BUHI, THE BEAUTIFUL

Nenita Ll. Madara, PhD; in her dissertation " Buhi: A Lake Town in Bicol" described:

In the southeastern portion of Camarines Sur, near its boundary with Albay, lies the small town of Buhi. Buhi lies in a plain terrain south of a renowned lake that bear its name

Buhi is bounded on the north by Sangay, Camarines Sur; on the south by Polangui, Albay; on the west by Iriga City; and the east by Tiwi, Albay. The poblacion of Buhi comprises six barangays namely San Pedro, San Pascual, San Roque, San Buena, Sta. Clara and Sta. Elena.

Buhi is composed of thirty eight (38) barangays; including the six barangays that comprises the poblacion. These barangays are: San Pedro, San Pascual, San Roque, San Buena, Sta. Clara, Sta. Elena, Antipolo, Burocbusoc, Cabatuan, Cagmaslog, De La Fe, Delos Angeles, Del Rosario (Amlongan), Divino Rostro, Fatima (Ipil), Gabas, Ibayugan, Igbac, Iraya, Labawon, Macaangay, Monte Calvario, Namurabod, Sagrada Familia, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Isidro, San Jose (Baybayon), San Jose (Salay), San Rafael, San Ramon, San Vicente, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Isabel, Sta. Justina, Sta. Lourdes and Tambo.

Minoy A. Tercero in his article "Buhi Forever" published in the Souvenir Program "Buhi" on May 25, 1971 narrated that:

In the early 16th century, during the series of eruption of Mayon Volcano in Albay, an exodus of men and women settlers fleeing the horrible volcanic upheavals found their way to Buraburan and settled therein. They did not stay long in this place due to hardship encountered by them in securing their foods. From Buraburan, they moved down the valley till they reached Marayag, a small stretch of level land near streams with "good water". These settlers called themselves "Nacabuhi" which means, people who were able to escape from danger. Eventually the word "Buhi " became the name of the town.

As years passed, the population grow bigger and bigger that now, this place "Marayag" is only a sitio of barangay San Buenaventura. Soon another barangay adjacent to it developed. This is now barangay Sta. Elena.

Buhi is the home of Lake Buhi, a lake famous for its "Sinarapan" considered as the world's smallest edible fish.

Basically, the town of Buhi is an agricultural area. Divine Providence blessed it with fertile and arable soil and a good climate. Variety of crops are produced, such as rice, corn, coconut, sugar cane, root crops, leafy vegetables and other crops. The total land area of agricultural land is 16,205 hectares based from the data of the Bureau of Agricultural Extension of Buhi, Camarines Sur.

Lake Buhi provide the townspeople their aquatic needs. The lake teem with different kinds of fresh water fish and other edible aquatic animals like mollusk and crustaceans. Diana S. Saez in her "The Socio-Economic Life of the Fishermen in Buhi: An Assessment" described the fishes that can be found in the lake:

Among the fishes caught in large quantities are the tilapia, carpa (carp), mudfish or dalag (talusog). Other varieties caught are the climbing perch (puyo) or (atas), catfish (hito), chinese fish, goramy, murray(casili), eel (burirawan), bangus and rojo (hybrid carp)

Different industries are engaged by the people of Buhi. Being blessed with arable land, farming became its chief industry. The presence of Lake Buhi makes fishing and maintaining fish cages as the second major industry the people attend to. With vast hectares of land planted to coconuts, copra making rank third in the chief industry the people are engaged to. Some minor industries in Buhi are knitting and weaving, bamboo craft, woodcraft and poultry/swine raising.

Buhi is a town where almost each barangay has its own public elementary schools. There are at least 33 public elementary schools and six secondary schools in Buhi. Among these six high schools, three are public and three are privately owned. The three public high schools are: Sta. Justina National High School, San Vicente National High School and Tambo High School. Likewise, the three private high schools are: Buhi Lyceum, St. Bridget's School and St. Joseph's Academy.

The education of the people of Buhi is, to a great degree, a reflection of the efforts of the thirty three (33) public elementary schools and the six high schools that operates in Buhi.

Families, which have the means, send their children to college. Most of their children enroll in college in Iriga City, Naga City, Legazpi City and some as far as the universities and colleges in Metro Manila.

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