Region VII - Central Visayas

Cebu.  Bohol.  Negros Oriental.  Siquijor.  Four magical provinces lying right in the very navel of the Philippine archipelago.  Four provinces home to many natural wonders, colorful cultural traditions, and a mix of the old and the new.  Four provinces that make up the region known as the Central Visayas.

Location and Land Area

 Central Visayas is strategically located at the geographical center of the Philippine archipelago between the major islands of Luzon and Mindanao. It is bounded in the north by the Visayan Sea; in the east by the Camotes Sea and Camiguin Channel; in the south by the Mindanao Sea; and in the west by Negros Occidental Province.
The region is composed of four island provinces: Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor. The region's premier urban and major business, industrial and services center is Metro Cebu (Cebu City) located in the island province of Cebu. Other major urban centers are Tagbilaran City in Bohol , Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental and Siquijor in Siquijor Province.

Central Visayas is the sixth smallest region in the country with a total land area of 1.49 million hectares (14,951 square kilometers). Among the provinces, Negros Oriental accounts for the largest share of the regional land (36 percent), followed by Cebu (34 percent), Bohol (27.5 percent) and Siquijor (2 percent).

*map taken from Google Maps

Table 1 : Central Visayas: Land Area by Province

The Land Area of Region VII is 15, 875kms2. The Central Visayas ranks at  number 5 among the most populous regions in the Philippines with 6.4 million or 7.2% of the country’s total population  basing on the 2007 census.

It is a melting pot of trade, commerce, and culture in the whole of  the Visayas, as well as a bustling center of  progress and development.Source: DENR 7

The Port of Cebu is the main gateway of the region with main ports in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Tagbilaran in Bohol and Larena in Siquijor. Numerous shipping lines serve the islands included are 2 fastcraft companies.

Photo from: www.cpa.gov.ph

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu City is the only airport in the Visayas serving international flights.Theseserve as the point of entry of many foreigners to the wonderful islands of Region VII. 

Photo from www.mciaa.gov.ph

The Islands

Bohol. Bohol Province lies between Southern Leyte in the east and Cebu in the west. Its northern shores face the Camotes Sea and its southern shores face the Mindanao Sea. Bohol has an area of 411,726 hectares (4,117.3 square kilometers). The province is the 10th largest island in the country. Tagbilaran City is Bohol's provincial capital.

Cebu. Cebu province is composed of islands and islets, the largest of which are Mactan, Bantayan, and Camotes. The province has a total land area of 508,840 hectares (5,088.4 sq. kms.) which is 34 percent of the region's total area. It is bordered on the north by the Visayan Sea, on the south by the island province of Siquijor and the Mindanao Sea, on the west by Tañon Strait and the island of Negros, on the east by the island province of Leyte and the Camotes Sea and on the southeast by the island province of Bohol and the Bohol Strait. Cebu City is the province's provincial capital.

 The southeastern portion of Negros Island constitutes the province of Negros Oriental. It is separated from its sister province, Negros Occidental, by mountain ranges that run along the center of the island. The Tañon Strait separates the eastern part of the province from Cebu. The province has a total area of 540,230 hectares (5,402.3 sq. km.). Dumaguete City is Negros Oriental's provincial capital.

Siquijor. Siquijor is the region's smallest province. Located southeast of Negros Island, Siquijor used to be a sub-province of Oriental Negros until it became an independent province in 1971 by virtue of Republic Act No. 6398. The seat of the provincial government is located in the municipality of Siquijor.

Metro Cebu. Metro Cebu is located in the central eastern seaboard of Cebu province. The metropolis occupies a total area of 74,209 hectares or the area with a 25 km radius centered on Cebu City. It is composed of four cities and six municipalities, namely: Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapulapu City, Talisay City, Cordova, Liloan, Consolacion, Compostela, Minglanilla and Naga. Recently, the Cebu City South Reclamation Project was opened to accommodate the urban space requirement of the city of Cebu. The newly opened reclaimed area approximately covers 320 hectares.
Aside from being the regional center for government services, Metro Cebu is a major hub of business and trade in the Visayas and Mindanao. The metropolis also prides itself as the premier educational center next to Manila. Shipping and trade, tourism, manufacturing, and services are the leading economic sectors in the area.

Topography

With the exception of Bohol, the topography of Central Visayas is rugged and is characterized by highlands dominating the interior of the provinces, with narrow strips of arable land lining the coast. Of the region's total land area, the hilly to mountainous areas (those with slopes above 18%) constitute about 62 percent and the level to rolling lands account for the remaining 38 percent.

