Come on in to my hometown Iriga City!
Beautiful City of Iriga Video by Noel Cabangon
Iriga City known as the Conscience of Bicol, the Character City, and the City of Crystal Springs with more than 30 natural springs providing a rich source of drinking and irrigation waters is nestled at the foot of fabled Mount Iriga (4,823 ft.) and located 491 kilometers South of Manila and can be reached by air (45 minutes from Manila) or by land (8 hour ride).
The 425 year old settlement established by the Spanish conquistadors in the heart of Bicol is among the few booming urban centers in the Bicol Peninsula. Considered as 3rd class city in the province of Camarines Sur, it has 36 barangays with a population of 100,649. The city's climate is tropical, with two spelled seasons: wet, from June to December; and dry, from January to May.
Iriga's topography varies from flat to rolling terrain with elevation ranging from 10 to 60 meters with Mount Iriga reaching 1,149 meters above sea level and land area of 17,400 hectares (78% is agricultural, 16% built-up and 6% forest area).
Take a glimpse of some of Iriga City's attractions and destinations:
Rising some 4,823 feet above see level (1,196), Mt. Iriga or Mt. Asog or also known as Mt. Sumagang which means "Mountain of the Rising Sun" is a challenging climb and offers a panoramic view of the entire Bicol river basin area. A crater and gully was formed during the mountain’s last eruption on January 4, 1614.
The trek to the mountain is not that strenuous and can be made in one day. Regular mountain climbing activities are held yearly with participants coming from local mountaineers, its neighboring towns and from as many parts of the country. Its cold surrounding makes it a perfect habitat for wild berries, local specie of pine called agoho, which abundantly grow in the area.
It is also an abode to Iriga’s own Rafflesia Irigaense, one of the smallest species of Rafflesia, a rarest flower in the world known to be parasitic including its crackling sound and foul smell.
Emerald Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes
This grotto is built on top of Calvario Hill. The grotto faces Mt. Iriga and offers a bird's eye view of the city's central business district. This is where the Tinagba Festival culminates with the offering of the first and freshest harvest. During lent season, the grotto is also the set for the Crucifixion scene of the street play on the Passion and Death of Christ.
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