Ragay

Ragay
Municipality
Municipality of Ragay
Flag Seal
Map of Camarines Sur with Ragay highlighted
Interactive map of Ragay
Ragay Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 13°49′18″N122°47′23″E / 13.8217°N 122.7897°E / 13.8217; 122.7897
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Province	Camarines Sur
District	1st district
Founded	April 15, 1753
Barangays	38 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Benchie G. Horibata
•  Vice Mayor	Giovanni A. Señar
•  Representative	Tsuyoshi Anthony G. Horibata
•  Municipal Council	Members Elmer A. Linao Annabelle R. Llabres Domingo S. Cedo Petronilo G. Mercado Ricardo B. Aquino Romano C. Sulit Roderick L. Sandagon Julio A. Aro
•  Electorate	41,000 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	400.22 km2 (154.53 sq mi)
Elevation	62 m (203 ft)
Highest elevation	258 m (846 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census) [3]
• Total	58,843
• Density	147.03/km2 (380.80/sq mi)
•  Households	14,112
Economy
•  Income class	1st municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	40.65 % (2021) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 326.3 million (2022)
•  Assets	₱ 1,150 million (2022)
•  Expenditure	₱ 202.4 million (2022)
•  Liabilities	₱ 290.5 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Camarines Sur 1 Electric Cooperative (CASURECO 1)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4410
PSGC	0501730000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)54
Native languages	Central Bikol Tagalog Manide
Website	ragaycamsur.gov.ph

Ragay, officially the Municipality of Ragay (Central Bikol : Banwaan kan Ragay; Tagalog : Bayan ng Ragay), is a municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 58,843 people. ^[5]

History

Ragay was originally a visita of Lupi and became a separate town on April 15, 1753. The first settlement stood along the Paculago River and was inhabited by Bicol, Tagalog, and Visayan speaking groups. Frequent Moro raids forced residents to move to a safer area upstream. The new community was called Hagay, meaning single, and was occupied by Christian settlers. When raids stopped and the Spanish arrived, the town shifted to its present site. The name Ragay emerged in the 1840s after a Spanish soldier misheard a resident who mentioned Hagay. ^[6]

Churches

• Santísima Trinidad Parish - Poblacion
• San Lorenzo Ruíz Parish - Godofredo Reyes Sr
• Nuestra Señora de la Salvación Parish - Banga Caves
• San Andrés Apóstol Parish - Liboro

Geography

Ragay is 79 kilometres (49 mi) from the provincial capital town Pili and 317 kilometres (197 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Ragay is politically subdivided into 38 barangay's. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Agao-ao
• Agrupacion
• Amomokpok
• Apad
• Apale
• Banga Caves
• Baya
• Binahan Proper
• Binahan Upper
• Buenasuerte
• Cabadisan
• Cabinitan
• Cabugao
• Caditaan
• Cale
• Godofredo Reyes Sr.(Catabang)
• Catabangan Proper
• Inandawa
• Laguio
• Lanipga-Cawayan
• Liboro
• Lohong
• Lower Omon
• Lower Santa Cruz
• Panaytayan
• Panaytayan Nuevo
• Patalunan
• Poblacion Ilaod
• Poblacion Iraya
• Port Junction Norte
• Port Junction Sur
• Salvacion
• Samay
• San Rafael
• F. Simeon (Pugod)
• Tagbac
• Upper Omon
• Upper Santa Cruz

Climate

Climate data for Ragay, Camarines Sur
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	32 (90)	31 (88)	35 (95)	37 (99)	37 (99)	36 (97)	36 (97)	34 (93)	35 (95)	34 (93)	33 (91)	32 (90)	34 (94)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	27 (81)	27 (81)	28 (82)	30 (86)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	28 (82)	29 (84)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	159.85 (6.29)	61.25 (2.41)	60.56 (2.38)	43.28 (1.70)	69.32 (2.73)	183.65 (7.23)	346.37 (13.64)	386.41 (15.21)	281.42 (11.08)	296.39 (11.67)	389.18 (15.32)	119.9 (4.72)	2,397.58 (94.38)
Average rainy days	26	22	22	18	20	26	30	31	28	28	30	28	309
Source: World Weather Online [7]

