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South Luzon / Naga City

Naga, 443km (275mi) from Manila, is one of the oldest Spanish settlements in The Country . In 1578 Legazpi sent his grandson Capt. Juan de Salcedo to conquer the southern part of Luzonas. One of the conquered areas contained a fine stand of trees, named Naga (the local name for narra), which was at first designated the City of Nueva Caceres and later Naga. From 1578 to 1583, the region was extensively evangelized and Naga ultimately became the seat of diocese of the whole Bicol region at the beginning of the 17th century.

On September 17, 1898, resistance to the Spaniards began in Naga and spread throughout the region. It was headed by Felix Plaza and Elias Angeles. On September 19, 1898, the Spanish colonizers surrendered. In WW II, Naga City was occupied by the Japanese December 14, 1941 without a struggle. A resistance group formed later was able to seize the province from the Japanese for two days in May 1942. Naga City was liberated by US forces April 26, 1945. It became a chartered city June 18, 1948

Today Naga City is a busy commercial place with 27 barangays. It serves as a major trading, education and culture center as well as the transportation hub for the region noted for farming and fishing. Naga, sometimes called the "Heart of Bikol," is without many of the natural tourist sites as volcanos and beaches which attract visitors to Legazpi City but it compensates for this by having friendly people. Visitors who are interested in religious culture may visit several churches in Naga, such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Penafrancia Shrine, and the Basilica.

The major annual event in Naga is the Penafrancia festival in the third week in September. At the beginning of this festival the Our Lady of Penafrancia image is transferred from the Penafrancia Shrine to the cathedral in a procession known as 'Traslacion'. During the fiesta the patroness is returned to the shrine in a fluvial procession. This festival attracts many visitors, and hotels are usually fully booked. Some hotels charge higher rates for festival time.

Although Naga suffers under the same kind of economic difficulties which trouble the region, it was spared severe damage when typhoon Sisang swept through the southern part of Bicol.

Accommodation Crown Hotel (19) - Angeles St, Tel 25-84
rm 112-504 (tb,hw,tel)
rest, good quality, good location

Aristocrat Hotel (31) - Angeles St, Tel 52-30
rm 60-450; wide variety of rms
rest, disco, conf halls, very busy place
Shakey's Pizza on ground floor

Moraville Apartelle (28) - Dinaga St
Tel 35-84; rm 75-240; nicely furnished,
tb rms w/ bath tubs; video P 25/2 hrs

Rodson Palace Hotel (13) - Burgos St
Tel 52-44; rm 45-380; rest, disco

Lindez Hotel (14) - Burgos St, Tel 24-14
rm 45-240; suite 210; rest, disco

Fiesta Hotel (35) - Pandian St, near public market, Tel 27-60; rm
45-375; tb in rms w/out windows only; rest, bar, disco

Jim's Apartelle (21) - Panganiban Drive
Tel 27-12; rm 55-140; nice simple place

Midtown Travelers Pension (12)
3l Gen Luna St, Tel 24-74
rm 85-160 (tb); small, simple

Naga City Guest House (10) - Burgos St
Tel 25-03; rm 50-150
basic, most rms have no windows, short time rates, no security

Elegant Park Pension House (37)
Biak-na-Bato St, Tabuco

Restaurants

Hong Kong Tea House (22)
Angeles cor Panganiban Sts
Shakey's Pizza Parlor (31) - Angeles St
Oyster Restaurant (32)
New Chinese Restaurant (30) - Gen Luna St
Cosmos Restaurant (34) - Pandian St
Graceland Fast Food (11)
Burgos cor Gen Luna Sts
Food Mart Fast Food (15) - Burgos St

Sightseeing

Plaza de Quince Martires (9) - in the city center; the park was built in honor of 15 martyrs who gave their lives for Philippine independence.

Plaza Rizal (25) - in the city center; the larger park which includes a large outdoor stage (17), a Chess Center (18), and a basketball court. On the fringe of the park are many food vendors at night.

University of Nueva Caceres (23) - inside the campus is a very small, simple museum of Bicol artifacts; entr free

Naga Metropolitan Cathedral (3) - Jacob St

Archbishop Palace (4) - Jacob St

San Francisco Church (20) - Penafrancia St

Shopping

Robertson's Department Store (24)
Gen. Luna St

Naga City Public Market (38)
btw Gen Luna and Igualdo Sts; a large complex which is still very active in spite of a fire in October, 1987, which destroyed part of it.

Miscellaneous
Phil Nat'l Bank (16) - Gen Luna St
Post Office (5) - Penafrancia St
Public Library (26) - Angeles cor
Panganiban Sts
University Ateneo de Naga (1)
Colegio de Sta. Isabel (2)

Transportation
PAL shuttle bus (7) - Jacob St
Philtranco Bus Terminal (6) - Penafrancia St
Manila-Legazpi-Samar-Leyte-Mindanao line
daily 14 buses to Manila btw 8:00 and 19:00 (travel time approximately 10 hours)
Pick up for Sarkies buses (27) - Angeles St Mini Bus Terminals
operation between 5:00 and 17:00
(8) - Arana St; to Daet
(39,40) - Pandian cor Angeles Sts
to Daet, Sipicot, Pili, Iriga, Legazpi and Tabaco
Jeepneys to Carolina (29)
Igualdo cor Abella Sts
Train Station (36) - an evening passenger train leaves Naga City daily for Manila, but the trip is slow. (about 12 hrs.)

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Whole tongkat ali root, or tongkat ali extract that has been produced in a traditional manner by soaking and boiling chipped root, discarding the roots, and evaporating the water, has a known risk profile. In this form, tongkat ali has been consumed for centuries.