65%
1980	49,301	+1.54%
1990	59,591	+1.91%
1995	63,355	+1.15%
2000	68,115	+1.57%
2007	74,702	+1.28%
2010	74,722	+0.01%
2015	76,291	+0.40%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[3][5][6][7]

Economy[edit]

Bais City is the largest producer of raw sugar in Negros Oriental. There are two sugar mills in the city. The Central Azucarera de Bais was established by Tabacalera of Spain in the early 1918 and is the oldest in the country. The other mill is URSUMCO (Universal Robina Sugar Milling Corporation) which was formerly known as UPSUMCO (United Planters Milling Corporation) and constructed in the mid-1970s by Marubeni Corporation of Japan as a project of Ignacio Montenegro (also of Spanish roots). An ethanol plant of the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) that produces bioethanol for the local market has recently been inaugurated.^[8]

Education[edit]

Bais City has separated its DepEd Division (Department of Education) from the provincial division. Most of its 35 barangays have their respective public elementary schools, and only a few have public secondary schools. In the city proper, elementary and secondary public schools, a college, and a state university are situated.

Colleges & Universities[edit]

• Negros Oriental State University Campus 1 – Sitio San Jose, Barangay II, Bais City
• Negros Oriental State University Campus 2 – Quezon Avenue, National Highway, Bais City
• La Consolacion College (Formerly Sacred Heart Academy) – E.C. Villanueva St., Barangay II, Bais City

Elementary & Secondary Schools[edit]

Amalao Elementary School Bais City Pilot School – Special Class in the Arts Bais City Pilot School – Special Class in School Sports Bais City Pilot School – SpED Center Bais City Pilot School – Regular Class Bais City Special Science Elementary School Bais City West Primary School Biso Elementary School Basak Elementary School Cabanlutan Elementary School Cambagahan Elementary School Cambanjao Elementary School Cambayungon Elementary School Cambuilao Primary School Cansanag Elementary School Cipriano Alcala Memorial Elementary School Dansulan Elementary School Dr. Ernesto M. Yared Sr. Memorial Elementary School Javier Laxina I Memorial High School Lowason Elementary School Lonoy Elementary School Sab-ahan Elementary School San Vicente Elementary School Tabu-ac Elementary School

Katacgahan Primary School Olympia Elementary School Looc Elementary School Praxevilla Elementary School Sto. Tomas Elementary School Sto. Tomas National High School Tagpo Elementary School Talungon Primary School Tangculogan Elementary School Okiot Elementary School Okiot National High School Bais City National High School with 6 existing satellite campuses across the 35 barangays Bais City National Science High School La Consolacion College (High School Department) Tabu-ac Elementary School Palanging Elementary School Panalaan National High School Panalaan Elementary School

Culture[edit]

An annual fiesta is held each year on September 10 in honor of the city's patron saint San Nicolás de Tolentino, a celebration inherited from the Spanish era. On this occasion, most of the residents prepare food for anyone who visits - a tradition practiced not only in Bais but also in most towns and cities in the Philippines. Lately, the celebration has included mardigras and parades.

Seventy-three percent of the city's total land area is devoted to agriculture and the local economy is dominated by agricultural activities and output. The existing urban area in the city covers only 109.12 hectares. Sugar is the major commercial crop in the city. About 36% of the city's agricultural land is planted in sugarcane, yielding 1.16 million gross kilograms annually for the domestic and foreign markets. Bais City is also home to two sugar mills or centrals: Central Azucarera de Bais and URSUMCO.

Fish production is the city's second income earner, with about 428 hectares of the land area devoted to fishpond development and operation and fish culture. Bangus (milkfish) culture is the dominant activity. In 2000, the bangus yield in the city was at 722 tons.

The government of Bais City operates ecotourism activities in the city, highlighted by whale and dolphin watching and nature treks. Two annual Bais City festivals have also become tourism events: the Hudyaka sa Bais Mardigras (which was changed to Sipong Festival and later on changed back to Hudyaka) and the Christmas Festival (which showcases the city's, perhaps the province's only, giant rotating Christmas tree and colorful decors) since 1950.

A concern of the city is its liquid and solid waste management. At present, liquid wastes are emptied directly without treatment into the Bais basin. The current dump site for solid waste is due for closure, and site development for a new 12.5-hectare sanitary landfill is being finalized.

Bais is reported to be the last stronghold of the Spanish language in the Philippines, since some of the Spaniards are in the first settlement area of Negros, (and southeast of Bais) Tanjay.

Notable people[edit]

• Demetrio Larena Sr. – first Governor of Negros Oriental
• Chanda Romero -Actress,TV Personality
• Josefino "Penn" T.Larena Jr.- Civic Leader, Educator,Boy Scout, Consumer Advocate, Tour Guide,Historian, Literature
• Kenzo Lindy G. Laxina- Artist,Aerial Cinematography,Photographer
• Nich Port- Artist ,Photographer
• Meliton Larena- Board Member during the American Period
• Valeen Montenegro Vicente- Actress TV Personality
• Yul Gabriel F. Dionson- Visual Artist ,Outstanding Baisanon 2019
• Josefa Villanueva Perez- Historian, Visual Artist
• Simon Anton Nino Diego Baena- International Literature
• Tichie Ann Saycon E. Baena- Research, Education
• Ana Marie Montenegro Gonzalvez -Social Services,Outstanding Baisanon 2019
• Francisco G. Villanueva- Visual Artist ,Outstanding Baisanon 2019
• Ramon Sibala- Public Service and Scouting Movement
• Eddie Sinco Romero- National Artist in Film and Broadcasting Arts
• Jose Mari Chan- Singer, Songwriter and Businessman in the sugar industry
• Jaime Larena Ponce de Leon- Artist, Gallery and Art Auction
• Jessica Jane "BM IKAY" Villanueva- Board Member
• Lt. MacGlen Abuyabor- Bayani ng Bayan Outstanding Baisanon 2019
• Earl Martinez Teves- Photographer

References[edit]

1. ^ "City". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
2. ^ "Province:". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
3. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Census of Population (2015). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
4. ^ Perez Villanueva, Josefa History of Bais 1979 Teves Press
5. ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
6. ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
7. ^ "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
8. ^ URC starts taking fuel ethanol orders

   9*Larena, Josefino Jr. T. the life of Demetrio Larena and his contribution to Negros Oriental 2000

External links