Nueva Caceres - Naga City..

“Maorag Magayon Maogma, Mga taga-Naga” The  Heart of Bicol region, Naga City has been for hundreds of years a center of trade, education, culture, and the seat of governmental and ecclesiastical authority. It has a rich and vibrant culture shown in the famous Peñafrancia Festival which is one of the biggest and most popular religious events in the Philippines. This celebration and other famous infrastructure in the city such as Our Lady of Peñafrancia Museum, Museo del Seminario Concillar de Nueva Caceres &  Basilica Minore attributes to the increase of the city’s tourism. Naga city is the hub of education in Bicol due to the presence of various academic institutions like Ateneo de Naga University, Universidad de Sta Isabel,  University of Nueva Caceres and many more. It progressed from a simple and dull city to being one of the most improved cities in the Philippines. But how did it reach its peak of fame? And more importantly where did the name Naga City come from?

Some places are named after an influential person while others are named after a certain object the place is famous for. According to the book named Naga: The Birth and Rebirth of A City by Danilo Gerona published in the year 2006, before the coming of the Spanish colonial government, Naga which was then a flourishing village off the riverbanks of the storied Naga River, was already a blooming community. With panday-like weapons and astonishingly advanced technology, it was then a leading village.  Narra Tree was seen all over the area and because of its abundance the city was named after Naga which was then the bicol term for Narra. The name was changed to Nueva Caceres in honor of Francisco de Sande, a governor general and a native of Caceres in Spain during the Spanish Colonization. Caceres is the name of a town in Extremadura, Spain. Therefore, Nueva Caceres means New Caceres in the Bicol region during those times. Nueva Caceres remained the capital of Camarines Sur province until the formal independence of Naga City under the Philippine Republic. With the arrival of American rule, it was officially known as Naga City.

Naga City has survived a lot of difficult times and will still remain a bright gravestone of the early beginnings of the Philippines. Naga is now one of the most abundant cities here in the Philippines because of its outstanding governance, hardworking people and because it is bordered on all sides by agricultural, forest and fishing areas which makes it a perfect location for different business and industries.

Where did the name Naga City came from?

The history of Naga City is indeed very interesting and remarkable especially to Nagueños. Without the past Naga City wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is today. Part of our past is the evolvement of the name of our city. The history of the name of the city is important to its heritage. Nagueños should be aware of where the name of their city came from.

We conducted a survey and found out that only 3 out of 10 Nagueños know where the name Naga City was derived. There are two stories about where the city got its name. Before the Spanish Colonization there was abundance of Narra Tree all over the place. During those times the Bicol term for the tree was Naga. There was also abundance of species of wild duck in the city in which it is endangered today. The Bicol name of the duck was the same with that of Narra Tree. And because people noticed the profusion of these things, the place was named as Naga City.

We also interviewed Mr. Jose Fernando Obias, one of the editors of the book Naga: The Birth and Rebirth of A City. He believes that the name Naga came from the Sanskrit literature and it is defined as the water serpent. It was described as a snake holding the whole world. When the snake open its mouth, out comes water. Mr. Obias is certain about this side of story because images of this water serpent are seen in several homes of ancient Bicolanos.

The name Naga City truly describes the place. Like the wild duck, Nagueños are thriving hard just to have a good lifestyle and all the natural & human resources of the city is as useful as the Narra Tree. And like the water serpent, Nagueños cares a lot about our mother earth or rather the environment. Well that’s the reason why we, Nagueños, are very proud about the culture, industry, location and history of our small yet flourishing city.

Background and Significance

We, Nagueños, are proud citizens of Naga City. Nagueños are proud of their culture and heritage. But the big question is, does everyone know where the name Naga came from. That is where our group is interested in. This blogspot was created with the aim of investigating the origin of the name of Naga City, knowing whether the present day Nagueños know where the name of their city came from, and sharing important information about the city.

This blog will help identify how familiar the Nagueños are with the name and history of the name of their city. Aside from being an educational material, this will also give awareness to people about the history of the city, thus the title Nueva Caceres: Pagsalingoy sa Nakaagi.  

Citizens of Naga should know at least the basic information about the history of their city. Specifically about the answer to where the name Naga was derived. With knowing this detail, we can have a slight glimpse of what our history is that’ll help people understand who they are. It is our goal to have a clear presentation to people, especially Nagueños, on where the name Naga City came from. 

Rochelle

Junior, Writer Expert

The gorgeous chic

Although it’s not obvious, she is very fond of eating, especially in between research activities. This food-lover has a knack in constructing short but snappy articles. She has an impressive way with words which makes her great in editing the write-ups, making her writing skills an asset.

Mr. Jonathan Briones

Coach / Adviser

Mr. Awesome

This lad is the team adviser of team Naga. He is cool and calm. He facilitates the students accordingly. An easy-go-lucky guy, but serious in handling business. From editing documents, revising articles, polishing, and even singing and dancing, he’s all for it, especially in the technical elements of the blog.

Mr. Sulpicio Alferez III

School Principal

Daddy

As the man in charge of the overall procedures, he handles everything flawlessly. He is very supportive and responsible to every team. One thing about him: his goal is to win.