Caress

• Sagay City is located in Negros Occidental and has an "ice-cream cone" shape sliced from the northern tip of Negros
• Sagay was originally called Argüelles when Lt. Francisco Rodríguez and Basilio Córdova founded it in 1860 in the mouth of the Bulanon River
• During the Spanish era, Sagay was transferred to Pueblo de Magallanes in honor of Ferdinand Magellan
• Sagay contributed to the Philippine Revolution for independence
• In 1906, the name of the town was officially changed to Sagay, taken from the semi-spherical shell called "sigay" found in the area
• The American period brought land transportation, establishment of public schools in English, and the Insular Lumber Company in Barangay Fabrica
• The establishment of Lopez Sugar Corporation in the 1920s led to economic growth in Sagay
• During World War II, Sagay had two Civil Governments under Japanese occupation and was liberated by Filipino and American forces in 1945
• Post-war period saw the transfer of the municipal leadership to Dalusan, the rise of the fishing industry, and the discovery of rich silica deposits in Sherman Hill
• In 1963, Sagay elected Jose H. Puey, Jr. as mayor, leading to the establishment of Sagay Central Inc. sugar mill in 1967
• Sagay became a city in 1996 through House Bill No. 6543, sponsored by Congressman Alfredo G. Marañon, and ratified by the residents
• Negros Occidental is the most populated province in Western Visayas, with Bacolod as the capital and Roman Catholicism as the predominant religion
• Negros Occidental is located in the western side of Negros Island, the fourth largest island in the Philippines
• Total land area of Negros Occidental is 7,802.54 square kilometres (3,012.58 sq mi)
• If Bacolod is included, the province has an area of 7,965.21 square kilometres (3,075.38 sq mi)
• The province is approximately 375 kilometres (233 mi) long from north to south
• Negros Occidental is bounded by the Visayan Sea in the north, Panay Gulf on the west, Negros Oriental province and Tañon Strait on the east, and Sulu Sea on the south
• Negros Occidental is predominantly volcanic, making its soil ideal for agriculture
• Eighty percent of all arable land in the island region is cultivated
• The north and western parts of the province are largely composed of plains and gentle slopes
• A mountain range lines the eastern part of the province, forming the border with Negros Oriental
• Kanlaon Volcano, partially located in Negros Oriental, rises to a height of 2,465 m (8,087 ft) and is the highest peak in the Visayas
• Negros Occidental comprises 19 municipalities and 13 cities, further subdivided into 662 barangays
• It has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines
• Bacolod serves as the capital but is governed independently as a highly urbanized city
• The population of Negros Occidental in the 2015 census was 2,497,261 people
• Density of 320 inhabitants per square kilometre or 830 inhabitants per square mile
• If Bacolod is included, the total population is 3,059,136 people
• Density of 384/km2 (995/sq mi)
• Residents of Negros are called "Negrenses" and many are of Austronesian heritage with Chinese and/or Spanish ancestry as minorities
• Hiligaynon is the predominant language spoken by 84% of residents, while Cebuano is spoken by the remaining 16%
• Filipino and English are widely spoken for educational, literary, and official purposes
• Catholicism is the predominant religion in Negros Occidental with over 2 million adherents
• Other major Christian denominations include Baptist churches, Aglipayan Church, Iglesia ni Cristo, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Evangelicalism
• Islam is adhered by a sizeable minority with 1,842 followers
• Negros Occidental is known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines" due to its sugar industry
• The sugar industry is the lifeblood of the economy, producing more than half of the country's sugar
• There are 15 sugar centrals located throughout the lowland areas in the north and west of the island
• Negros Occidental is rich in mineral deposits including primary copper, gold ore, silver, molybdenum, and non-metallic minerals
• The province also has a fishing industry, a cottage industry producing handicrafts, and one of the country's largest copper mines in Sipalay City