Sagay City
Profile of Sagay City
Distance from Bacolod: 82.9 kilometers
Land Area: 38,420 hectares
Classification: 4th Class
No. of Barangays:19 Barangays
Population: 88,684 (May 1, 2000) – 93,809 (2005 Projection)
Language: Hiligaynon/Ilonggo/Cebuano/English is spoken & understood
Find your way to Sagay City and fall in love with nature. The people of Sagay City have every reason to be proud of their place. Sagay City has different destinations that will surely delight the senses and give visitors an experience they will never forget.
Sagay is a second class city located in the northern tip of Negros Occidental. The city’s proximity to the Island of Cebu gave a lot of Cebuano influence in the culture of Sagay. The language predominantly spoken is Cebuano although most Sagaynons can also understand and speak Hiligaynon.
Sagaynons are also religious. The old tradition of “palapak” is still practiced in Vito Church where devotees of St. Vincent Ferrer flock every Friday especially on the first Friday of the month.
Major Industries
Like most cities in Negros Occidental, the main industry in Sagay is sugar. There are two sugar mills in Sagay, the Lopez Sugar Corp. and Sagay Central Inc. (Central Bato). OPTION-MPC Muscovado Mill in Sagay is also one of the biggest muscovado producers in the province . There are already several sugar centrals in the province which closed down thus having two sugar centrals and a muscovado mill speaks volume on the thriving local economy.
Lumber also used to be a major industry in Sagay. The largest hardwood mill in the world, the Insular Lumber Company, established a sawmill Fabrica, Sagay around 1907 and only closed operation around 1976. One of the sawmill’s Iron Dinosaur, the Legendary Siete, can be found on display at the Sagay public plaza.
A love affair with nature
Sagay City derived its name from a semi-spherical shell locally known as sigay found abundantly in its islets and shores. That gives a first time visitor an idea of what to expect from this coastal city. The rich marine life of Sagay City is one of the people’s source of livelihood and pride. With this in mind, the local government declared a 32,000-hectare Sagay Marine Reserve that includes Carbin Reef, Panal Reef, Maca Reef and Maca Shoal.
The most accessible in the Sagay Marine Reserve is Carbin Reef which is a 200-hectare marine sanctuary with a huge tongue-shaped sandbar. The clear water and teeming marine life offers attractive options to go boating, swimming, scuba diving, and snorkeling. You can also have a picnic or just frolic in the sand.
Molocaboc Island, also part of the Sagay Marine Reserve, gives you a glimpse on the simple life and probably give you a few lessons on being content with what you have in life. The locals collect water on giant earthen jars and electricity is limited. They basically live off on what the sea provides – shells from the “sea mines” and fish from “sea ranching”. The island grows one of the sweetest atis and you can never say no the the freshest and exotic seafoods cooked in a uniquely Sagaynon way.
The Himoga-an River Cruise, a coomunity-based tourism project patterned after the Bohol River Cruise is fast becoming a major attraction. The two-hour cruise at the longest river of Sagay will take you from Brgy. Fabrica down to Brgy. Old Sagay. A community tour guide will give you a better perspective on the interesting scenery while aboard a floating restaurant with acoustic entertainment.
To show you just how serious the local government of Sagay in its advocacy on marine protection, the city has the first marine museum in the country first hands-on interactive children’s museum outside Metro Manila. The Museo Sang Bata sa Negros not only entertains but also educates the visitors on environment protection. The museum also has kiddie tour guides who will impress even adults with their spiels.
For those who are into flowers, the SagayLadies’ Circle has set-up the Sagay City Garden and Living Tree Museum in a one hectare lot located near the new government center. It’s a park with gazebo, grotto, sheds and different ornamental plants and trees. It’s a perfect place for family picnic or just for some alone time with nature.
