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Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 regions
of the Philippines. It occupies the Bicol Peninsula at the
southeastern end of Luzon island and some other islands.
It consists of six provinces, namely, Albay, Camarines Norte,
Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon. It has one
independent component city, Naga City, and six component cities,
Iriga, Legazpi, Ligao, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Tabaco. The
regional centers are Legazpi City, the region's political and
administrative center, and Naga City, the region's cultural and
religious center. Legazpi and Naga are also the hub of the
region's economic activity.
Inhabitants, called Bicolanos, speak any one of the several
varieties of Bikol, an Austronesian language closely related to
other Central Philippine languages such as Cebuano and Tagalog.
Bikol varieties include Bikol Rinconada (Iriga-Buhi area), the
western Albay dialects (Oas, Daraga), Bikol Sorsogon (Sorsogon),
Bikol Catanduanes and Bikol Partido (municipalities surrounding
Lagonoy Gulf). Standard Bikol is based on the dialect of Naga
City and is spoken in a wide area stretching from Camarines
Norte, most of Camarines Sur, the entire east coast of Albay
(including Legazpi and Tabaco) and northern Sorsogon. Standard
Bikol is generally understood by other Bikol speakers and is the
regional lingua franca.
The Bicol region is often seen as the epicenter of the
counterculture and liberal politics in the Philippines. As many
of its inhabitants seem to oppose many right-wing governments
and ideology in which they blame for corruption. The region has
a political reputation of voting always for left-wing
politicians. It is also widely seen as a stronghold for the
National Democratic Front. The area is also the most secular out
of the entire Philippines, as only 55% of Bicol Region
inhabitants attend church weekly, compared to 68% as the
nation's whole.
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