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Masbate City is located on the Island of Masbate (pronounced (mas bahti), which is in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The Province of Masbate is composed of 3 major islands, Masbate, Ticao, and Burias. Masbate Island is boomerang shaped and easy to locate by looking directly in the center of the Philippine Islands. Masbate City is the largest city on the Island and geographically located on the North Central coast of the island. Thus, the city is on a small Peninsula, which is located just east of Masbate Bay and creates a safe harbor and port.

The language of Masbate is Masbateno which is very close to illongo (spoken in Iloilo). English and Tagalog are also spoken and taught in all schools.

There are 30 Barangays (or villages) and a estimated population of over 250,000 (in 2008) in Masbate City which is the fastest growin city on the Island.

History

The account that "Masbate" was coined after the words "masa" and "bate" remains anecdotal, rich with a mixture of facts and folklore.

The islands of Masbate, Ticao and Burias were explored by Captain Luis Enriquez de Guzman in 1569. This exploration work was continued by Captain Andres de Ibarra,Ibalon(Albay) Province assumed jurisdiction over Masbate Islands, and Masbate was named the town's capital village for security reasons, the seat of government had to be moved time and time again. It was first moved to Mobo and then again, to Guiom. It was later transferred to Palanog near the mouth of Lumbang River to make it more accessible to Bicol Mainland and to the islands of Burias and Ticao. However, government records were kept inland in Cagay.

The political history of the town dates back to the 1850s when the Spaniards established their government under a Spanish Gobernadorcillo. The Masbateños’ vassalage to Spain ended sometime in the early part of 1898 as an offshoot of the libertarian campaign waged by General Emilio Aguinaldo.

Sometime after General Aguinaldo inaugurated the Philippine Independence at Kawit, Cavite, he issued a military order to overthrow the Spanish Government in the Visayas and Masbate. General Justo Lucban and General Diego de Dios acted on this order with the help of Masbateño rebels under the legendary Pedro Kipte. The defeat of the Spanish Crown in Masbate could be largely credited to Pedro Kipte. Immediately thereafter, the military government under the Republic of the Philippines was established. But when the American forces reached the Municipality of Masbate in November 1900, it took over the government of Masbate without any resistance from the Masbateños.

After a devastating typhoon in 1908, an Executive Order was passed annexing the Province of Masbate to the Province of Sorsogon. Masbate, by force of circumstance, became a sub-province of Sorsogon until 1922 when its provincial status was restored. Shortly before the restoration of Philippine Independence in 1946, the town of Masbate was established as the provincial capital.

Masbate forms part of the second congressional district. In the mid-90s, the idea of converting the municipality into a city was pushed by 2nd District House Representative Luz Cleta Reyes Bakunawa. Her successor, Congressman Emilio Espinosa, Jr., together with the Municipal Mayor Juan P. Sanchez, Sr. and some local officials and employees took over where she left off. On August 16, 2000, President Joseph E. Estrada signed Republic Act 8807 converting the Municipality of Masbate into a component city. In a plebiscite held later that year, Masbateños voted 7,800-3,200 in favor of cityhood, and on September 30, 2000, the Commission on Elections Regional Office in Region 5 officially proclaimed Masbate as a component city.

Geography
The island of Masbate lies at the center of the Philippine archipelago between latitudes 11°43’ north and 123°09’ east and 124°5’ east. It is bounded on the north by Burias and Ticao Pass, east by San Bernardino Strait, south by the Visayan Sea, and west by the Sibuyan Sea. Relative to mainland Bicol, the province faces the southwestern coasts of Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon.
The general surface configuration of the province ranges from slightly undulating to rolling and from hilly to mountainous. In each island, the rugged topography is concentrated in the northeastern portion and gradually recedes to blunt hills and rolling areas in the south, southeast, and southwest.
Masbate island is considered as the center of the Philippines.

Demography
The Province of Masbate has a population of 768,939 in the 2007 Census of Population with 397,524 registered voters (as of 2004). It consists of 20 municipalities, 1 component city and 550 barangays.

Language
The people speak predominantly Bikol, Masbateño (or Minasbate, the dialect unique to the province), some Visayan languages with a unique mixture of Tagalog and some shades of Hiligaynon (sometimes also known as Ilonggo). According to the 2000 Philippines Population Census, 27% of the population of Masbate province speak Cebuano. In Burias Island, they speak Bicol similarly as the people of Camarines Sur, due to the island’s proximity to the Bicol mainland. The people generally speak fluent English and Filipino.

Religion
The Diocese of Masbate was created on March 23, 1968, separating it from the Diocese of Sorsogon. It comprises then, and now, the civil province of Masbate with its 121 islands including the two larger ones Burias and Ticao. It is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Caceres. Its titular patron is St. Anthony of Padua.

Masbate's land area of 7000 square kilometers holds a population of 598,813 of which 85 per cent are Catholics. Devotional practices such as the rosary, novenas to saints, and other religious manifestations as processions, the misa de gallo and Holy Week traditional activities are still very much part of the way of life of most parishioners.

The Diocese of Masbate cannot truly boast, at this point, of great achievements in terms of programs and projects. But it has started to initiate various church programs spearheaded by the Diocesan Commissions on Religious Formation, Social Action and Liturgy, to start on its mission to steer its parishioners towards maturity in the Christian faith. This is done through catechesis, spiritual retreats, seminars, youth encounters, and the like.

There are a total 22 parishes in the Diocese of Masbate, ministered to by 43 priests and 11 religious sisters. It has 1 minor seminary, 4 pastoral centers, 3 elementary schools, 6 high schools, 1 college and 7 kindergarten schools. And among its faith communities are 20 BEC's 46 neo-catechumenal communities. 11 mandated organizations and 3 charismatic groups.

Literacy
The Province of Masbate's literacy rate is 95.90%. Its educational institutions consist of effective public and private schools like the Masbate National Comprehensive High School in Masbate City that has three campuses - (MNCHS-Bolo Campus, MNCHS-Main Campus, MNCHS-Annex Campus) and the state-supported Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology, Osmeña Colleges, Masbate Colleges, Holy Name Academy,a catholic institution run by the Augustinian Recollect Sisters in Palanas Masbate and Lucio Atabay Memorial Elementary School ( formerly, Nipa Elementary School ) in Nipa, Palanas, Masbate and many elementary, secondary schools and colleges.