Seafoods Galore
One thing to always look forward to even with a short visit to Sagay is the food. The rich and well manged marine resources of Sagay has brought the freshest seafood to the table of every Sagaynon and for visitors to partake. Enjoy fresh crabs, fish, clams, shells, squids and sea urchin for the adventurous.
There are other places in Negros Occidental where you can get fresh seafoods but what’s unique in Sagay is the local cuisine. They have a certain way of cooking that makes it entirely their own. Even the simple “lukot” salad with vinegar, onions and tomatoes can taste differently from those in restaurants in Bacolod. The gummy “pinga” adobo or kinilaw is deliciously exotic for a palate accustomed to eating domesticated animals.
Restaurants
- Bernelles Restaurant
Tel. No: (034) 488-0365 - Enting’s Manokan
Tel. No: (034) 488-0378 - Glenda’s
Tel. No: (034) 476-6645
- Holland Eethius
Tel. No: (034) 488-0678
- Khukeez Bar
Tel. No: (0912) 8347835
- Nuknoy’s Seafoods
Tel. No: (0935) 9821404 - R’ Cocina
Tel. No: (0915) 386480 - Sagay Grill
Tel. No: (034) 488-0459
- Sutokil
Tel. No: (034) 488-0400 - TonTon’s & RC
Tel. No: (034) 722-9092
Sinigayan Festival
Every third week of March, the Sagaynons celebrate the Sinigayan Festival as a way of preserving the heritage of its people. This is also in celebration of the abundant marine life which continue to be enjoyed by Sagaynons. This festival has three festival village, Taliambong Food Festival, Bugay-Sagay Agro Aqua Festival Village and Du-ag Sagay Arts & Culture Festival Village.
Bring Home A Piece of Sagay
The best squid rings in the province can be had in Sagay and every visitor should bring this as pasalubong. You can also visit the squid rings factory of Veloria’s Squid Rings at Brgy. Old Sagay if you want to take a look at how they cook in the traditional way using “kawa”. Sagay is also known for their local handicrafts made from it’s namesake “sigay” and other shells.
Accommodation
The City Government of Sagay provides its visitors with a clean and safe accommodation at a very affordable rate. The Balay Kauswagan (House of Progress) is located beside the Sagay Government Center and it has its own swimming pool.
- Balay Kauswagan
Sagay Government Center, Brgy. Rizal
Tel. No. (034) 488-0316, 7225994 - Zota Grande
Charmaine Village, Brgy. Pob. I
Tel. No. (034) 488-0365 - NONESCOST Hostel
NONESCOST Campus, Brgy. Old Sagay
Tel. No. (034) 722-4120 - Hi-Way Travellers Inn
Brgy. Poblasion II
Mobile: 0926-4040610 - ACC Lodging House
Brgy. Poblacion II
How to get there
By Air
Sagay City is accessible by plane from Manila and Cebu via Bacolod-Silay Airport and is serviced by Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Air Philippines daily.
By Sea
Negros Navigation and WG&A Superferry have regular shipping schedules from Manila to Bacolod City. Several fastcrafts have regular schedules from Iloilo to Bacolod and vice versa. From Cebu, Sagay can be accessed by sea from Toledo City via fastcrafts to San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. There are also Roll-On Roll-Off (RORO) Ports in Bacolod City, Sagay City (under construction), Escalante City and San Carlos City.
By Land
Sagay City is approximately a two-hour drive by private car from Bacolod City. Ceres buses, Van for hires, and mini buses regularly plying the northern Negros Occidental highway pass by Sagay City.
Useful Contacts
- City Mayor’s Office
(034) 488-0187, 488-0101 local 109 - City Information & Tourism Office
(034) 488-0649, 722-8005
sagaycityinfo@yahoo.com
www.sagay-city.com.ph - Philippine National Police
166, (034) 488-0429 - Bureau of Fire Protection
(034) 722-5933 - Sagay Rescue
(034) 488-0300
- City Health Office
(034) 722-9160, 213-0087
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