Bohol. Unlike the other three provinces, Bohol is generally flat. Forty-seven (47) percent of the area has a slope of between 0-18 percent. It is not surprising thus, that Bohol should have vast tracts of agricultural lands which are found mostly in the interior of the province. Bohol is ringed on its eastern, western and southern coastlines by steep mountains. In the interior region are found numerous haycock hills popularly known as the “Chocolate Hills, which have become tourism attractions. Each hill, formed by limestone shale and sandstone rises by some 30 meters above the flat terrain.
The province has an almost regular coastline except for the Anda Peninsula which juts towards the east. Surrounding the west, north and northeast coasts are coral reefs and 75 small islands and islets. One of the larger islands is Panglao located off Tagbilaran City which today has become a major tourist destination in the country.

Cebu. Cebu stretches by some 250 kilometers from north to south. Its widest point, which is in the center of the province (Asturias-Danao), is approximately 41 kilometers. The province's terrain is rugged and mountainous with low peaks forming a mountain range that stretches in the center of the island from the southern tip of Santander to Medellin in the north. The surface is characterized by sharp ridges. Osmeña Peak at 1,034 meters is the highest point of the island.
The hilly to mountainous areas (slope of 18 percent and above) account for 68 percent of the province's total land area. These upland areas are almost entirely denuded except for a few hectares of established protected areas and forest plantations. Except for a wider expanse of flat lands in the north, the plains along the coastline are narrow, thus making reclamation projects attractive as a land expansion option. The three major islands in the province, Mactan, Bantayan and Camotes.

Negros Oriental. The area along the province's coastline is mostly made up of plains and valleys. Towards the interior are found volcanic peaks, hills, and occasional plateaus. In the south of the province is a group of volcanic mountains, the highest of which is Cuernos de Negros with an elevation of 1,903 meters. In the north is Mount Kanlaon, the province's highest peak which towers some 2,450 meters above sea level. Mt. Kanlaon, an active volcano, also marks the northern boundary of Oriental Negros with Negros Occidental. A much larger section of Mount Kanlaon is under the jurisdiction of Negros Occidental. The presence of small crater lakes (Lake Danao and Lake Balinsasayao) confirms the volcanic character of the province. The province is therefore one vast space for agricultural production.

Siquijor. Siquijor is mostly made up of limestone rock material. The island is fringed with coral reefs. The interior is either hilly or mountainous, the highest point of which is Mount Bandilaan with an elevation of 557 meters. On its northern and southern coasts are found level lands consisting of narrow flood plains and deltas.

Climate and Weather

The climate of the region is tropical-monsoonal. The tropical condition can be attributed to the location of Region VII which is about 10O to 11O north of the equator. The monsoonal condition, on the other hand, refers to two seasonal wind regimes, the northeasterly winds and the southwesterly winds.
From November to May the wind blows on a northeasterly direction with an average wind velocity of eleven kilometers per hour. From June to October the southwesterly winds prevail with an average wind velocity of seven kilometers per hour. Central Visayas is relatively well protected from the destructive effects of tropical cyclones.
The mean annual temperature in the region is 27 degrees Celsius. Average temperature readings at various stations are as follows: 27.5 degrees Celsius for Cebu: 27.9 degrees for Dumaguete (Negros Oriental ) and 27.8 degrees for Tagbilaran (Bohol). The hottest months are February, March and April and the coldest month is January. Due to high temperature and the surrounding bodies of water, the region, as in the case of the Philippines as a whole, has a high relative humidity. Relative humidity (RH) is at mean 82 percent. The RH in Cebu is 77 percent, Bohol is 76.6 percent, and Oriental Negros and Siquijor is 78 percent.
The region has the following three types of climate based on the seasonal distribution of rainfall as categorized under the Corona Climate Classification System:
Type I – This is characterized by two pronounced seasons, dry and wet, with maximum rain period occurring from June to September due to prevalence of southwest monsoon. The dry season lasts from three to six to seven months. This type of climate is peculiar to the southern part of Negros Oriental which is open to the southwest monsoon. Areas located in Type I climate are typhoon and drought prone and are generally vulnerable to El Nino.
Type III – This is characterized by the absence of a pronounced maximum rain period, with short dry season lasting from one to three months. This type closely resembles Type I with its short dry season. This type of climate is prevalent in the northern half of Negros Oriental , the southern half of Cebu and the whole of Siquijor.
Type IV – Under this type, rainfall is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. Bohol and the northern part of Cebu have this type of climate.

Land Classification

 Of the region's total land area of 1.49 million hectares, 959,223 hectares (64 percent) are alienable and disposable (A & D) lands, and 535,919 hectares (36 percent) are forestlands. Of the total forestland, 87 percent is classified forest and only 13 percent is still unclassified. More than half or 54 percent of the region's forestlands are found in Oriental Negros, 27 percent in Cebu, 19 percent in Bohol and less than 1 percent in Siquijor.

Central Visayas is endowed with abundant mineral resources. These mineral resources may be classified into metallic and non-metallic.

