| Sites to see
Around this area, there are a
lot of varied activities that any reasonably healthy individual
with limited time to spare can enjoy. World-class diving and
snorkeling at Apo Island Marine Reserve take only half a day,
since transportation on land and sea come often enough and
are fairly reliable. A vertical section of the reserve, all
the way from the houses and coconut trees on the beach down
to the coral cliffs, has been copied by the Shedd Aquarium
of Chicago, even to the extent of importing the sand to make
it realistic. A visit to the place is a must.
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A visit to Apo Island is a must
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An hour north of Dumaguete is Bais
City, with its famed whale and dolphin-watching tours out
on Tañon Strait, which separates Negros and Cebu Islands.
If one does exactly as the tour guides say, he or she can
be within an arms--reach of these fast moving cetaceans.
For those who would rather have
solid ground beneath their feet, there are the short trips
to the town of Valencia, halfway up Mt. Talinis. The town
has taken advantage of its beautiful park-like environment
to offer guided hikes up into the forests for bird-watching,
to see Casaroro Falls, or simply to see the rainforest. They
even have guides who can do all the birdcalls! A hornbill
flying over a valley carpeted with the green crowns of trees
makes every peso of your plane ticket to Dumaguete worth it.
DUMAGUETE CITY-AT-A-GLANCE |
Dumaguete City, located in
Central Visayas, is not only known as "The
City of Gentle People" but also "The
Learning Center of the South."
Date Founded:
June 15, 1948
Land Area:
3,426 hectares
Population:
100,000
Major Languages:
• English,
• Cebuano
• Filipino
Educational Institutions:
• Silliman University,
• Foundation University,
• St. Paul University,
• Negros Oriental State University
• Asian College of Science and Technology,
• Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alejandria,
• STI, and AMA Computer University
* The academe pumps in more
than P2 billion of economic activity into the
city annually.
Cost of Doing Business
• Minimum Daily Wage: P180
• Monthly Office Rental per sq.m.: P80
- P 200
* A 2003 NEDA study reported
that Dumaguete City is the least expensive place
to live in the Philippines.
Hotels and Resorts:
Over 300 rooms
IT Infrastructure:
• More than US$85 million worth of Fiber
Optic Connectivity encircle Negros Island with
a quadruple- redundant system in Dumaguete City
• Telco infrastructure/fiber
requirements are serviced by PLDT, Globe, and
Bayantel
• Silliman University is one of few universities
in the world that owns a fiber optic network
with 12 routers
Key Infrastructure
(Other than IT)
• PNOC geothermal field - 20 km west of
Dumaguete
• 192.5 MW (developed)
• 436 MW (potential)
• Domestic Airport - four daily flights
to Manila
• Primary Seaport - with regular boat
schedules to Dipolog/Dapitan, Cagayan de Oro,
Tagbilaran, Ozamis, Siquijor, Cebu, and Manila
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Culture and arts
Dumaguete happens to be the center of all things
cultural in this part of the Philippines. The National Writers’
Workshop – the oldest writing workshop in Asia –
under National Artist for Literature, Dr. Edith Tiempo, is
held annually in May and has for its panelists many literary
luminaries.
Also the hometown of National Artist for Film, director Eddie
Romero, the city is host to the annual “Buglasan Festival,”
a big extravaganza of festivals from all the towns and cities
of Negros Oriental. Held every third
week of October, it gathers in one place all the best the
towns can offer, showcased by booths that simulate their various
attractions like the powerful Canlaon Volcano, the caves of
Mabinay, the waterfalls and forests of Valencia, and the Marine
Reserve of Apo Island.
A high point of the festivities is the street dancing by the
different towns’ contingents, which winds its way through
downtown Dumaguete on the first day to open the festival.
As a small town, Dumaguete City is made up of citizens who
see themselves as neighbors who look out for, and help, each
other. It is this kind of “small town” mentality
that pervades the atmosphere and translates into cooperation,
sharing, and a quick response time – all of which are
attributes industries look for in an ideal investment place.
Veneeth Iyengar is a US Peace Corps volunteer
responsible for bringing in IT investments into the province.
He has a degree in Economics from the Krannert School of Management,
Purdue University. For inquiries, email: iyengarv@yahoo.com
Danah Fortunato is the President and a founding
Trustee of TVB Group Inc., an NGO dedicated to promoting Dumaguete
as a University Town. For inquiries, email: danahvf@yahoo.com
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