Bula, officially the Municipality of Bula (Rinconada Bikol: Banwaān ka Bula; Tagalog: Bayan ng Bula), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 73,143 people.

History

The town of Bula is historically considered one of the first four mission towns of Camarines Sur founded by the Spanish conquistadores when they set foot on the Bicol soil coming from the Visayas in 1576. The other premier towns were Naga, Quipayo and Nabua. The Spaniards who first came to this place asked the men who were splitting bamboo about the name of the area, and since they did not understand the language, they thought they were being asked about the name of the bamboo, so they got the answer "Bu-la." And so Bula became the name of the town. However, it was only in 1578 when the natives were Christianized, so the National Historical Commission dates back the town's history to 1578. From this, the town chose St. Mary Magdalene as its patron saint and celebrated its fiesta every 22nd day of July, which is the birthdate of the saint. The original location of Bula's town proper was located in the now Barangay Ombao Polpog. The location had to be changed due to the town proper's isolation from other Rinconada city centers.

Geography

Bula is bounded on the north by the municipalities of Pili and Ocampo, on the east by the municipality of Baao, on the southeast by the Municipality of Nabua, on the south it is bounded by the Municipality of Balatan, on the southwest by Ragay Gulf, and on the west by the Municipality of Minalabac.

Barangays

Bula is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Bula, Camarines Sur, was 73,143 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Language

Majority of the people speak the Bula-Pili variant, a lowland dialect (sinaranəw) of Rinconada Bikol language, also known as Riŋkonāda. The population can also understand and speak Tagalog or Filipino language and English.

Religion

Majority of the population are Roman Catholic members which is the biggest bulk of Bulaeños adhering to Christian faith. The rest of population are followers of different Protestant denominations.

Economy

Despite staying as a 2nd class municipality, there have been improvements brought along by the Local Government Unit from the mid-2010s to the present to the year. This is because some areas need improvement of infrastructures. This also makes Bula a 1st class municipality.

Commercial and Industrial

Commercial and Industrial are focused in the Centro part of the town situated in Sagrada. At the start of the 2020s, Micro Businesses in the town bloomed — recent developments such as the Palmeda Transcend Park in Brgy. Sagrada Familia acts as a center for Micro and franchise businesses.

Agriculture

The agricultural output of Bula mainly consists of rice, wheat, coconut, and corn.

Tourism

The town of Bula has views of Tan-Awan Park, Nalalata Falls, and Burabod. Tan-Awan Park, located in Barangay Bagoladio atop a hill, attracts a number of tourists because of its views overlooking the areas of its neighboring towns in Rinconada. Bula is also home to beaches on its easternmost side, neighboring Minalabac in the north and Balatan to the south.

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