The St. Raphael Parish Church is located right in the heart of the Legazpi Port District, the city’s main business district. The Legazpi Port District began as a barangay called Sawangan whose inhabitants were mostly fishermen and farmers. In 1587, Franciscan friars of the Doctrina of Cagsawa began to convert the settlement to Christianity and in 1616 they transformed it into a separate town and parish called Albay.

The Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great, also called the Albay Cathedral, is the Episcopal Seat of the Diocese of Legazpi. The cathedral started as a wooden chapel built by early Spanish missionaries who moved into the town in the 1580s. It was damaged by American bombers and reconstruction went beyond 1951. The church was elevated to become a cathedral when the Episcopal See of the Diocese of Legaspi was established.

In this series of posts, Wow Legazpi will explore the various Catholic churches of Albay, not only to serve as a guide for pilgrims who will observe Visita Iglesia but also to provide information about these churches and help inspire appreciation of these priceless cultural treasures.

Albay’s youth ambassador on climate change has brought another honor to the province after she was proclaimed as this year’s Binibining Pilipinas Universe. She will compete in this year’s Miss Universe pageant. The 21-year-old Maria Venus Raj is five feet and nine inches tall and hails from Bato, Camarines Sur. She graduated with honors (Cum Laude) from Bicol University with a degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Journalism. Raj also represented Legazpi City in Miss Philippines-Earth 2008 and was crowned Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2008. Dianne Necio of Polangui, Albay was named First Runner-up.

A special environmental task force aptly named Guardians of Nature, and dedicated to the protection and enhancement of Albay’s healthful environment, was launched here recently. Chaired by Albay Gov. Joey S. Salceda, the Task Force includes as officers and members the top officers in Albay of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and all schools in the province led by the Bicol University.

Albay is the first province in the country to pioneer a tool to battle climate change, address disaster risks, and achieve sustainable development when a tripartite agreement on the creation of the Albay Sustainable Development Guidebook was finally given the green light. The Albay provincial government, the Manila Observatory (MO) and Chevron Geothermal Philippines (CGPHI) signed through a Memorandum of Agreement on Thursday (February 24).

From the emergency of the recent Mayon volcano eruption where Albay registered another zero casualty performance, the Albay Provincial Government here is again busy setting in place measures to counter the potential adverse impact of the twin El Niño and La Niña phenomena. El Nino refers to the drought condition brought about by the prolonged absence of rain, while La Nina is the opposite characterized by heavy and continuous rains that spawn destructive flashfloods.

Legazpi’s SmokeFree Campaign is nominated for the 1st Red Orchid Awards of the World Health Organization and Department of Health. DOH Regional Director Nestor Santiago informed Mayor Noel Rosal that “considering the success that Local Government Unit has achieved towards a Smoke-Free Legazpi City” the DOH –Bicol conducted a team visit to orient the Smoke-Free Committee on the criteria and requirement of the said Awards.

A 10-man delegation of South Korean dignitaries, led by Congressman Lee Hwa Soo, visited Legazpi City last January 20, 2009. They paid a courtesy call on Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal. Members of the City Council of Legazpi were also present to welcome the visitors. According to Paolo Kang, spokesman of the group, the purpose of the visit is to promote cultural and trade ties between Legazpi City and South Korea, specifically the city of Asan.

Some P15 billion in foreign investment has been set aside to pump prime the energy development prospects to make Albay among the national renewable energy capital of the country, a ranking official of a local electric cooperative said on Monday. Lawyer Rodolfo Bonafe, board chairman of the Albay Electric Cooperative (ALECO), said the investment fund would finance renewable energy projects within the next three to four years boosting the province energy development.

The Diocese of Legazpi welcomes its sixth bishop, the 55-year old Bishop Joel Z. Baylon in a liturgical reception and canonical installation held December 10, 2009 at the St. Gregory the Great Cathedral. Bishop Baylon will succeed the Apostolic Adminstrator Bishop Lucilo B. Quiambao. Prior to his appointment as the new bishop of Legazpi, Bishop Baylon served as Bishop of Masbate since 1998.