Metallic. Nationwide, the region accounts for a substantial portion of the country’s mineral ore production. The metallic ore reserve of the region is estimated at 1,140 million metric tons. A sizeable portion of this is found in Cebu.
Copper, gold and manganese are three of the more important metallic mineral resources of the region. Most of these are found in Toledo City in Cebu and Basay in Oriental Negros. Cebu province has an estimated 847 million metric tons of copper reserves while Oriental Negros has 184 million metric tons.
Deposits of manganese ore are also found in the municipalities of Guindulman and Anda, Bohol and in the municipalities of Larena, Enrique Villanueva and Maria, Siquijor. Prospects of chromite deposits are reported in Duero, Bohol.

Non-metallic. Non-metallic mineral reserves are found throughout the region. The non-metallic mineral reserves are categorized according to their use as follows: industrial materials, bauxite and ceramics, construction materials, fertilizer, and cement raw materials.
Industrial materials are the most abundant non-metallic resource in the region. The bulk of these is found in Cebu and is estimated at 2.1 billion metric tons. Cement raw materials come next and are also concentrated in Cebu province, particularly in the southeastern part, with estimated reserves of 1.5 billion metric tons.

Water Resources

Data from the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) shows that the total water resources potential of Central Visayas is 2,939 million cubic meters (mcm), of which 2,060 mcm (70 percent) is from surface water sources and 879 mcm (30 percent) is from groundwater sources. The surface water potential of Central Visayas comprises only 2 percent of the total surface water potential of the country. Groundwater, which is the main source of water for domestic consumption in the region, also represents only 4 percent of the total groundwater potential in the country.
On a per capita basis, water available in the region, both from surface and groundwater sources, is only 425 cubic meters per capita per year. This is far below the standard 1,000 cubic meters per capita water requirement (scarcity level) set by the World Resources Institute.

Surface Water. Rivers are the region's major sources of surface water. There are about 30 major rivers in the region that are potential water supply sources. Of these 30 major rivers, 14 are in Oriental Negros, 11 are in Bohol, and 4 are in Cebu. At present, most of these rivers are utilized for irrigation purposes except in Cebu where rivers are used for both irrigation and industrial uses.
While Siquijor has no major river, it has 3 minor rivers. These rivers have not yet been properly evaluated and considered as possible sources of future water supply. However some rivers and creeks are presently being utilized for irrigation purposes. These are Sapang Daku, Gabayan and Tag-ibo Rivers and Capalasan Creek.
The region has also a number of lakes, dams and reservoirs, which are potential sources of water for irrigation, domestic and industrial use. Some lakes are being developed for eco-tourism.

Groundwater. Groundwater is the most exploited source of water for domestic, agricultural and industrial use. Most of the groundwater sources in the region (87 percent) consist of shallow and deep wells. There are about 28,504 shallow and deep wells in Central Visayas. Oriental Negros has the most number of shallow wells but these are mostly private owned. Cebu, on the other hand, has the most number of deep wells that are public owned. Most of the groundwater extractions are being done without water-right permits, resulting in indiscriminate withdrawal and over extraction of water.
Water from springs is also widely used in the region. Bohol has the most number of springs being developed as sources of water.

Coastal and Marine Waters. The region, being composed of island provinces and a number of smaller islands, has approximately 31,498 sq. kms. of coastal waters. This is 211 percent bigger than the total land area of the region. For this reason, the region should place as much importance to preserving the integrity and productivity of its coastal and marine resources.
The total length of the region's coastline is 1,988 kms. This reflects great potentials for fishery activities, port facilities, and coastal tourism.
Of the total area of coastal water, 68 percent are within municipal waters which are under the jurisdiction of the local governments. The remaining 32 percent is part of the national waters administered by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The region's total reef area is also estimated at 1,560 sq. km. of which 41 percent is located in the Danajon Bank within the coastal waters of Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte. In terms of the quality of these reefs, however, a survey of 186 reefs in the region in 1995 under the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP) revealed that only 11 percent of the reefs had good quality coral cover (51-75 percent hard coral cover). Forty-six (46) percent had 26-50 percent hard coral cover and 43 percent had 0-25 percent hard coral cover.
The Regional Fisheries Framework of Central Visayas has adopted a fisheries ecosystems approach in coastal resource management. Under this approach, the coastal and marine areas of the region are divided into seven (7) distinct marine ecosystems, namely: Bohol Sea, Camotes Sea, Cebu Strait, Danajon Bank, East Sulu Sea, Tañon Strait, and Visayas Sea. (see Table 1) Within each fisheries ecosystem are various marine habitats such as mangrove forests, coral reefs, seagrass, mudflats, sandy beaches and others. These habitats are the main feeding and spawning grounds and nursery areas of coastal and marine aquatic organisms. Rehabilitation/development activities are then planned and implemented by ecosystem.

Source: NEDA 7