Vallehermoso is a 4th class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines

Philippines

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. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 33,914 people in 6,753 households. It is situated just between the border lines of both Oriental and Occidental Negros. It is in the center of three cities; Twenty-nine kilometers on the North is the City Of Guihulngan Negros Oriental, from the South is the city of San Carlos Negros Occidental which is twenty-one kilometers and from the west is the City of Canlaon which is also twenty-nine kilometers away.
Main source of livelihood is through fishing and farming, while the vast majority is still dependent upon third hand expenditures. Currently, the town has been dubbed as a 4th class municipality mainly for its lack of opportunities to alleviate income and spending.

• Annual Town Fiesta: May 15th
• Chartered day celebration: January 1st and 2nd
• Current Mayor: Juniper Villegas
• Vice Mayor: Marianne Gustillo

History

The town was the official residence of the revolutionary leader and hero of Negros Oriental, Don Diego de la Viña y de la Rosa. Don Diego de la Viña shaped the beginnings of the municipality, “Valle hermoso” when he saw the beautiful valley. In 1881, Don Diego de la Viña came from Negros Occidental in search of territories to conquer. The land he saw a top the mountains was the wilderness called Bagawines. Bukidnons, known to be unfriendly aboriginals inhabited the area. However, de la Viña sought the tribal chief, named Ka Saniko and truck barter. For lands on coastal Bagawines, de la Viña offered wondrous articles from Iloilo, such as fine canes, well-crafted bolos and colorful patadyongs. Ka Saniko then moved further to Pinokawan. De la Viña with a number of Bukidnons cleared the land and constructed his residence, a casa tribunal and a chapel. In less than five years they transformed the valley into a hacienda of sugar cane, tobacco, coconut, rice and corn. He called it the “beautiful valley,” Vallehermoso. De la Viva bought, bartered and did everything else possible to enlarge his landholdings until it stretched from Molobolo on the boundary of Guihulngan, north to Macapso on the boundary of San Carlos and west to the slopes of Canlaon where he pastured his cattle and horses. He opened a road to Negros Occidental, which paved the way for his historic involvement in the local revolution against Spain. Don Diego de la Viña was an illustrado being born from a Spanish-Chinese parentage. He grew up in Binondo, Manila but went to Basque, Asturias in Spain to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Arts. Upon his return to Manila, he married a “Tagala” with whom he had four children. He brought them with him when he settled in Negros. Endowed with a pioneering spirit he searched for a place where he could establish a residence and fulfill his dream to carve out fortune. When he resided in Bagawines, he influenced the way of life of the bukidnons. They became civilized and tempered their warring tendencies. He inculcated to the bukudnona the love of work and the idea of religion. He frowned on laziness. In the hacienda that De la Viña established, unemployment was not known. His work in the plantation made him physically strong and spiritually active. When his wife died, he remarried an Ilongga from the landed Geopano Clan. He sired three children with his second wife. It was in the last quarter of 1898 when Don Diego de la Viña became involved in the revolution. His brother, Dr. Jose de la Viña was one of the delegates to the Macolos Congress. Dr. de la Viña regularly informed Don Diego of the latest development of the Republic government under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Gen. Aguinaldo duly commissioned Don Diego de la Viña with the rank of General de Brigada, Commandante del Ejercito filipino, Provincia de Negros Oriental. His son was also commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of the Infantry. He secretly trained his peasants how to handle a rifle. He turned their plowshares into bolos, “pinuti, “talibong”, “bahi”, spears and lances. Soon more and more men joined the group of de la Viña. He was soon around riding on a big white spotted horse during the “revolucionario”. De la Viña became known as the “Tigulang or the Grand Old Man”. He was considered a “cacique”, for he had the say in all appointments. He became the judge of local conflicts and designed the improvements for the place (source Negros Historian Prof.Penn Tulabing.Villanueva Larena, MPA a descendant of the Hermoso/ Olladas and Bernus clan an old Spanish family of this Town).

Products

Vallehermoso is composed mostly of Agricultural lands typically good for growing almost all kinds of crops although much of the uses of these agricultural areas are invested on Sugarcane Farming. Corn is also another product in the area hence the people are largely dependent upon corn as their staple food. Coconut is also another source of income for most of the farmers through “tuba” or Coconut Wine, Vinegar and Lambanog. Ingenious materials such as broomsticks, bags and fashion accessories are also being made by the town’s people as another source of income. Some other agricultural products such as; Banana, Cassava, Rice and coffee are also abundant in the area.

People

People in Vallehermoso are mostly farmers and fishermen while the minorities are average earners dependent upon the employment opportunities yielded by the government and the business sector. At least half of the residents in the Central Vallehermoso are graduate in secondary education while a considerable number are professionals in the fields of Education and basic civic services.

Opportunities

Being at the center of both points of Negros, Vallehermoso has its advantages to offer for investors. The Place can be a very good venue for Warehouses as it will enable companies to save on cost of freight and handling while instead of having to transport goods to and from both sides of Negros and Vallehermoso as being at the center can be a typical venue for the purpose.
Vallehermoso can also be a good venue for the Manufacturing sector, while because of its strategic location cost of freight and handling will greatly be reduced. While a comparatively cheaper Labor cost rate can be an additional ingredient to the manufacturing investors. While much of the products needed for production is abundant in the area and in the neighboring places supply and demand can surely be met.

Barangays

Vallehermoso is politically subdivided into 15 barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

s.

• Bagawines
• Bairan
• Don Espiridion Villegas
• Guba
• Cabulihan
• Macapso
• Malangsa
• Molobolo
• Maglahos
• Pinocawan
• Poblacion
• Puan
• Tabon
• Tagbino
• Ulay

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information