About Sagay City
Looking at the map of Negros Occidental in the Philippines, Sagay City can be easily spotted because of its ice-cream cone shape slicing the edge or the northern tip of Negros. Sagay City is bounded by Asuncion Pass and the Visayan Sea in the north, Talisay and Calatrava municipalities in the south, Cadiz and Silay cities in the west and Escalante and Toboso municipalities in the east.
The name Sagay comes from ‘sigay’ which refers to a semi-spherical shell, which is abundant in the area. Sagay City is a 3rd class city in the province of Negros Occidental with a population of about 141,000 people. Sagay City can be accessed via a two-hour drive from Bacolod City. It can also be reached from Cebu via Toledo in about four hours including a one-hour ride in fast ferries.
Places of Interests
- Vito Church. This church was built during the religious administration of Recollect Friars in the mid-1850s and is being flocked by devotees from all over.
- The Legendary Siete. Siete is a three feet and six inches gauge 4-cylinder compound o-6-6-o mallet that was built in 1925 by Locomotive Baldwin Works in Philadelphia, U.S.A. This majestic piece proudly stands at the city public plaza attracting local and foreign visitors making the place a famous landmark of the city.
- Sagay City Garden & Living Tree Museum. This is where a wide variety of flowering plants, shrubs and palms are fused together in a one-hectare government lot at Sitio Chloe, Brgy. Rizal. This habitat showcasing exotic blooms and trees is the first ever major project of Sagay Ladies Circle in cooperation with the City Government of Sagay.
- Museo Sang Bata sa Negros. While Metro Manila has its own interactive children’s museum, Sagay City has their own interactive children’s museum intended to be a premiere museum that will awaken and stimulate the creative and intellectual potential of Negrense children.
- Sagay Marine Reserve. This is a well-managed protected area with a balanced rich marine and terrestrial ecosystems teeming with abundant marine resources that cater to the needs of the stakeholders towards sustainable development. It is considered as one of the prime eco-tourism destinations in the country where tourists can enjoy seeing the unexploited marine resources of the area.
- Carbin Reef. This is a 200-hectare marine sanctuary with its huge, tongue-shaped, creamy white sandbar and its crystal clear water offering the freshest option for swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, picnic, boating or just frolicking in the beach sand.
- Panal Reef. This is another marine sanctuary where the best snorkeling area for tourists can be enjoyed along with the rich and colorful corals and exotic aquatic species.
- Macahulom Reef. The migratory birds flocking to the shore in certain months provide for a spectacular view. Its crystalline waters and pure sea breeze make boat cruising in the area a soulful and unique experience.
- Molocaboc Island. This is home to the Sagay fisher folks where big jars, mangrove reforestation and a miracle hole “amatong” fishing are found.
- Himoga-an River Cruise. This is the newest tourism activity in Sagay City, the cruise is a two-hour boat trip from Brgy. Fabrica wharf plying through the city’s longest river, Himoga-an and ends at Brgy. Old Sagay. Prepare yourself for some delightful sceneries like migratory birds frolicking on the mangroves and carabao island.
If you’re up for some seafood fest, then Sagay City is a good place to lavish in seafood. Since fishing is one of the primary sources of living in the city, seafood is abundant at very affordable price. The best thing about this is that they’re fresh off the sea.
The Philippines has a lot of hidden treasures and Sagay City is just one of the not most talked about tourist spot in the Philippines that offers superb sceneries and awesome activities. This city is actually fit for people who wants less tourists and just want to savor the what nature can offer without being disturbed.
