Good night world... Ormoc City, Leyte Ormoc is a city in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 191,200 people.[3] Ormoc is the economic, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western Leyte. Ormoc City is an independent component city, not subject to regulation from the Provincial Government of Leyte. However, the city is part of the IV Congressional District of Leyte together with Albuera, Kanaga, Merida, Palompon and Isabel.On 8 November 2013, the city was largely destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), having previously suffered similar destruction and loss of life in 1991 during typhoon Thelma. The citys name is derived from ogmok, an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain.[citation needed] Ormoc City is a port city and is the largest city in Leyte by land area and the second largest in Eastern Visayas after Calbayog City in Samar. At the head of Ormoc Bay, the citys terrain is mostly of gently rolling plains. It is bounded on the northwest by the towns of Matag-ob and Merida, in the north by Kananga, in the northeast by the towns of Jaro, Pastrana and Dagami, and in the south by the town of Albuera. High mountain ranges separate Ormoc from the eastern portion of Leyte. Numerous rivers and streams traverse Ormoc. Among them are the Bao River in the north, Pagsangahan River in the west, the Bagong-bong River in the south, the Panilahan River also in the south and the Anilao and Malbasag Rivers which border the eastern and western flanks of Ormoc City Proper.[citation needed] Kananga was created in 1950 from the barrios of Lonoy, Kananga, Rizal, Tugbong, Montebello, Aguiting, Tagaytay, Montealegre, Libungao, Naghalin, and Masarayao which all used to be part of Ormoc City.[4] 1991 Flash Flood[edit] On the morning of 5 November 1991, the Ormoc region was inundated by Tropical Storm Uring. The city government recorded 4,922 deaths, 3,000 missing persons, 14,000 destroyed houses and more than P600 million worth of damaged property.[5] None of the 3,000 missing persons were ever found and are now presumed dead.[6] Illegal logging and kaingin (slash-and-burn farming) were blamed as the reasons of the flood.[5] Heavy rainfall caused water to collect upstream the Anilao and Malbasag rivers until it poured to the lowlands in Ormoc, particularly District 26, also known as Isla Verde.[5] On 5 November 2011, a monument by national artist Francis Cinco commemorating the 20th anniversary of the event was inaugurated.[7] It sits on top of the mass grave at the Ormoc City Public Cemetery where an estimated 4,900 victims are buried.[8] The sculpture, entitled Gift of Life, is an abstract depicting a life taken to heaven.[5][7] Demographics[edit] Population census of Ormoc Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 129,456 — 1995 143,186 +1.91% 2000 154,297 +1.62% 2007 177,524 +1.95% 2010 191,200 +2.74% Source: National Statistics Office[3] The natives of this city are called Ormocanons, with most being Cebuano speakers (or Kana, as Cebuano-speakers in Leyte and Southern Leyte are often called by the Waray people) together with the whole western and southern parts of Leyte island. The people relate more to neighboring towns and Cebu than to eastern Leyte itself (Waray-speaking areas). Ormoc boasts of being a Cebuano city. Like most Filipinos, Ormocanons are predominantly Roman Catholic, and the city celebrate its annual fiesta in honour of the patron saints Saint Peter and Saint Paul on June 28 and 29. Other main Catholic holy days, including the local fiestas of barangays, are observed throughout the year. There is also a visible Muslim minority within the city and all over the island, evidenced by the occasional mosque in the cityscape, and most of them are Maranaos from Mindanao.[citation needed] Economy[edit] Ormoc Pier Ormoc Citys economic base is a good mix of agriculture, aquaculture, industry, tourism, and commercial services. Sugar cane, rice and pineapple are the bulk produce of the agricultural sector. The city enjoys economic growth because it supplies a large part of the countrys power needs with its abundant geothermal power resources from the Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Barangay Tongonan and neighbouring Kananga town. Ormoc is also the gateway to the Leyte Industrial Development Estate in the nearby town of Isabel, home of the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Plant, the largest fertilizer factory in Asia, and the Philippine Associated Smelter and Refining Company, the countrys biggest copper processing plant, among other industries.[citation needed] Education[edit] Ormoc is the educational center for western Leyte. It has a range of primary and secondary schools, both public and private. Tertiary education was originally offered by St. Peters College of Ormoc, a Benedictine-run Catholic college and the oldest, followed by Western Leyte College,[9] a private non-sectarian college. In the 1990s, the city saw the establishment of Sto. Niño College and the STI computer college. In the 2000s, tertiary institutions founded were AMA Computer Learning Center, Ormoc City School of Arts and Trades, San Lorenzo Ruiz College, SYNTACS Computer College, Ormoc City Institute of Technology (OCIT) and the Ormoc campus of the Eastern Visayas State University. Ormoc also has their own Chinese school which is Ormoc Se San School. Attractions[edit] Tourism highlights include: Lake Danao is a violin shaped lake 3 km long at an elevation of 2,100 feet (640 m) above sea level. There are floating cottages, and boats are available for hire and a future zipline Tongonan Hotsprings National Park is a valley of geothermal power source that can supply electricity to the whole region. The first geothermal plant to operate in the Philippines. Leyte Golf and Country Club is a golfing resort covering more than 80 hectares of semi-rolling terrain, located 7 km from the heart of Ormoc City. Pineapple Plantation lies in 210 hectares in rolling terrain located north of the city Brgy. Hibunawon. Ormocs Queen Pineapple is famous for its sweetness, a favourite pasalubong, and the unofficial icon of the city. Centennial Park, located in the city, is a leisure and picnic ground for the young and old alike. Cave, located RM Tan.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 15:08:54 +0000
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