Dumaguete is close to Mindanao and Visayas

Dumaguete is geographically fortunate in that it sits close to Mindanao while remaining part of the Visayas. This brings it much closer to many Mindanoao provinces but somehow, Cebu still owns the lion's share of shipping traffic. There are more ships plying the Cagayan de Oro - Cebu route than the Cagayan de Oro - Dumaguete route. This means that going to Dumaguete from Cagayan de Oro can be done on a direct ferry once a week and returning back is also on a weekly basis. Contrast this with several vessels bridging Cebu and Cagayan de Oro on a daily basis.

This makes Dumaguete less of a shipping hub. One reason could be that the Dumaguete Port is small and can only accomodate a few vessels at one time. A plan to expand the port has met with vehement opposition from conservationists who insist that the ecology would suffer from such a development. Contrast this with Cebu City which is unarguably the country's shipping capital. Most, if not all of the Shipping Companies in the Philippines have their main offices in Cebu City. This is not to say that Cebu has the market cornered for its locally-produced commodities although it does have the distinction of having the most number of exporters next only to Manila.

One of the things that a newcomer to Dumaguete notices is the high prices of basic commodities like rice and fish and vegetables. Even fruits are expensive. This is a big wonder to many people who are used to having bananas and mangoes in abundance. One would not be surprised at the big metropolitan cities having high prices but the truth of the matter is that even flowers are less expensive in Cebu than in Dumaguete. For fish to be expensive in Dumaguete is also a source of puzzlement to many. Dumaguete has water all around it and yet the variety and the quantity of fish available are really quite pitiful. Contrast this with Cagayan de Oro City which has fish in abundance.

Could the reason be that the produce of Mindanao go to Cebu more than Dumaguete? Cagayan de Oro is a beneficiary of Davao's bounty so also of the plentiful harvests of rice and vegetables from Bukidnon and the fish from Zamboanga and Cotabato. The produce that pass Cagayan de Oro ultimately to go Cebu and Manila where they fetch a better price. In this configuration, Dumaguete is by-passed.

Buglasan once more

Dumaguete City once again hosts the annual Buglasan Festival which this year happens from Oct. 13 to 29, 2006. The Province of Negros Oriental has always been proud of this celebration having successfully organized this event year after year. This year, the Province has earmarked Php 4.5M to ensure that this year's celebration is nothing less than spectacular.

Buglasan is derived from the word Buglas which means "reeds" in Visayan describing the abundance of this plant in times past. Fifteen towns or local government units will show their wares during this event, displaying the best that their municipalities can offer and vying for the honors and prizes which are most coveted year after year.

Gov. George P. Arnaiz is proud of the tradition which he spawned seven years ago when Negros Oriental Province celebrated the First Buglasan Festival. This event has proven to be an enlivening addition to the many tourist-drawing events which Dumaguete City is known for and this includes the crowd-gathering favorite, the Santacruzan in May that never fails to attract the celebrities from Manila.

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