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The “Lumang Bayan ng Dapitan” in Zamboanga del Norte was declared as a heritage zone or historic center by virtue of National Historical Commission of the Philippines Board Resolution No. 3, s. 2011. Recognized as one of Northern Mindanao’s oldest settlements and the site where Jose Rizal spent his four-year exile, the district is home to several historic sites and structures, including the Rizal National Shrine, Dapitan Plaza and Rizal’s Relief Map of Mindanao. The “Lumang Bayan ng Dapitan” marker was later unveiled on July 17, 2011, at Lawaan Rotunda in Dapitan, indicating that the immovable cultural property has been identified as a national cultural treasure and national historical landmark. It also serves as a demarcation point to geographically divide Old Dapitan from New Dapitan.
READ: Fire engulfs Dapitan City-bound ferry
Gov. Gen. Francisco de Sande issued a decree establishing Partido de Camarines, a settlement area where Spanish colonists were encouraged to reside. The name “Camarines” was derived from the Spanish word “camarín,” which means granary or rice storehouse, owing to the abundance of such structures in the area, with natives also using “kamalig” for small huts. In 1829, the area was divided into Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte. However, the two were fused anew in 1854 to form the Province of Ambos Camarines, but separated again in 1857 until 1893. The two provinces underwent several fusions, annexations and repartitions, until their final and permanent separation in 1917 through Philippine Legislative Act No. 2711, approved on March 10, 1917. Today, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur are both first-class provinces in the Bicol region. As of the 2024 Census, Camarines Norte has a population of 604,666, while Camarines Sur has 2,063,314 residents.
