Dipolog - Mingling Industry and Lovely Scenery

Dipolog is the provincial capital of Zamboanga Del Norte in the Philippines. It is one of the many cities that you will find in the island of Mindanao. Rolling hills and the waters of the sea beautifully encompasses the city. North of Dipolog is Dapitan City, which is also another highly recommended place to visit.

Dipolog City claims two popular titles, first is being the Philippines' orchid city and second that of being the country's capital of bottled sardines. Wild orchids are abundant within the city's area. You will find that many households here will have orchids growing in the yards. Since fishing is also a huge industry in the city, the production of bottled sardines is also a strongly growing enterprise.

Dipolog or Dapitan?

Dipolog City was once a part of Dapitan before the Spanish arrived in the Philippine islands. The early settlers of the land were known as the tribe of the Subanen. The place was known as Tulwanan at the time. The name Dipolog was taken from the local term Di-pag, which literally translates to across the river. It was mispronounced by the Spanish conquistadors, however the name was adopted by the natives. The town was granted the status of being a city of the Philippines in 1970.

Attractions

Here are several attractions and events you might find when you visit Dipolog City. The first one is a tiring 3003 step ascent known as the Linabo Climb. The site is not intended for those who are weak of heart, or even in the knees for that matter. The more than three thousand steps in Linabo Climb are not easily dismissed as an easy task. After the tough ordeal, however, one will be treated to breathe taking panoramic view of Dipolog City and Dapitan City. The climb up is in itself a wonderful treat as one goes through lush greenery.

Dipolog is also known to many travelers for the fascinating and enticing tourist and historic sites in the city. Cogon Eco-Park truly amazes travelers who like to see the wonderful matured trees in the reforestation site. The city is also popular for its Sinulog Festival which is held every third Saturday of the first month of the year.

Breathtaking Nature

Another endearing, especially for nature lovers, place to visit is Barangay Cogon's Eco-Park. This is a reforestation area where various sorts of trees are grown and cared for. The Eco-Park is also home to different species of reptiles and birds. Mountaineers often pick the place as a great camping site. However, if you would just like to see the view then you can just lay back and relax in one of the picnic cottages.

Festivals

Dipolog City has many feasts scheduled in an entire year. Probably the most famous among Dipolog's festivals is the Sinulog celebrated in January. Features of this event include street dancing and pageants. Katkat Sakripisyo is a summer festival where religious devotees go up the Linabo Climb for penitential rites.

May also comes alive with different harvest rituals as the Pagsalabuk Festival is celebrated. Next we have the celebration of Dipolog City's foundation during the first week of July. This event is highlighted by beauty pageants, and cultural and sport events or competitions.

Transportation

Like everywhere else in the Philippines, public transportation isn't much of a problem. The usual and traditional modes of transportation include jeepneys and motor tricycles. Other than these, you also have mini-buses and passenger vans, which promises a bit of a more comfortable ride.

An interesting way to get around in Dipolog City, if you're a bit adventurous that is, is known as habal-habal. This is a single motor bike that ferries passengers through various destinations. The challenge is that there will be more than three passengers, sometimes five or even more are on, in one trip. Strutting around town with almost ten people on a single motor bike is an adventure in itself.

Dining in Dipolog

There are many places to eat in the city, but if you want to get away from all the fast food then here's a couple of places that might interest you. Jo's Chicken Inato, located along General Luna Street, is the place to go to try the best in Filipino Cuisine. It's an open-air restaurant, which is kind of cozy, and the meals here are not tight on the budget.

Now if you're looking for fine dining, soothing music, ballroom dancing, and a variety of cuisine to choose from then head on to Remedios Restaurant in Rizal Avenue. If you're looking for a more private dinner then you can book one of their VIP rooms. Meal prices here are a bit expensive than average starting at P300.

General Info

Dipolog City is a fast growing city in the Philippines' south. The place is marked by beautiful scenery and growing industries. It is always a treat to visit the city of orchids in the island of Mindanao.

Hailed as one of Zamboanga del Norte’s second class cities, Dipolog is very popular for the sumptuous sardines and attractive wild orchids that it exports to other nations. Because of the expertise of this city in manufacturing and trading bottled sardines, it was recognized and named as the Bottled Sardines Capital of the Philippines. In addition, Dipolog was also labeled as the Gateway to Western Mindanao due to the Western Nautical Highway that was constructed at this luring city.

According to reliable research done by the National Statistics Coordination Board in 2006, this city is the wealthiest in the Zamboanga Peninsula in terms of per capita income. However, the study also found that 23.15 per cent of the people living in Dipolog have a lifestyle that is considered as below the poverty line.

Even if some people in Dipolog is experiencing poverty, the local government of this city is exerting efforts to improve the cost of living in Dipolog. In this case, the government has approved the establishment and construction of several infrastructure in the city that are important to improve the lifestyle of the residents. Some of the helpful infrastructure that were constructed in Dipolog are communication systems which included eight radio stations, three television stations, two telephone systems, two cable operators, five Internet service companies and three wireless phone operators.

Along with these communication systems are overland and sea transportations that will be observed in the presence of haul route networks, shipping services and shipping routes. Another advancement in this city is the construction of administrative subdivisions in several barangays like in Cogon, San Jose and Turno.

With the improvements in the business sector as well as the presence of tourist destinations in the city, Dipolog is definitely the best place to visit if you want to have a trip at the attractive forests and natural wonders in the Philippines. Hence, the city is very accessible by land, air and water so travelers have nothing to worry if they want to visit this wonderful and alluring place.