ABOUT REGION 5

This is the WET & HOT Region of the Philippines!

Region 5 (sometimes written with the roman numeral as REGION V) or Bicol Region can be mostly “wet” as it is on the eastern corridor of the country facing the Pacific Ocean where typhoons usually come from or pass by. Bicol is a perennial recipient of greater amounts of rain! Many times during the year, majority of the area is blessed with rain – and we may of course also sometimes call that “cursed” with rain. When I go to Bicol for some sunny side activities, I skim through a lot of references just to ensure the clouds won’t rain on me! Many times, they still do! But hey, being wet does not necessarily mean cold!

For me, this region is “hot”. What with 3 active volcanoes and another 3 being potentially active! That should be enough to get them really hot on the seismic map, right? How much more if we count 25 others that are considered inactive volcanoes! Yes, you guessed it right, as of this writing, the latest recorded volcanic activity in this country was from Bulusan, one of Bicol’s active mounds!

Owing to that, are Bicolanos generally hot-headed? I cannot be the judge on that, but I find them not so. I think they must even be the most resilient of Filipinos as they’re often visited by calamities but they thrive onwards.

Bicol is also hot on the tourist’s eyes for many other things like the smallest fish and the biggest fish! Hah, did you know that?! The wonders of nature and the wonders of man abound in this region. You want proof? There’s surfing in Catanduanes, there’s the Palawan-like awesome beauty of the Caramoan Peninsula, there’s them celebrating wet during the Penafrancia, there’s them having a Rodeo Holiday down in Masbate, there’s even the only man-made watersports complex in the country. Yes, aside from volcanoes, they have geothermal plants, old churches, a railway that still is in use, hundreds of beaches, caves, hot springs, waterfalls, tropical islands, parks, zoos, lakes, corals, dive-sites, wrecks, superstars, supersingers, senators, athletes and yes… NPA hehe!

This is the place made famous by the Pili, the Chili and the WakeSki! Oh Bicol is really hot!

While there are a lot of references that can give you various information about this part of the country, my favorites are:

Wikepedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines

Department of Trade and Industry
http://www.dti.gov.ph/

Wow Philippines' Explore Philippines pages
http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/

Virtual Tourist
http://www.virtualtourist.com/ especially the VT Philippines Forums

If you have questions or want to tell me more information about this region, please do not hesitate to send me an email, comment on this page, like my facebook page or through my twitter account.
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