Naga City Science High School Entry - Tigsik:Pagsalingoy sa Lengwaheng Bikolnon

Bicol Region lies at 122 to 124 east longitude and 12 to 14 latitude or generally at the midsection of the country. The area is bordered by Lamon Bay on the north ,Pacific Ocean to the East and the Sibuyan Sea and Ragay Gulf to the west. It has land access to the rest of Luzon through its neighbor, Quezon Province.

The region is composed of four adjoining provinces (ALBAY, CAMARINES SUR, (CAMARINES NORTE, and SORSOGON), two island provinces of CATANDUANES and MASBATE), and seven cities namely Legazpi, Naga, Iriga, Tabaco, Ligao, Sorsogonand Masbate. It has a total land area of 1,763,249 hectares (approximately 17,632,400 square kilometers). Camarines Sur is the biggest with 526,682 hectares (Naga City and Iriga City included) and Catanduanes, the smallest with 151,148 hectares.

Bicolanos speak any one of the several varieties of Bikol, an Austronesian language closely related to other Central Philippine languages such as Cebuano and Tagalog. Bikol varieties include Bikol Rinconada (Iriga-Buhi area), the western Albay dialects (Oas, Daraga), Bikol Sorsogon (Sorsogon), Bikol Catanduanes and Bikol Partido (municipalities surrounding Lagonoy Gulf). Standard Bikol is based on the dialect of Naga City and is spoken in a wide area stretching from Camarines Norte, most of Camarines Sur, the entire east coast of Albay (including Legazpi up to Tabaco) and northern Sorsogon. Standard Bikol is generally understood by other Bikol speakers and is the regional lingua franca.

The region is made popular by well-known artists in different fields of interest like theatre arts, films and broadcast arts, visual arts, history and culture and the literary arts. Some of the Bicolano artists are known not only locally but also nationally, and occasionally playing on the international arena as well.

So as to enhance the Bicolano literature, one oral literary genre that is unique and of Bikol origin tigsik is being enriched once again by Bikolano writers to resurface and be made known in the wider field.