Demographics

Population census of Ragay

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	2,344	—
1918	3,811	+3.29%
1939	11,514	+5.41%
1948	20,062	+6.36%
1960	27,925	+2.79%
1970	32,635	+1.57%
1975	32,798	+0.10%
1980	34,891	+1.24%
1990	41,438	+1.73%
1995	44,154	+1.20%
2000	47,743	+1.69%
2007	52,021	+1.19%
2010	54,934	+2.00%
2015	58,214	+1.11%
2020	59,770	+0.56%
2024	58,843	−0.37%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

In the 2024 census, the population of Ragay was 58,843 people, ^[13] with a density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometre or 390 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Ragay

10

20

30

40

50

60

2000
56.51

2003
50.30

2006
47.60

2009
46.40

2012
37.42

2015
44.65

2018
30.41

2021
40.65

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority ^{[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]}

Transportation

A portion of Andaya Highway in Ragay town

The municipality is connected with Manila by the Andaya Highway and daily rail services to and from Naga & Legazpi are provided by the Philippine National Railways.

In order to spur development in the municipality, The Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 the extension of South Luzon Expressway. ^[22] A 420-kilometer, four lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the now under construction SLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao, Lucena City in Quezon to Matnog, Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that they will invest the project which will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours. ^[23]

Another expressway that will serve Ragay is the Quezon-Bicol Expressway (QuBEx), which will link between Lucena and San Fernando, Camarines Sur. ^[24]

Education

The Ragay Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. ^[25]

Primary and elementary schools

• Agao-ao Elementary School
• Agrupacion Elementary School
• Apad Elementary School
• Apale Elementary School
• Arborvitae Plains Montessori
• Bagasimbahan Elementary School
• Banga Elementary School
• Baya Elementary School
• Berachah Christian School
• Binahan Elementary School
• Buenasuerte Elementary School
• Cabadisan Elementary School
• Cabinitan Elementary School
• Cabugao Elementary School
• Caditaan Elementary School
• Catabangan Proper Elementary School
• Cawayan Elementary School
• Godofredo Reyes Sr. Elementary School
• GRS SDA Multigrade School
• Laguio Elementary School
• Liboro Elementary School
• Lohong Elementary School
• Lower Omon Elementary School
• Lower Sta Cruz Elementary School
• Marian Formation Center
• Mother Immaculate & Infant Jesus Learning Center
• Omon SDA Multigrade School
• Panaytayan Elementary School
• Panaytayan Nuevo Elementary School
• Patalunan Elementary School
• Port Junction Adventist Elementary School
• Port Junction Elementary School
• Pugod Elementary School
• Ragay Central School
• Ragay SDA Multigrade School
• Salvacion Elementary School
• Samay Elementary School
• San Rafael Elementary School
• St. Salome Early Riser Montessori School
• Tagbac Elementary School
• Upper Omon Elementary School
• Upper Sta. Cruz Elementary School

Secondary schools

• Arborvitae Plains Montessori
• Cristobal D. Aquino Memorial High School
• Don M. Gonzalvo Memorial High School
• Godofredo Reyes Sr. National HS
• Quezon Camarines High School
• Ragay National Agricultural and Fisheries School
• Ragay Science and Math Oriented High School
• Simeon Tycangco Memorial High School
• Sisa Feliciano Memorial High School
• Tomas A. Andaya Sr. National High School

Higher educational institution

• Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Ragay (est. 1993)

Gallery

• 
  Godofredo Reyes Sr. (GRS) Public Market
• 
  Rolando R. Andaya Highway near Poblacion Iraya
• 
  Rolando R. Andaya Highway near Godofredo Reyes Sr. (GRS)
• 
  Godofredo Reyes Sr. (GRS) Barangay Proper

References

1.   Municipality of Ragay | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
4. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
5. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
6. "Our History". ragaycamsur.gov.ph. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
7. "Ragay, Camarines Sur: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". World Weather Online. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
8. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
9. Census of Population (2015). "Region V (Bicol Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
10. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region V (Bicol Region)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
11. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region V (Bicol Region)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
12. "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
13. "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
14. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
15. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
16. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
17. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
18. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
19. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
20. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
21. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
22. "SLEX Toll Road 5 to connect Quezon province to Sorsogon". YugaTech. August 18, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
23. "San Miguel investing P122B for SLEX Toll Road 5, Pasig River Expressway projects". GMA News Online. August 25, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
24. "QUEZON–BICOL EXPRESSWAY | Department of Public Works and Highways". www.dpwh.gov.ph. Archived from the original on 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
25. "Masterlist of Schools" (PDF). Department of Education. January 15, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2025.

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Official Site of the Province of Camarines Sur
• Official website