Early history Negros, the largest island in the
Visayas, is believed to have once been part of a larger landmass that was cut off by rising waters at the end of the last
ice age. They called the island "Buglas", a native word which is believed to mean "cut off".
Spanish colonial era Spanish explorers on the expedition of
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi first came to the island in April 1565. Legazpi dropped anchor in
Bohol and sent his men to scout the island. With
Amlan having 155 Spanish-Filipino families
American occupation era the first
Governor of Negros Oriental. In 1901, the Negros Oriental province was reorganized by the
United States and a civil government was established, with
Demetrio Larena as governor. The American government made Siquijor a "sub-province" of Negros Oriental. Negros Oriental became a province under the American civil government on March 10, 1917, through
Act 2711. In 1934, Negros Oriental became a
corregimiento, a separate military district. Under the American colonial government, transportation infrastructure was developed with improvements of roads and new bridges.
Japanese occupation era During
World War II, both Negros provinces were invaded by
Imperial Japanese forces, resorting many residents to flee to the inland mountains. Negros Island was liberated by combined Philippine & American troops with the local Negrense guerillas attacking the Japanese on August 6, 1945. The 7th, 73rd, 74th, and 75th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were established from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 7th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Oriental. They started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Negros from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial forces.
Creation of Siquijor On September 17, 1971,
Siquijor became an independent province by virtue of
Republic Act No. 6396.
Marcos dictatorship era The beginning months of the 1970s had marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Negros Oriental. During his
bid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused the Philippine economy to take a sudden downwards turn known as the
1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest. With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under
Martial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years. This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record of
human rights abuses, particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. Dumaguete was one of the first cities in the country to learn about
Marcos' declaration of
martial law on September 23, 1972. Local news station DYSR was able to pick up the news from an Australian broadcast. Elsewhere in the country, media outlets such as newspapers and broadcast stations had already been shut down, but DSYR was able to make the announcement before Information Secretary
Francisco Tatad did at around noon. DYSR itself would be shut down later that day.
Silliman University was one of the last four universities in the Philippines to be allowed to reopen for classes, with Marcos himself complaining about instances where members of the political opposition such as Senators
Jovito Salonga and
Juan Liwag were invited to speak at the university. A
sugar hoarding scheme by
National Sugar Trading Corporation (NASUTRA) of
Roberto Benedicto backfired, Negros Oriental was separated from the
Central Visayas region and transferred to the new region along with
Negros Occidental and
Bacolod. However, on August 9, 2017, President
Rodrigo Duterte dissolved the Negros Island Region, revoking
Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 through the signing of
Executive Order No. 38, citing a lack of funds to fully establish the region according to
Benjamin Diokno, the
Secretary of Budget and Management. This returned Negros Oriental to the Central Visayas region. In 2018, with the
Duterte administration promoting
federalism, the idea of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental reunified into one federal region was discussed with local provincial politicians, with some additional support from the known native
Negrenses. There is also a suggestion, jointly approved by the provincial governors, that Negros Oriental along with Negros Occidental, be renamed with their pre-colonial names as "
Buglas Sidlakan" and "
Buglas Nakatundan" respectively, with Negros, as a federal state, be named as "
Negrosanon Federated Region", due to the negative
racial connotation associated with the name "
Negros". On June 13, 2024, Negros Oriental was transferred from Central Visayas to the Negros Island Region after President
Bongbong Marcos signed
Republic Act 12000.
Centennial anniversary of the Negros Oriental Capitol building On May 17, 2024, the 1924
Grecian-
Ionic Daniel Burnham "Negros Oriental Capitol" building's historical marker for the
centennial anniversary-
"Jubilee Year" commemoration was installed by the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines' Directress Carminda Arevalo. Governor
Manuel "Chaco" L. Sagarbarria signed the marker's Certificate of Transfer in the presence of
Imee Marcos,
Francis Tolentino,
Mark Villar,
Risa Hontiveros,
Lito Lapid,
Jinggoy Estrada, Irish Ambassador William John Carlos and Philippine Tour Operators Association who graced the historic event along Dumaguete North Road,
Dumaguete City.
Kuh Ledesma,
Silliman University Dance Troupe and Orchestra Sin Arco performed with others followed by the finale,
Pyro Musical Competition at the Freedom Park. ==Geography==