Naga City Charter Anniversary in the Philippines Date in the current year: June 18, 2024

Naga is a first-class independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It is not administered as part of any province, but is geographically and statistically classified within the province of Camarines Sur. Due to its central location and historical significance in Bicol, Naga is referred to as the Heart of Bicol and the Queen City of Bicol.

Naga is the native name of the city; it means “narra tree” (Pterocarpus indicus, also known in the Philippines as asana or angsana) in the Bikol language. During the precolonial times, the region was known for its wooden bowls and cups made of narra wood, which tinged water poured into them into distinctive blue and yellow opalescent hues. Interestingly, Naga in Bicol is not the only city named Naga in the Philippines; it has a namesake in the province of Cebu.

The first European to set fut in Naga was Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo in 1573. Two years later, Captain Pedro de Chávez found a Spanish settlement named Cáceres (later renamed Nueva Cáceres to distinguish it from its Spanish namesake) across the river from the original site of Naga. Its population consisted mainly of Spaniards from Europe and Mexicans.

Over time, the native village of Naga and the Spanish town of Nueva Cáceres merged together into one community. During the Spanish colonial era, Nueva Cáceres was a major center of trade, industry, culture and education in Bicol, the seat of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the region, and the capital of the province of Ambos Camarines. When Ambos Camarines was temporarily dissolved in 1829 (reunified in 1854) and then again in 1857 (reunified in 1893), Nueva Cáceres served as the capital of Camarines Sur.

During the Philippine Revolution, two corporals of the local civil guard overthrew the Spanish colonial government in a revolt on September 18, 1898. The revolt marked the end of the Spanish rule in Nueva Cáceres, but the city’s freedom was short-lived: when Americans entered Nueva Cáceres during the Philippine-American War, they were met with no resistance and took over the government.

With the advent of the American rule, the city of Nueva Cáceres was demoted to a municipality. It was formally designated as the provincial capital of Camarines Sur in 1917 and renamed back to Naga in 1919. During World War II, Naga was occupied by the Empire of Japan from December 1941 to April 1945.

Following the defeat of Japan in World War II and the independence of the Philippines, Naga began rebuilding. After several petitions requesting to be granted city status, Naga officially became a chartered city on June 18, 1948. The anniversary of the city charter is a special non-working holiday is Naga. It is marked by official ceremonies and various events and activities honoring the city’s rich history and culture.