REGION V

BICOL REGION
Overview
The Bicol Region is located in the southernmost tip of Luzon, which lies at 123 to 126 degrees
longitude and 12 to 14 degrees latitude or generally at the mid-section of the country. It has a
total land area of 17,362 square kilometers representing 5.67% share of the Philippines in
terms of land area.

The region is the gateway of Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao and is within the
international seas, hence, the gateway to the Pacific. Located in the heart of the industrialized
countries, the place would serve as a jumping board for market and business in the Pacific
Rim, Europe, and the United States.

Bicol is accessible by land from Manila and the rest of Luzon thru the Maharlika and Quirino
Highways. From the Visayas and Mindanao islands, it can be reached via the Matnog ferry
terminal. Manila is about 10 hours away from Legaspi City. It is serviced by major bus lines
traversing the Manila-Bicol route.

Capital Legazpi City

Population 5,420,411 (as of 01 May 2010)
Provinces, 6 Provinces
Cities and Albay
Municipalities Camarines Norte
(as of 31 March 2010) Camarines Sur
Catanduanes
Masbate
Sorsogon
7 Cities
107 Municipalities
Barangays 3,471 (as of March 2010)

Physical Characteristics

Location 13°30' N 123°20 E

Southernmost tip of Luzon Island
Land Area 1,763,250 ha.
Topography • Slightly undulating to rolling and from hilly to mountainous
• Volcanoes and mountains dominate the sceneries in the
countryside.
Climate: • Tropical, with a normal average year-round temperature of
27.4°C to 29.6°C
• Two pronounced seasons --- dry and wet

Natural Resources

Land Resources
Certified Alienable & Disposable land 1,238,091 ha.
Forest land 525,159

Water Resources • 30 river basins provide an estimated annual runoff of 12,804

MCM of surface water across the region
• Groundwater has an estimated storage of 22,449 MCM region
wide

Human Resources

Indicator Reference Period Data

Employment Profile
Employment Rate Oct-11 5.30%
Unemployment Rate Oct-11 94.7%
Labor Force Participation Rate Oct-11 67.2%
Educational Profile
Number of College Graduates (Public AY-2009-2010 22,060
and Private)
Employed Persons by Industry
Agriculture Oct-10 847,000
Industry Oct-10 253,000
Services Oct-10 962,000

Infrastructures / Utilities

Transportation
A. Land Transportation
Roads Indicator Reference Data
Period
National Road Length 2011 2,312.45
(in km)
Concrete 2011 1,140.20
Asphalt 2011 764.68
 Gravel 2011 405.63
Earth 2011 1.94
Length of Existing Bridges 2011 19,375.01
(in Lineal Meters)
Railways • Philippine National Railways (PNR)
- Bicol Express
- Isarog Express

B. Air Transportation

Airports • Legazpi City International Airport

• Naga (Pili) Airport
• Bagabas (Daet) Airport
• Bulan Airport
• Moises R. Espinosa (Masbate) Airport

C. Ports

National Ports • Base port in Legazpi City

• Tabaco City Terminal Port
• Jose Panganiban Ports
• Pantao Port in Libon Albay
Local Ports • 38 implemented by LGUs
Fishing Ports • 7 municipal fishing ports
• 1 barangay fishing port in Legaspi City

Public Utilities
A. Electrification

Indicator Reference Period Data

Total Power Generated 2011 1,234.21
(in Gigawatt-Hours)
Energization Coverage
Municipalities 2011 112
Barangays 2011 3,410

B. Water Supply
 • 39 operational water districts strategically located in the urban areas of the region
• 66.11% total households provided with potable water
C. Communications

Indicator Reference Period Data

Exchange 2010 81
Capacity/Lines 2010 106,227
Connections 2010 63,055
Telephone Density (per ‘000 2010 1.86
population)

Economy

Economic Accounts

At Current Prices
Indicator Reference Data
Period (in thousand PhP)
Gross Regional Domestic Product 2011 206,618,832
Agriculture 2011 57,728,015
Industry 2011 44,854,917
Services 2011 104,035,899
Per Capita GRDP 2011 37,526

Finance

Indicator Reference Data

Period
Offices of the Financial System 2011 281
Banking Institutions 2011 281
Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries 2011 -
Non-Bank Thrift Institutions 2011 -

Investment Potentials • Agribusiness and fishery

- Commercial production of crops
- Poultry and livestock
- Seaweed production
- Animal and aqua feeds
 • Mass housing
• Energy
• Iron and Steel
• Creative industries or Knowledge-based Services
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
• Construction
- Infrastructure activities
- Shipbuilding
- Research and development
- Green projects
- Motor Vehicles

Priority Industries • Agriculture

• Commercial fishing
• Mining
• Jewelries manufacturing

Products • Coconuts
• Abaca
• Banana
• Coffee
• Jackfruit
• Handicrafts
• Jewelries

Cost of Doing Business

Contact Details

Governor Joey Salceda Governor Migz Villafuerte

Province of Albay Province of Camarines Sur
www.albay.gov.ph www.camarinessur.gov.ph

Governor Edgardo Tallado Governor Joseph Cua

Province of Camarines Norte Province of Catanduanes
Tel. No. (054) 571-2998 Tel. No. (052) 811-3229
www.camarinesnorte.gov.ph www.catanduanes.gov.ph
 Governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete Governor Raul Lee
Province of Masbate Province of Sorsogon
Tel. No. (056) 333-5844 Tel. No. (056) 211-2121
www.masbatecity.gov.ph www.sorsogon.gov.ph

Sources:
http://bicol.da.gov.ph/Statistics/regional_profile.html
http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/secstats/education.html
http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/secstats/environment.html
http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru5/secstats/labor.html