december-2011

to residents’ genuine affection for
Dumaguete. It is the kind of place that
draws out this kind of enthusiastic,
innovative involvement: small enough
to remain personal and manageable,
big enough that it is able to attract and
absorb people from all over and the
worldly infl uence they bring. The latest
census fi gures put the population of
Dumaguete at just over 116,000 — still
relatively tiny by urban standards. The
population grows, bit by little bit, with
perhaps a disproportionate number of
intelligent, interesting, committed people
among them.
Constant learning
Partly it’s the way the city was built, with
the city hall and the spacious public park
at the heart of it, abutted by the open
grounds of Silliman University. The east
border of the town is a wide beachfront
promenade that overlooks the calm
expanse of Dumaguete Bay, with
Siquijor looming in the distance. The
beachfront strip is called Rizal Boulevard
— it was Jose Rizal himself, they say,
who fi rst called Dumaguete “the city of
gentle people” — and the Dumaguete
version should be the envy of its Manila
counterpart. This is a seaside boulevard
that works: accessible to the city’s
residents, clean and well-maintained,
pleasant and beloved.
DISCOVER DUMAGUETE
Quaint and coastal,
Dumaguete is the
quintessential Pinoy
university town
{ 165 }
Rizal Boulevard at dusk.
Inset: Silliman University.