The
City of Ormoc is a 1st class
city in the
province of
Leyte,
Philippines. The city's name is derived from
ogmok, an old
Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. It is the first non-provincial city of the Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 177,524 people. Ormoc is the economic, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western Leyte.
Ormoc City is an independent component city, not subject to regulation from the Provincial Government of Leyte. However, the city is part of the congressional district IV of Leyte together with Albuera, Kananga, Merida, and Isabel towns.
In November 1991, the Ormoc region was inundated by
Tropical Storm Thelma (local name: Uring). Flash floods and landslides killed more than 6,000 people, mostly in Ormoc itself.
Geography
Ormoc City is a port city and is the largest city by land area in Leyte and second largest in Eastern Visayas after
Calbayog City in Samar. Fronting
Ormoc Bay, the city's terrain is mostly of gently rolling plains. It is bounded on the northwest by the towns of
Matag-ob and
Merida, in the north by
Kananga, in the northeast by the towns of
Jaro,
Pastrana and
Dagami, and in the south by the town of
Albuera. High mountain ranges separate Ormoc from the eastern portion of Leyte. Numerous rivers and streams traverse Ormoc. Among them are the Bao River in the north, Pagsangahan River in the west, the Bagong-bong River in the south, the Panilahan River also in the south and the Anilao and Malbasag Rivers which border the eastern and western flanks of Ormoc City Proper.
People and Culture
The people of Ormoc are called Ormocanons. Ormocanons are predominantly Cebuano-speaking (or
Kana, as Cebuano-speakers in Leyte and Southern Leyte are often called) together with the whole western part of Leyte island. The people relate more to neighboring towns and
Cebu than to eastern Leyte itself.
Like most Filipinos, Ormocanons, being predominantly Roman Catholic, celebrate the annual city fiesta for the patron saints Peter and Paul on June 28 and 29. Catholic religious festivals are observed throughout the year.
Economy, Commerce, and Industry
Ormoc City's economic base is a good mix of agriculture, aquaculture, industry, tourism, and commercial services. Sugar cane, rice and pineapple are the bulk produce of the agricultural sector. The city enjoys economic growth because it supplies the whole country of its power needs due to the abundant geothermal power resources in Tongonan and neighbouring Kananga town. Ormoc is also the gateway to the Leyte Industrial Development Estate in the nearby town of Isabel, home of the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Plant, the largest fertilizer factory in Asia, and the Philippine Associated Smelter and Refining Company, the country's biggest copper processing plant, among other industries.
The commercial service sector in the city is on the upswing. Banks, restaurants, cafes, night spots, and sports centers dot the city. There are sizable shopping centers in Ormoc City, among them Gaisano Riverside Mall, Gaisano Capital, BOSS (Brodeth One-Stop Shop), Yuvallos Hypermart, Ormoc Centrum, The Point Mall, and A-Mall. There are also many giftshops, videoshops, cellshops, pawnshops, bookstores, and whole-sale stores around the city.
source: wikipedia.org
